Authors

Elena Watson¹;  ¹ Independent Researcher, UK

Discussion

The British Colony in Imperial Russia is a half-forgotten page in Russian history and the history of Anglo-Russian relations. Today, when Russian foreign and domestic policy is characterized by xenophobia and isolationism, the British Colony in pre-revolutionary industrialist Moscow serves as a case study of a large foreign community successfully existing in the midst of the Russian population.

In the span of its 365-year existence, the British Colony in Moscow knew its ups and downs, but with the establishment of St. Petersburg, it was always overshadowed by the bigger, more affluent and illustrious British Colony in the new capital. After their dissolution during the 1917 Revolution, The British Colony in Moscow was soon forgotten and received less attention from historians in the years that followed. It remains largely unknown to the general public today.

This study focuses on the population of the British Colony in Moscow during the century leading up to its dissolution – a time when it had the most significant impact on Russian industry, art and education. The research is based on documents preserved at the London Metropolitan Archives, as well as archives, local museums and libraries in Russia. Additionally, it incorporates diaries, letters and memoirs provided by the descendants of British subjects who lived in Imperial Moscow. 

The ultimate overarching objective of this research is to create a reliable and comprehensive database that can serve as a source of information for future research in the fields of history, social and political science, foreign relations, anthropology, theology and the history of art and architecture.