Burghley House and Normanton Church are listed in a report by Historic England about buildings with links to the slave trade

Iconic buildings including Burghley House and Normanton Church appear in a report of properties with links to the slave trade.

Historic England has published an audit of buildings with historic connections to the transatlantic trade between the 15th and 19th centuries.

The public body, which receives £88.5 million a year from the government, looked at how the slave trade is reflected in England's built heritage.

The listing for Burghley House states: "Burghley House was built and is still owned by the Cecil family.

"In 1724 Cecil Brownlow, the 8th Earl of Exeter, married Hannah Sophia, daughter and co-heir of Thomas Chambers, a London merchant who had grown rich in the West Indies.

"When his son, the 9th Earl, inherited in 1754 he employed Capability Brown to modernise the garden, surrounding parkland and aspects of the House, including the construction of stables, an orangery and a Gothic garden summerhouse."

The listing for Normanton Church says: "Rutland Normanton Hall was built by Sir Gilbert Heathcote, a London merchant and colonial trader with significant involvement in early trade with Jamaica.

"The house was demolished in 1925, but the stable block of the hall is now part of Normanton Park Hotel.

"The church of St Matthews, used by the Heathcotes as their private chapel, is now in the middle of Rutland Water, reachable by a causeway."

Last summer the killing of George Floyd in America sparked huge debates about racism and the Black Lives matter campaign.

It resulted in a public debate about buildings and monuments with connections to the slave trade, with some being vandalised.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: “We are unable to comment on the historical origins of Normanton Church as it was inherited by Anglian Water as part of the water industry privatisation in 1989. Since then, it has been a local landmark and visitor attraction at Rutland Water.”

A spokesman for Historic England said: “In early 2020, we commissioned an audit which brings together previous research into the tangible traces of the transatlantic slave trade in England’s built environment, mostly carried out over the last thirty years by universities and community groups.

"The audit has also identified gaps in knowledge and makes suggestions for future research. This knowledge will absolutely not be used to delist structures, but it will be used to enhance the National Heritage List for England and tell a fuller story of England's rich and complex history.

"As a separate piece of work in November we published our Inclusion, Diversity and Equality Strategy following two years of development and consultation. It reaffirms our commitment to delivering our work in a way that benefits a broader range of people, places and communities which better represent the diversity of England and our rich heritage.

"Heritage is for everyone and we want our work to ensure that a diverse range of people are able to connect with, participate in and enjoy the historic environment.”