We are delighted to announce that The Rum Story’s Better Understanding of The Rum Story Collection Project has been made possible thanks to AIM Museum Fundamentals, funded by The Pilgrim Trust and The Julia Rausing Trust.
The Rum Story explores the histories of rum, the Jefferson family, Whitehaven, and Britain’s role in the trade of enslaved African people and the products they were forced to produce. Set within the original shop, cellars, bonded warehouse, courtyard and stables of the Jefferson family’s business in Whitehaven, the museum takes visitors on a journey across three floors, exploring Whitehaven’s connections with Africa and the Americas, and how the demand for sugar and rum changed the lives of millions of people forever.
Last year, thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners and Anti Racist Cumbria carried out extensive consultation and engagement with 1,267 people, including community members and specialists from Cumbria to Antigua. This work informed a five-year plan to increase The Rum Story’s visitor numbers, improve engagement, strengthen inclusion and accessibility, and ensure the museum is better equipped to preserve and tell these important histories.
The consultation highlighted several priorities for the museum:
- We care for a significant collection but have only a limited understanding of its full historical and cultural significance.
- Developing a deeper understanding of the collection is essential to inform future interpretation and storytelling.
- We currently lack a comprehensive collections inventory, making it difficult to safeguard, interpret, digitise, loan or responsibly develop the collection.
- Our uncatalogued storerooms contain significant unexplored material with the potential to reveal new stories.
- Some collection items require urgent conservation to ensure they are preserved for future generations.
- Many artefacts, documents, paintings and photographs currently on display lack accurate interpretation or identification.
- Further work is needed to distinguish historically and culturally significant collection items from those used as exhibition set dressing.
Thanks to this new AIM Museum Fundamentals grant, we will begin the Better Understanding of The Rum Story Collection Project, which will provide the foundations for the museum’s future.
The project will:
- Preserve a unique collection connected to Whitehaven’s history, housed within its original historic buildings.
- Safeguard a collection that tells stories of global significance and the enduring legacies of enslavement.
- Uncover new information that contributes to research into histories of enslavement, rum production and local heritage.
- Create meaningful volunteering opportunities that connect local people with their heritage.
- Develop volunteers’ skills, knowledge and practical experience in collections care, conservation and heritage practice by working alongside an expert conservator.
- Improve employability through the development of transferable skills and experience.
- Provide training in anti-racism and best practice for interpreting histories of enslavement.
- Strengthen The Rum Story’s progress towards achieving Museum Accreditation.
- Discover documents and objects that will make the museum’s stories more engaging and relevant for visitors.
- Reveal hidden histories that deepen understanding and provide valuable context for interpretation and future research.
- Empower local communities to engage with difficult histories in ways that support positive change for the future.
- Build a thorough understanding of the collection to inform a new Interpretation Plan, underpinned by trauma-informed guiding principles and an activity plan. This will establish a clear narrative for the museum, guide future decision-making, and help distinguish The Rum Story from other museums.
This project marks an important step in ensuring that The Rum Story’s collections are properly understood, cared for and shared. By investing in research, conservation, volunteering and inclusive interpretation, we will preserve these important histories for future generations while helping more people connect with Whitehaven’s local heritage and its global significance.
