Harewood Cellar Records

Harewood’s historic cellar records show large quantities of fine wines and spirits bought and consumed from the 18th century onwards. Harewood House, like most other country houses, entertained lavishly and frequently, but surprisingly the rum was consumed quite sparingly: only one or two bottles were drunk every year, with the exception of one day in December 1805 when a startling eight bottles were drunk.

By the start of the 20th century the rum seems to have been more or less forgotten, a drink that had gone out of fashion, the bottles still stored under the same bin numbers, but hidden away on a high shelf at the back of a dark cellar.

Oldest and most expensive Rum in the World

Featuring dirt-encrusted bottles of rum, as well as the historic cellar books used to record their location over the centuries, this exhibition outlined the journey of the Harewood Rum – from its creation by enslaved people as a by-product of the sugar trade, to Mark Lascelles’ rediscovery of the rum in the 21st century.

In 2013 and 2014, twenty-eight bottles of Harewood rum were sold at Christie’s. Nothing quite like this had ever come on the market, so not even the experts were sure what to expect. Bidding started at £1,000 and quickly escalated. Six bottles of the Light Rum sold for nearly £25,000 and the last bottles of the Dark for £7,000 each. In the 2014 sale, 16 bottles sold for a total well in excess of £100,000.

The Harewood Rum became officially, not only the oldest, but also the most expensive rum in the world.

Turning History into Action: Supporting Caribbean Communities Today

There is nothing any of us can do to change the past, but we can do something about the present and the future. Throughout the whole process of discovery and research, everyone was committed to the idea of using the funds from the sale in a positive way by working with the varied and vibrant Caribbean communities in Britain today. The decision was therefore made to donate the funds to the Geraldine Connor Foundation, a charity which aims to bring young people together through arts and culture.

Born in Britain, raised in Trinidad, Geraldine Connor was a major figure in Yorkshire’s West Indian community, heavily involved in Carnival and the Steel Band movement, and creator of the legendary and spectacular piece of musical theatre, Carnival Messiah, last performed at Harewood in 2007 for the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade.

David and Diane, Earl and Countess of Harewood, were instrumental in the creation of the Geraldine Connor Foundation. David Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood, Founder and Patron was also the Executive Producer of Carnival Messiah which ran for two weeks in a big top on Harewood House grounds.