The Rum Story & Jefferson's Shop — Attraction in Whitehaven

A well rounded presentation on the origin of rum, method of production, how it was shipped, stored, bottled and consumed - all told through a story with a healthy mix of history and geography to satiate the curiosities of younger ones. Clever use of clay models compliment charts on the walls, and audio visual presentations. The clock at the entrance made of model of cane crushers, barrels, ships, decanters opens the show gently introducing viewers into what's there in the whole rum story. Then the audience walks into a model Caribbean forest to feel the ambience! Next all are ushered into a cave like underground passage where models show how the trade survived on cruel practices of the day such as slave trade,. Actual artifacts used such as the shackles to tie the hands and feet of the slaves under the dark underbelly of slave ships are on display. So are fun facts like who were the pirates how they grew with the support of the kings of the European states, how the rum became staple of British Navy, and then needed to be diluted to maintain order etc etc. The revolvers used by famous pirate captains to the method of forging rum barrels, the employment letter issued to an apprentice to the forge shop, to the then princely sum offered to the captain of a ship, all these are presented to add learning with fun. Visitors walk past old barrels stored in the same way they used to be for hundreds of years. The myriad units of measurements used to size the barrels are there for school students to feel relieved that they don't have to learn these any more! Finally the viewers are ushered into the office room still equipped with the then state of the art office machinery like type writers and hand cranked calculators ! The tour winds up with a taster session, albeit restricted to the grown ups only. The younger ones can take home souvenirs like...

Rather disappointed in this place.

I went here to look around. Saw 2 southerners talking to the lady in the shop. The lady in the shop said "are you here on holiday?" The guy was with his mother, he replied "no, my parents moved here 5 years ago and I just moved up here." The lady replied "you bloody southerners come up here steal our houses, steal our jobs, make it impossible for us to buy anything."

I was disgusted and nearly said a few things to her myself. But the guy calmly said "have you ever lived down south?" The lady replied "yes, I loved down there for 25 years, then sold up and move back up to Whitehaven." The guy then said "Oh, so you northerners can move down south, no one cares, you're welcomed into our homes, our places of work, you're paid the same amount as we are, and no one would ever be so rude as to insult you, although I see that you insult yourself as you're to stupid to see the faults with your own logic." They then left the shop. The lady in the shop had untidy blonde hair, in her 50s, had an attitude that sucked any decency out of the shop. I just looked at Her and shook my head in disbelief that anyone could be so bloody rude. I then put down the Rum that I was about to buy, after all you don't want dirty southerners in your shop do you. So I'll say what these people were too polite to say. You are a disgrace, if these were black people of of had you arrested. You have a disgraceful, cheap, vile, vulgar, sad video life.

I hope southerners read this and never come into your shop, and never buy anything from your...

Certainly innovative in the way the production of rum from Sugar cane juice has been presented using models and videos, made attractive to school children with a representative Caribbean forest, and stories of pirates and other bits of sailor's lores that made the port city of Whitehaven one of the 3 largest port cities in the then British land. Not to fight shy of the murky side, the 300 year old trade involving slaves has been dealt with in detail, going so far as to present the actual metal chains and braces that were used to shackle the slave men and women in the dark underdecks of slave ships. In another section of the tour the underground rum storage and testing facilities have been brought alive using realistic arrangements of dim lighting, and tools of trade as if still in use. Units of measure ( India Butt !) no longer in use but that were very much a part of the then everyday life adds curiosity to retelling of history. Finally a walk through the office room is a genteel reminder how far we have come from the then state of the art in office machinery - the typewriters! The tour ends with a sip of the elixir that fuelled the liquid gold rush and is the cause of existence of this...