The Dark History of the UK’s Biggest Mansions | Empires of Dirt

VICE World News host Zing Tsjeng investigates how many of the UK’s beloved country homes are steeped in colonial and slave trade connections. The answer? A lot of them.

Once a symbol of aristocratic power and influence, now these country manors are visited by millions of tourists every year. But lurking behind the fancy exteriors are legacies of Britain's colonial past, with many built or bought with the profits of forced labour. Heritage organisations have started to work on research projects to understand the true context of these country homes.

The houses themselves have stood for centuries, let them stand with a deeper knowledge and understanding of their – unairbrushed – historical context.

Series:
Empires of Dirt is a show about Europeans getting rich at the expense of everyone else. VICE World News host Zing Tsjeng uncovers the ugly history of the European colonial empires they don’t teach us in schools. Countries around the world were looted for their treasures, people were oppressed and exploited and European powers relentlessly profited.

The far-reaching repercussions of colonialism are all around us, from our financial institutions to the food we have in our cupboards at home – and it’s about time we took notice.

Watch more from this series:

How Banks Made Money From Slavery
   • How Banks Made Money From Slavery | E...  

How Britain Stole $45 Trillion from India with Trains
   • How Britain Stole $45 Trillion from I...  

How Britain Got China Hooked on Opium
   • How Britain Got China Hooked on Opium...  

Sugar & Slavery: The Building Blocks of Bristol’s 1%
   • Sugar & Slavery: The Building Blocks ...  

How the British Empire Exported Homophobia
   • How the British Empire Exported Homop...  

Should Museums Return Their Stolen Objects?
   • Should Museums Return Their Stolen Ob...  

Click here to subscribe to VICE: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE

About VICE:
The Definitive Guide To Enlightening Information. From every corner of the planet, our immersive, caustic, ground-breaking and often bizarre stories have changed the way people think about culture, crime, art, parties, fashion, protest, the internet and other subjects that don't even have names yet. Browse the growing library and discover corners of the world you never knew existed. Welcome to VICE.

Connect with VICE:
Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/VICE-Videos
Videos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.com
More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo
Click here to get the best of VICE daily: http://bit.ly/1SquZ6v
Like VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/vice
Follow VICE on Twitter:   / vice  
Follow us on Instagram:   / vice  

The VICE YouTube Network:
VICE:    / vice  
MUNCHIES:    / munchies  
VICE News:    / vicenews  
VICELAND:    / vicelandtv  
Broadly:    / broadly  
Noisey:    / noisey  
Motherboard:    / motherboardtv  
VICE Sports:    / noc  
i-D:    / idmagazine  
Waypoint:    / waypointvice