Edward Colston Statue in Bristol

The legacy of Edward Colston, a Bristol-born merchant and Royal African Company executive, involves a complex history relating to local politics, educational institutions, and organisations in Bristol. For many years, the Society of Merchant Venturers, which held significant influence over local heritage policy-making, curated and protected the Colston legacy. At the same time, several groups and individuals attempted to remove Colston’s presence from Bristol’s public spaces due to his involvement in the Transatlantic slave trade. The debate surrounding Colston’s legacy spread outside of Bristol after Black Lives Matter protesters toppled Colston’s statue into the Bristol Harbour in June 2020. The city is still dealing with the effects of these events and looking for solutions regarding contested narratives about imperialism and slavery in the city’s public spaces.