At Paxton House, we have a busy education programme working with local schools on a whole range of projects and providing lots of fun and learning for visiting children of all ages during school holidays.  Outstanding among this activity has been the programme we embarked on way back in 2007 in partnership with Descendants, a London-based group of children of African Caribbean descent to explore our shared history.

Descendants and The Paxton Trust first worked together during the commemoration of the 200^th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 2007. Our partnership has flourished with the work we have done to reveal some of the historical connections between past owners of Paxton House, the Caribbean, and the transatlantic slave trade.

Since January 2022, children at Descendants have been learning about the history of transatlantic slavery through a series of workshops. Eyemouth High School pupils have also been studying this through both the Scottish curriculum and workshops with Paxton House staff and Descendants.

The children have created paintings, poems, and creative writing responses to what they have explored some of which are on display at Paxton House which you can explore here.

Find out more in our Caribbean Connections and Parallel Lives, World’s Apart exhibitions in the house or follow our online Sugar and Slavery Trail.

This work has been generously supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund and Museums Galleries Scotland.