UPDATE – RECRUITMENT CLOSED – POSITION FILLED
We are looking to contract an experienced researcher to undertake historical research to support the phase 1 re-interpretation of parts of The Rum Story in Whitehaven. This is as part of The Rum Story Re-Imagined Project, which has been made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Click here for the full role description, which includes details of how to apply.
The Rum Story is for everybody but like many heritage attractions, it’s not yet engaging everyone. It was created in 2000 and needs to be more accessible, inclusive and engaging. The way it currently tells history aligns with how it is told by the wider heritage sector and dilutes the extent of Britain’s role in the Transatlantic trade of enslaved African people and how it profited.
The Rum Story Re-Imagined is a partnership project between Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners and Anti Racist Cumbria that aims to address these issues and put Whitehaven firmly on the UK heritage map.
As a rough guide, research will be focused on the following subjects and ways in which they are intertwined:
- Whitehaven – how it has evolved and what it was like in the 18th century
- The Jefferson Family, their businesses and philanthropy
- The Transatlantic trading, trafficking and enslavement of African people and its legacies
- The production of rum on sugar plantations in Antigua in the 18th century and to date
- Antigua before and after colonisation
- The life and culture of people from West African countries before enslavement and after
Application deadline: 12pm on 13 August.
Katy Haigh, The Rum Story Re-Imagined Project Manager, July 2025
