The history of the rum trade is told in this museum housed in the eighteenth-century cellars, offices and bonded warehouse of the Jefferson family, a Whitehaven-based wine and spirit importer for more than two centuries. From the moment you enter the museum and are greeted by the calls of exotic birds in the Caribbean rainforest, a series of tableaux brings the story to life. Displays explain the role of the slave trade, how rum is made from sugar cane, the popularity of punch houses in English cities, Prohibition in the USA and the official issue of rum to sailors in the Royal Navy – a practice that continued until 1970.
Located among the shops on the town centre’s Lowther Street, the courtyard of The Rum Story is also home to a popular café.
