Book Launch: The Slave Trader by Ben Shaw

This discussion event marks the launch of Ben Shaw's new book which charts the life of Bryan Blundell, co-founder of the Bluecoat, whose fortune was bound to the transatlantic slave trade.

Time

6:00pm - 8:00pm

Date

Wed 16 September 2026

Wed 16 Sep, 6-8pm

The Bluecoat building began as a charity school for orphans, co-founded by Bryan Blundell in the early eighteenth century. His fortune, like Liverpool’s, was bound to the transatlantic slave trade. Drawing on Blundell’s journal, shipping records, sermons, and civic archives, Ben Shaw’s new book charts his career of prosperity and philanthropy, and the hidden costs that underpinned them. Panelists include Bluecoat Director of Cultural Legacies Bryan Biggs and Researcher Janaya Pickett.

Free, booking required