A private school in Wimbledon has announced they will rename its sports hall due to its association with a slave plantation owner.

Wimbledon High School plans to drop the name of Draxmont, from its sports hall, following the links to the Drax family.

University College London (UCL) 'Legacies of British Slave-ownership' research project reported that John Sawbridge Erle-Drax, was awarded £4,293 12s 6d - worth £3m today - for 189 slaves.

Wimbledon High's sports hall isn't the only thing in Merton named after the Drax family, as nearby roads Drax Avenue and Draxmont Road, are also associated with the slave owner.

Your Local Guardian: Draxmont RoadDraxmont Road

The Sunday Times reported that the independent girls' school is one of thirty education institutions who plan to erase names that are linked to British empire-builders and slave traders.

It comes after a global campaign to remove statues and rename buildings that honour people with historic links to the slave trade in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests.

Wimbledon High has confirmed that students and staff have formed a research group to help rename the hall.

Headteacher Fionnuala Kennedy recently said that the hall will likely be named after an inspiring teacher or alumna with a long legacy in sport.

MORE: Former councillor demands change to Merton street names 

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In a statement online, a school spokesperson said: "Since September 2020, students and staff at WHS have been undertaking pain-staking research into the naming of Draxmont, the school sports hall and what we see as the vital importance of protecting legacies.

In a social media age where positions are quickly taken and emotive terms such as 'cancel culture' and 'culture wars' are used, this has instead been a slow and measured response to the issue of having a building on site whose name carries a strong association with the slave trade.

"Wimbledon High School is only now turning to the idea of possible alternative names, with all senior students having the chance to put forward ideas. This is resulting in a wide range of suggestions.

"Our research group had certainly unearthed a number of names from long ago - of women who had strong sporting links to the school, who went on to achieve in sport at a national and international level, for example, or who had, in their teaching of PE at school, inspired a generation of girls.

"The school tends to focus on legacy figures such as former Heads and alumnae from long ago.

"A sensible next step will, we feel, be to establish a policy for the naming of our school buildings more widely – particularly in time for the completion of our Project Ex Humilibus build in September 2022."