Easton's Colston Road has been given an apt new name.
Following the toppling of Bristol's Edward Colston Statue in June 2020, a number of buildings and institutions have changed their names to distance themselves from the slave trader, whose company was responsible for the deaths of 84,000 African men, women and children. But lots of streets across our city still have his name, apart from one in Easton which has recently switched from Colston Road to Colston Four Road.
The name is honouring the four people who were cleared of all charges of toppling the controversial statue and dumping it in the harbour. It's unclear if the new road sign was put in place by the council, or was the work of local residents, but it definitely looks official.
READ MORE: Colston 4 cleared: What next for Bristol and will there be a change to the law?
Who are the Colston Four?
Rhian Graham, 30, Milo Ponsford, 26, and Sage Willoughby, 22, Jake Skuse, 33, known as the so-called Colston 4, were charged with criminal damage in relation to the toppling of the state and dumping it in the harbour.
But following an 11-day trial at Bristol Crown Court, and two hours, 57 minutes' deliberation, a jury of six men and six women acquitted all four of criminal damage. The toppling of the statue became a key moment of the wave of protests seen around the world in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in the US, and was even mentioned at Mr Floyd’s funeral.
It also sparked a wider debate across the country on how Britain’s involvement in the slave trade should be depicted and whether these historical figures should continue to be commemorated through plaques and street names.
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Since the statue's removal Colston’s name has been removed from a number of buildings, organisations and schools in Bristol, including those run by the the Society of Merchant Venturers, who have previously fought so hard to keep the ‘virtuous’ legacy of Edward Colston intact by ignoring any parts of his history which would tarnish his reputation as a ‘wise son’ of Bristol.
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