The Museum of London 1976-2007: Reimagining Metropolitan Narratives in Postcolonial London
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Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs The Museum of London 1976-2007: Reimagining Metropolitan Narratives in Postcolonial London Thesis How to cite: Aylett, Samuel Paul Tobias (2020). The Museum of London 1976-2007: Reimagining Metropolitan Narratives in Postcolonial London. PhD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 2019 Samuel Paul Tobias Aylett https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Redacted Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.000112e7 Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk 1 The Museum of London 1976-2007: Reimagining Metropolitan Narratives in Postcolonial London Samuel Paul Tobias Aylett Supervised by Prof Karl A. Hack and Dr Susie West Submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History at the Open University, October 2019 Some of the material in this thesis has been redacted in-line with copyright law, and until permission is granted. 2 Abstract Since the 1990s, cultural historians have developed exciting new scholarship charting shifting representations of empire at museums. Yet city museums feel strangely absent from these conversations, which have principally focused on national and regional museums in Britain, its former colonies and Europe. This thesis responds to this gap in the literature by mapping the shifting representation of empire and colonial histories at the Museum of London between 1976-2007. Opened in 1976 by Queen Elizabeth II, the Museum of London was an amalgamation of the London Museum (1912) and the Guildhall Museum (founded 1826), situated in the heart of the City, at the south-west corner of the Barbican Centre. Given its location, once the heart of the British Empire, the Museum of London provides a unique space to examine the changing place and value of empire in Britain’s foremost metropolitan museum. The thesis begins then by charting the origins of the Museum of London, analysing the place and value of empire within the Museum’s permanent galleries in 1976. It proceeds by untangling the complex relations underlying shifting representations, to explore how and why changes in narrative orientation occurred in 1989 when the Museum started planning a new exhibition, ‘The Peopling of London’, launched in 1993. This marked the Museum’s initial serious engagement with the legacies of British colonialism in relation to its urban constituents. The legacy of this small exhibition led to increased engagement with postcolonial histories, culminating with ‘London, Sugar and Slavery’ in 2007, staged at the Museum of London Docklands to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. The cumulative picture is a complex, sometimes ambiguous, relationship between the Museum and London’s colonial past. 3 Acknowledgements I would first like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Open University which allowed me to conduct my research. The Open University is a necessary and vital institution. Their motto to ‘Learn and Live’ and their indefatigable support for their students has been a constant source of pride and encouragement during my studies. I am eternally grateful to my supervisors Prof Karl Hack and Dr Susie West for their friendship, patience, guidance, advice and encouragement throughout. I have been extremely lucky to have supervisors who were not only enthusiastic about my research and ideas but provided pastoral support at those more difficult times. They also provided me with an abundance of perspective, humour, laughter and confidence at times when I was low in spirit. I would also like to thank all academic and administrative staff of the Open University Graduate School, the History and Art History departments and the wider FASS community who provided a supportive and collegiate culture. I would be remiss not to show gratitude to my graduate school friends and colleagues who provided encouragement and support at times of success, and who listened during times of frustrations. I am grateful to the Museum of London for allowing me access to their archives. Katie Ormerod, their archivist, was particularly supportive, and I am indebted to her for helping me to navigate the catalogues and to find material. I would also like to acknowledge the willingness of all those former Museum of London staff members, and others, who allowed me to interview them and provided invaluable insights: Nick Merriman, Max Hebditch, Rozina Visram, Sara Selwood, Catherine Ross and Valerie Cummings. Completing this work would have been all the more taxing without the unwavering support of my Fiancé Ionna. I was continually amazed by her willingness to endure all my self-doubt and moaning, all my ramblings and rants about museum history, and to stick by me and encourage me through all my ups and downs. Even through her own difficult times she remained a rock, and steadfast in her support. I dedicate this work to her. I am also grateful to all my friends and family who kept me grounded and helped me to keep perspective throughout my studies. 4 Für Meine Liebe Ionna 5 Contents Part One: The Origin Story 1826-1976...................................................................... 12 Chapter One: Introduction, Shifting Representations of Empire at the Museum .... 13 Chapter Two: Prelude to the Museum of London, its origins in the Guildhall and London Museums 1826-1976 ................................................................................... 64 Chapter Three: Representations of Empire at the Museum of London 1976 .......... 95 Part Two: The ‘Peopling of London’ 1993-1994 ...................................................... 131 Chapter Four: The ‘Peopling of London’ 1989-1993 Concept and Approach ......... 132 Chapter Five: The ‘Peopling of London’ 1993-1994 Exhibition and Displays ......... 163 Chapter Six: The ‘Peopling of London’ Catalogue and Educational Resources ...... 198 Part Three: Reception and Legacy of ‘Peopling’ 1994-2007 .................................... 235 Chapter Seven: Understanding Visitor Responses ................................................. 236 Chapter Eight: The Spirit of ‘Peopling’ 1993-2007, Legacies and Echoes .............. 267 Chapter Nine: Conclusion ....................................................................................... 307 Bibliography ......................................................................................................... 315 6 Glossary ACE – Arts and Crafts in Education AHD – Authorised Heritage Discourse ANL – Anti-Nazi League BAME – Black Asian Minority Ethnic BECC – Black Emergency Cultural Coalition BECM – British Empire and Commonwealth Museum BHS – Brooklyn Historical Society BNP – British National Party BPA – Black People’s Alliance CAMOC - International Committee for the Collections and Activities of Museums of Cities CNER – Centre for New Ethnicities Research DCMS – Department for Culture, Media and Sport GLC – Greater London Council HLF – Heritage Lottery Fund ILEA – Inner London Education Authority ISML – International Slavery Museum Liverpool LCC – London County Council LDDC – London Docklands Development Corporation LSS – London, Sugar and Slavery MHDT – Mayor’s Heritage Diversity Taskforce MiDP – Museum in Docklands Project MoL – Museum of London MoLD – Museum of London Docklands PLA – Port of London Authority THACMHO – Tower Hamlets African Caribbean Mental Health Organisation UNESCO – United Nations Education, Scientific Cultural Organisation 7 List of Figures Figure 1: Guildhall Library, Basinghall Street, c. 1870. ........................................................ 72 Figure 2: Case with antiquities in the Guildhall Museum, c. 1875. ..................................... 73 Figure 3: The Royal Family at the inauguration of London Museum, Kensington Palace, 1912. ..................................................................................................................................... 82 Figure 4: Aerial perspective of Lancaster House, occupied by the London Museum, 1914. .............................................................................................................................................. 84 Figure 5: Design strategies for the Museum of London permanent galleries, 1971. .......... 92 Figure 6: Museum of London aerial shot, 1976. .................................................................. 97 Figure 7: Museum of London entrance, 1970...................................................................... 99 Figure 8: Original Museum of London entrance at walkway level, 1967. .........................100 Figure 9: Museum of London permanent galleries floor plan, 1976. ................................102 Figure 10: Display 9, Caesar's Camp, Heathrow: c.500BC, Alan Sorrell, 1954. ..................108 Figure 11: Display 117, Delft Plate honouring Elizabeth I, 1600. .......................................112 Figure 12: Display 173, Lacquer Cabinet, imported by the East India Company, early-18th century. ..............................................................................................................................114 Figure 13: ‘Victorian Imperialism’ display, ‘Imperial London’ gallery, 1976......................121