Canning House History Book Launch

For more information about the book, click here.

On Wednesday 28th November, Canning House proudly launched its updated history book, by Tim Connell, in King’s College London’s magnificent Weston Room. The history gives a concise overview of the work Canning House has been doing over the past 75 years to build understanding and relationships between the UK, Latin America and Iberia.

(L-R) Katie Sambrook, Tim Connell and Cristina Cortes

Tim Connell spoke about the process of writing the book, reflecting that despite his affiliation with Canning House for over forty years, his extensive interviewing and archival research still revealed some interesting surprises. Overall, Tim spoke about his amazement with Canning House’s ability to continue pursuing its mission to bring the UK, Latin America and Iberia closer together, while constantly adapting to the changing needs and attitudes of the times. Cristina Cortes, CEO of Canning House, thanked Tim for his dedication to this research.

Tim Connell

This event marked the third and final event celebrating Canning House’s 75th Anniversary. The book launch aptly took place alongside an exhibition of some of the 54,000 remarkable books that make up the Canning House Library Collection, now housed in King’s College London. Katie Sambrook, Head of Special Collections at King’s, spoke more about the Collection, citing it as the second most visited Special Collection (second only to the larger collection donated by the Foreign Office!), and one of the largest Latin America and Iberia collections in the UK. In her words, the books illustrate how British fascination with Latin America and Iberia has spanned centuries.

Special thanks to Tim, and to all those who contributed information for this updated  history, as well as the staff of the Foyle Special Collections Library for arranging such an excellent exhibition. Please note: the history book will soon be available for purchase online, and the free exhibition in the Weston Room is open until 8th December.