The British Empire & Commonwealth Museum in Bristol is marking the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade with a two-year exhibition called Breaking the Chains.

The exhibition will feature displays telling the story of Britain’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, those who were enslaved and the campaigns which brought legally sanctioned slavery to an end. The exhibition will also focus on how forms of slavery continue in the present day.

Breaking the Chains will also support an educational programme on Britain’s role in the slave trade, which will shortly become a compulsory component of the history curriculum at secondary schools.

Schools will be able to borrow one of a series of Slavery Handling Boxes filled with artefacts and images for pupils to handle and discuss during lessons on slavery and abolition.

The boxes will contain original and replica artefacts, such as a Wedgwood china plate and Abolitionist coins, as well as artefacts representing the struggle by enslaved Africans in the Caribbean to overcome their oppression.

Teacher training days will be organised at the exhibition to equip teachers with the requisite knowledge and materials.

The Linbury Trust, Ernest Cook Trust, Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Bristol’s Society of Merchant Venturers have donated more than £100,000 towards the education project.

Breaking the Chains is being developed in partnership with Bristol City Council’s Museums, Galleries and Archives Service and is supported by a £770,000 grant from the HLF. Details: www.empiremuseum.co.uk