It is vital that we continue to collect, study and understand our heritage. If we do not learn from the past, then we cannot have a meaningful future.
That's why I was saddened to hear that the statue of Horatio Nelson in Norwich Cathedral Close has been defaced. Obviously this has been done because of recent events but by people who have no understanding of the past.
Like it or not we cannot judge the past by our own standards, we can only learn from it. Nelson may have had many faults as a human being but you have to judge his life from an 18th century perspective and not a 21st century one. Nelson was and still is a national hero. I'm sure if he was alive today he would deplore racism as much as any right-minded person does. But we shouldn't judge him from a modern perspective and sit as judge and jury on how he behaved over 250 years ago when times were very different.
Popped into the Queen's Head today for a coffee and it was nice to be back on familiar territory. I do so look forward to getting back to normal - whatever that is.