Dunoon Goes POP Kelvingrove, Glasgow, visit

What does the slave trade, Jamaica and sugar have to do with Dunoon Goes POP making soft drinks in Dunoon? 

Join us as we take a trip to Glasgow to explore Dunoon’s connections to the sugar trade, the central ingredient in soft drinks, and the influential plantation owner James Ewing.

We’ll visit Kelvingrove Museum to learn more about James Ewing, who was an MP (1775–1853), Lord Provost of Glasgow (1832–1833) and a merchant, and built Castle House in Dunoon in 1822. Ewing was a plantation and slave owner in Jamaica and founder of the pro-slavery lobby group the Glasgow West India Association that campaigned to retain chattel slavery in the colonies.

We will meet Glasgow Life’s curator of Legacies of Slavery and Empire Nelson Cummins who will introduce us to their collection and artifacts related to Ewing.

This trip is part of our ongoing research into our town’s soft drinks heritage, which includes looking at the ingredients used in drinks-making. This research informs and inspires how we bring soft drinks-making back to Dunoon in a way that considers people and the planet. 

• We’ll leave Dunoon around 9am and will return by around 4pm. 
• All travel expenses and refreshments will be covered by Dunoon Goes POP.

Our research is ongoing, and we’d love for more local people to share their stories or get involved with the research. If you enjoy finding heritage stories or have stories to share, please do get in touch. 

Dunoon Goes POP is a heritage-inspired soft drinks enterprise based at the POP shop in Dunoon. We want to bring soft drinks production back to Dunoon in a way that minimises our impact on the planet and maximises our positive impact on the community. 

We’ll do this by connecting people to the fascinating heritage of soft drinks-making through practical workshops, growing ingredients and gathering local heritage stories. All workshops are free and everyone is welcome.

Thanks to National Lottery players, we have funding from Heritage Lottery Fund to help us work towards a socially enterprising approach to local soft drinks production. This project also supports the 150 years of Dunoon Burgh Hall celebration.  

This project is also supported by Dunoon Community Development Trust and Grow Food, Grow Dunoon. 

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Argyle Street, Glasgow, United Kingdom