Refurbishment is underway to transform one of the UK’s most historic buildings.
The Archway which stands on the corner of the Paganhill Estate in Stroud, and gives Archway School its name, is the only memorial of its type left in Britain, to the abolition of slavery in the British Colonies.
Repairs to the monument will be undertaken by Stroud District Council, a spokesperson for the council, said: “Stroud District Council will shortly commence a 12 week programme of repairs to this nationally-important monument. These latest works will mean that the natural stonework will be fully restored and will be completed at a cost of £42,000. These works align with the SDC-facilitated review panel of place names and monuments, which recommended that the council should progress with its plans for the physical restoration of the Anti-Slavery Arch, Paganhill and take into consideration its historic and tourism potential.”
Due to its particular historic interest, in 2007 the monument was upgraded from a Grade II listing to Grade II*. It was built in 1834 as the grand entrance to a Georgian mansion, Farmhill Park, by Henry Wyatt, 1793-1847, a wealthy local businessman associated with the Stroud Anti-Slavery Society.
In 1807 the British slave trade was abolished by Parliament and it became illegal to buy and sell slaves, although people could still own them. In 1833 Parliament finally abolished slavery itself, both in Britain and throughout the British Empire; the Arch commemorates this event.
The anti-slavery Arch was restored in 1960-1961 by Stroud District Council at a cost of £1,000 much of which came from individual donations. By 2000 the Arch was again in need of repairs. ‘The Anti-slavery Arch Group’, led by Anne Mackintosh of Stroud Preservation Trust, raised funds of £25,000 for a community project which included major stone repairs to the arch, a bronze plaque, a leaflet, a website (www.anti-slaveryarch.com) and a community play. Archway School used the restoration of the Arch to highlight the plight of modern slaves.”
For more information on the arch at Paganhill visit: https://www.stroudpreservationtrust.org.uk/the-anti-slavery-arch.html