Saturday 26 January 2019

National Trust should stop 'privileging heterosexual lives' in family histories at stately homes


The National Trust (NT) should stop emphasising the role of families in the history of stately homes because it ‘privileges heterosexual lives’ according to a National Trust curator. Her comments were reported in the Daily Telegraph (26 January 2019) and have provoked a row over how history is presented. They also highlight the lack of LGBTQ visibility in heritage generally.

This is not the first time LGBTQ issues have been raised in the heritage sector.

In 2017, the National Trust ran a ‘Pride and Prejudice’ campaign, marking 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality. The campaign caused some controversy when it outed a late country house squire, in a film narrated by Stephen Fry, 48 years after his death.

The debate is timely because it comes on the eve of LGBTQ history month which runs through February.

In recent years heritage organisations such as the National Trust, the V&A, Historic England and others, have made greater efforts to be more inclusive and recognise a wider range of groups who have been marginalised, misrepresented, under-represented or who have been made invisible. This also includes a greater emphasis on widening access and increasing participation.

Lewisham Local History and Archives will be running a series of LGBTQ history themed posts throughout the month. We will bring you information on archives where you can do research, links to guides for finding records and a self-guided tour of the V&A, as well as some family history related links and resources.

To get the best out of the postings, please join us on Facebook.

Recent copies of Newspapers are available in the Information Section, Lewisham Library, Lewisham High Street.

Julie Robinson, Local Studies Librarian.
Local.studies@lewisham.gov.uk

 @LewishamHistory          #LewishamHistory
Lewisham Heritage Blog: http://lewishamheritage.blogspot.com/

Tuesday 15 January 2019

Free talk: the life and activism of Kath Duncan

Free Talk:  The Life and Activism of Kath Duncan. 

Revolutionary ? Deviant ? Misguided? or the most important UK LGBTQ and Civil Rights activist in the past 100 years? You decide. 

Date: Saturday 9th February, 11.00am. 

No need to book.

Venue: Large Meeting room, The Library at Deptford Lounge, 9 Giffin Street, Deptford SE8 4RH.

The speaker, Ray Barron Woolford is a long term Deptford Resident. Ray has written 4 books about Deptford and established a local food bank. Ray has also written Liberty, a book and play about Kath Duncan, that will be staged in Deptford as part of the Global LGBT history month 14-28 Feb at Zion Baptist Chapel New Cross Road Deptford SER14 6TJ  and the first biography  to be written about Kath Duncan, The Last Queen Of Scotland.




Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre │199-201 Lewisham High Street, Lewisham, London SE13 6LG │ local.studies@lewisham.gov.uk │020 8314 8501 │
Facebook @LewishamHistory    Twitter  #LewishamHistory                             
Blog: http://lewishamheritage.blogspot.com/