Drax of Drax Hall

Tickets

£4 — £6

Full £6 | Concessions (advance only) £4

Location

The Exchange, Penzance

Dates

Sat 11th July, 2026
3:00 pm |
Duration: up to 90 minutes

About this event

'Riches from Sugar and Slavery' - Penzance Literary Festival presents Paul Lashmar in conversation

Investigative journalist Paul Lashmar’s research for the Channel 4 series Britain’s Slave Trade, back in 2000, first piqued his interest in enslavement. His ongoing research over the last five years has focused on and led to the publication of Drax of Drax Hall: How One British Family Got Rich (and Stayed Rich) from Sugar and Slavery. This tells the full, unflinching story of the Drax dynasty that pioneered the British sugar industry and created the blueprint for slave-based plantation economies. From the violent origins of British colonialism in the Caribbean to the quiet entrenchment of inherited privilege in the English countryside, this lays bare the enduring legacies of empire

Paul will be talking with Linda Camidge. A former teacher and current member of the LitFest organising team, Linda has recently published the first in a series of books about Penzance: Histories of Penzance Book One: Landmarks and Legends.

Concessions strictly for: under-18s, full-time students, those in receipt of working-age benefits or Pension Credit

Contact

01736 363 545 | https://www.theacornpenzance.com/events/drax-of-drax-hall-family-riches-from-sugar-and-slavery/