News / Edward Colston
EXCLUSIVE: More symbols to Colston removed
References to Edward Colston continue to be removed across Bristol, following the toppling of his statue in the city centre seven days ago.
The latest symbols to the slave trader to disappear are the signs to Colston Yard, which have been painted over.
Opposite the entrance to the alleyway, also called Colston Yard, a Colston Street road sign now reads ‘Floyd Street’ after George Floyd who was killed by police in Minneapolis.
A local trader told Bristol24/7: “As a community we welcome the move to rename our streets and areas away from glorifying those who caused harm to trafficked people of colour, who were ancestors to some members of our community.”
Signs inside Colston Yard have also been painted over – photo by Martin Booth
Activists have given a new name to this sign to Colston Street opposite Colston Yard – photo by Martin Booth
Traders and residents are currently holding their own consultations on renaming roads in the area around the Christmas Steps and are also in communication with Bristol City Council.
One name already suggested is Carmen Beckford, a nurse and one of the founding organisers of St Paul’s Carnival who went on to become a figurehead for race relations in Bristol has died.
Beckford, who arrived in the UK from Jamaica at the age of 17, died in 2016 and is remembered by artist Michelle Curtis in her Seven Saints of St Paul’s murals.
The painting over of the signs comes a few days after the lettering was removed from the exterior of the Colston Tower, with the Colston Hall also due to remove their own exterior signage before revealing a new name by the autumn.
Main photos by Martin Booth
Read more: Colston Arms pub: ‘We are listening’
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