Spanish Armada hero Sir Francis Drake is CANCELLED by school named after him trends now
Pictured: Sir Francis Drake
A primary school in London has voted to change its name due to the slave trade past of namesake Sir Francis Drake.
Sir Francis is renowned for circumnavigating the world in a single expedition on his ship the Golden Hind from 1577 to 1580 and defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588.
He was also one of the first known British slave traders, capturing men and women from West Africa as early as 1560 and targeting slave ships from Portugal to steal humans on board.
According to BBC, Sir Francis Drake Primary School in Lewisham held a vote to determine whether the name should be changed in light of his controversial role in history.
Of the 450 parents, staff, pupils and local residents who voted, 88 per cent called for a name change.
The school will now become Twin Oaks Primary School - a name originally suggested by pupils referencing two oak trees at the entrance to the grounds.
The school (pictured) will now become Twin Oaks Primary School - a name originally suggested by pupils referencing two oak trees at the entrance to the grounds
Would you have voted to change the name of Sir Francis Drake Primary School?
YES 0 votes NO 0 votesNow share your opinion
Students will be encouraged to enter a competition to design the new school logo, with future plans to redesign the school uniform and overhaul the front building with a new sign.
Headteacher Karen Cartwright reportedly said in a letter sent to parents and seen by the BBC she was 'thrilled' with the outcome.
The school hopes to keep any costs to parents at a minimum, noting the old school uniform could still be worn, along with non-branded jumpers.
A new school uniform with the Twin Oaks logo should be available by September, she reportedly said.
In September last year, a statue of Sir Francis in his hometown of Tavistock, Devon, was given a new information panel detailing his slave trading expeditions.
The monument was reviewed by the local town council following the Black Lives Matter protests, and the new sign later added despite only receiving one letter of support.
Officials received 89 written objections to the proposal, including some that argued Sir Francis was a 'national hero' and a 'seminal historical figure'.
And the Sir Francis Drake hotel in San Francisco also changed its name over the British explorer's historical links to the slave trade.
In September last year, a statue of Sir Francis in his hometown of Tavistock, Devon, was given a new information panel detailing his slave trading expeditions
The information board reveals details about Sir Francis' past including three slave trade expeditions
After shuttering during the Covid pandemic, the 426-room hotel reopened as The Beacon Grand following a huge renovation project.
Tom Sweeney, a doorman at the hotel for 43 years said of the name change: 'Everybody knew the Sir Francis Drake, it was world-known.
'It’s going to be a sad day in San Francisco for sure — I think people will be pretty shocked to see a new name.'
And in 2020, Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo was rebranded as Archie Williams High School in an effort to distance itself from the plagued explorer.
Archie Williams was a former math and
