Colonial Countryside: A circular walk about Hampshire’s slavery history

Friday 29 September, 11am prompt departure
Meeting point: Northbrook Arms, East Stratton Village (OS grid ref. SU 5462 4080)

During the walk we will explore the historical connections between Senegal, Louisiana and Hampshire. The route passes through villages and across fields to reach estates owned by Sir Francis Baring, founder of Barings Bank. In 1803, his son Sir Alexander Baring negotiated and financed the Louisiana Purchase, the world’s largest ever land sale which allowed the slavery system to develop in the Deep South. By 1833, a quarter of the income from Barings Bank came from cotton produced by enslaved people in the Deep South.

Participants are then invited to the Wessex Learning Centre, Winchester Cathedral, for around 4pm, which you may attend without having walked. Dr Seck will talk about how his research has helped to centre the experiences of enslaved people in Louisiana at a museum called Whitney Plantation and there will be conversation between the academics, opening out to group discussion.

Those who can stay are warmly invited to a Festal Evensong in the Cathedral to mark Michaelmas, where there will be a welcome for participants and prayers for freedom and justice.

The meeting point of this walk will be the Northbrook Arms in East Stratton Village. There is a bus route which will drop you nearby or alternatively you can park either along Stratton Lane (without blocking the road), or behind the pub. Please don’t park around the village green.

The walk is easy to moderate walking difficulty, mostly flat, with some country lanes, slight hills and one longer hill. Dogs are welcome. Please bring your own picnic.

No booking is necessary, but please arrive on time.

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