Gloucester Cathedral has launched a new initiative to acknowledge its historical links to slavery.

QR codes will be added to monuments throughout the cathedral, providing information about their connections to the slave trade as well as highlighting abolitionists.

It comes as part of the Church of England’s broader effort to recognise and address its financial ties to slavery. Earlier this year, the Church Commissioners, who manage the Church's assets, accepted a £1 billion target towards making reparations for its historic involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

In Gloucester Cathedral’s churchyard, visitors will find a marble monument dedicated "to the sacred memory" of Samuel Hayward. By scanning the QR code, they can learn how Hayward's family accumulated wealth through Caribbean plantation holdings.

Additional QR codes and leaflets placed throughout the Cathedral will further explore the Cathedral’s connections to the history of slavery.

Speaking to Premier Christian News, Guy Hewitt, the Church of England's Racial Justice Director commended the Church for confronting this part of its history and bringing past injustices to light.

“As opposed to modern day slavery, it was devised politically, constructed legally, justified theologically and accepted socially,” He told Premier Christian News.

“Archbishop Justin defined it significantly that this was not just genocide, but it was blasphemy.”

The project is set to launch next month as part of the Church's broader plan to create "safe spaces for all."