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Local Heroes project: Celebrating Sir Hans Sloane

Sir Hans Sloane: Discovery, Travels & Chocolate is a programme of educational events celebrating Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753), his life, travels and discoveries, and his links with Chelsea Physic Garden, The Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret and the Royal College of Physicians of London.

Who was Sloane?

  • Sloane the Collector
    Hans Sloane was born on 16th April 1660 at Killyleagh, Northern Ireland. He was elected President of the Royal College of Physicians in 1719 and The Royal Society in 1727. On his travels he collected plants, animals and other natural curiosities, which became the core of the British Museum and the Natural History Museum.
  • Sloane the Physician
    Determined to sweep aside superstition and replace it with rational thought, he believed that a physician should observe the symptoms and identify the condition before acting - a novel idea for the period. For example, he was one of the first physicians to use Cinchona bark (quinine) to treat malaria.
  • Sloane the Entrepreneur – Milk chocolate comes to London
    Sloane travelled to Jamaica in 1687, one of the first
    European scientists to do so. Whilst there, he observed the locals drinking cocoa mixed with milk and sugar (instead of the more usual hot water which many found unappealing). When he returned to England in 1689, he wasted no time in selling the Jamaican ‘milk chocolate’ recipe ‘for its Lightness on the Stomach and great Use in all Consumptive Cases’. This medicinal recipe was finally acquired by Cadbury’s, who sold it under Sloane’s name from 1849 until 1885.

Why is Sloane our hero?

Dr. Hans Sloane, after whom the nearby locations of Sloane Square and Sloane Street were named, purchased the Manor of Chelsea from Charles Cheyne. In 1722 he set the rent of Chelsea Physic Garden at £5 a year (in perpetuity), for as long as it be used for the study of useful plants. Without this bequest it is unlikely Chelsea Physic Garden would still survive.

These events have been made possible through the generous support of The Royal Society, who celebrated the 350th Anniversary of their founding on November 30th 2009. Across the UK over 70 participating institutions are celebrating their scientific heroes, the pioneers, mavericks and geniuses, who for centuries have changed the way we live and see the world.
Full details of all events and activities can be found at http://royalsociety.org/Local-Heroes/

Sunday 15 August, 10am–5pm
Sir Hans Sloane Garden Trail
National Gardens Scheme, £3, no booking required, RCP

Sat 18 September, 10am–4pm
Open Day at the Royal College of Physicians
with chocolate tasting workshops and lecture. Chocolate workshops at 11am and 2pm. Free, booking on the day, places limited, RCP

Monday 4 October, 6–8pm
Hans Sloane’s Chocolate Odyssey: An evening of talks and tasting
£10 per person, incl. chocolate tasting and a glass of wine, RCP

Saturday 16 October, 10am–12 noon
Family Chocolate Tasting Workshop
Free, booking required – open to all ages, RCP

Monday 15 November, 6–8pm
Lecture: Sloane at Home: in Bloomsbury and Chelsea
£10 per person (incl. a glass of wine), RCP

Ongoing Events throughout 2010

  • At Chelsea Physic Garden:
    • Sloane and the Caribbean, a self-led trail around the Garden and a Caribbean Vegetable plot.
    • Jamaican Independence Day Celebration and photography competition: Friday 6 August 2010, noon – 5pm
    • A series of lectures on Sloane and the society of his era during the Late Night Openings, every Wednesday evening from 30 June – 1 September.
    • 'Chocolate Tuesdays' Family workshops on 17 August, 10.30am–2.30pm Focusing on Sloane’s travels, writing, Caribbean plants, music, geography, history and the science of chocolate (with tastings). £5.50 per person. Pre-booking is essential.
    • 'Chocolate Tuesdays' for school groups: one-day cross curricular workshops every Tuesday between March and July.
      Can be adapted for all Key Stages. £4.25 per student. Pre-booking is essential.
  • At the Royal College of Physicians:
    Sir Hans Sloane: Discovery, Travels & Chocolate, a free exhibition. From 5 July – 24 December, Mon-Fri 9am–5pm.
  • At the Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret:
    • 'The Odyssey of Chocolate'
      Summer holiday: 27 July, 3, 10, 17 & 24 August, 2–3pm
      Tastings and fun!
      Adults £5.80 / Children £3.25 / Family £13.75