It has been over seventy years since India gained their independence from the British Empire in August of 1947. However, even though Britain and India separated into different countries their influence on one another is deeply embedded in both cultures today. While it is common for Britain to ignore their brutal history with India it was a very real thing that should be brought to people’s attention. British imperialism in India started when the British monarchy assumed direct control of the East India Company from India. When you start looking for specs of India in the United Kingdom today it is impossible to not see it. Upon visiting the famous St. Paul’s cathedral, I was not expecting to find any mention of India in the Anglican Church. However, right there in the heart of London’s most notable cathedral, sure enough, India was there. This cathedral was founded in 604 AD and since then has held many important events for the British such as the funerals of Lord Nelson and Winston Churchill to the marriage of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer. 

On the first floor of St. At Paul’s Cathedral, I noticed a striking white marble sculpture. It was of a priest standing over two Indian children . The priest had  his hand on the girl’s head with a bible opened next to him. He was converting these two children to Christianity. Upon studying the sculpture you could see that these two children were Indian due to the girl’s traditional beaded armband as well as the jewelry she was wearing. Also both children were wearing the traditional Indian clothes of that time as well. The Englishman was wearing a traditional Protestant priest gown. The inscription under the sculpture identified the man as Thomas Fanshaw Middleton D.D. He was the first protestant bishop of India. He held the position of Bishop of Calcutta from 1814-1822. This diocese included not just India but the entire territory of the British East India Company. 

Middleton’s job as Bishop of Calcutta was to promote Christianity in India and to send out missionaries all around India. There was no mention of whether India wanted British missionaries in India to promote Christianity in a city of mostly Hindus and Muslims. However, this seems like it was a power move displayed by colonial Britain to show how they have the power to bring their own religion to another nation. The United Kingdom monarchy choosing to set up the Church of England in Calcutta, one of the most developed trade cities in India, was no accident. There was also no mention of whether the two Indian children in the sculpture wanted to be converted to Christianity. Based on Britain’s future actions it deems that it was probably not a choice. British colonial imperialism still shines in modern-day England and is not talked about enough. This sculpture on display at one of the most visited cathedrals in London has a deeper story than the one shown. However, the British are excellent at covering up their dark past with India.