St Paul’s Cathedral

In April 2023, Kate Astbury was approached by Dr Renie Chow Choy, Community Engagement Manager for Collections at St Paul’s Cathedral, which had a Museums Association grant to interpret its monuments. Kate was asked if she were willing to provide advice about developing community-assisted curations of the monuments related to the British involvement in the West Indies during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Kate introduced Renie to SV2G as they met the Cathedral's criteria for a grassroots charity with a social mandate who i) would have interest in exploring the events in the Caribbean associated with the monuments, and ii) who ideally have prior experience with research/writing/interpretation on this historical period.

Between October 2023 and spring 2024, SV2G, working with Kate as historical consultant, Abigail Coppins and David Lambert (Warwick, History) as historical advisors, and with input from Kristy Warren (University of Lincoln) and Désha Osborne (University of Edinburgh), produced a new War and Resistance trail. The trail puts the emphasis on the effect of the revolutionary wars between Britain and France on the local population in the Caribbean.

The trail launched October 2024 and can be found online here:

War and resistance in the Caribbean: The monuments at St Paul's | St Paul's Cathedral