British Uruguayans
In more recent years, Uruguay has become an increasingly popular destination for British expats due to its "European feel", low taxes and cheap healthcare.[1] In February 1807, following their victory at Cardal, the British Army captured Montevideo and occupied the city for several months as part of their ultimately failed Campaign in the River Plate.[7] As summarised by the travel writer William Henry Koebel, the local merchant class appreciated the liberal trading regime overseen by the occupiers: Not only had the inhabitants of the provinces learned their own power, but — more especially in the case of Montevideo — the seeds of commercial liberty had been sown amongst the local merchants and traders by the English men of business who had descended upon the place beneath the protection of the army.In 1824 mercantile elites in Montevideo lobbied to have the Banda Oriental become a British colony.[9] The Empire of Brazil sought to incorporate Uruguay into its own territory as Cisplatina and fought against the insurrectionist forces of the Thirty-Three Orientals and their allies, the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata.Economic development was obstructed during this time by the Uruguayan Civil War (1838–1851), but in its aftermath the country attracted greater immigration and investment thanks to the growth of wool and cattle production.[10][c] Another wave of immigration was inspired by the growth of the British textile industry: its insatiable demand for imported wool was the catalyst for an influx of sheep ranchers from Britain.A contemporary figure of 4,000 was noted in a January 1889 diary entry written by the diplomat Ernest Satow, who also recorded 1,200 Britons in Montevideo as the single biggest group.[25] Uruguay's position in the "imperial system" also failed to serve the interests of an aspiring middle-class, whose desire for social improvement was undermined by foreign companies recruiting mainly from their own countries.[26] The reformist politics of President José Batlle y Ordóñez clashed with British commercial interests; his power base consisting of small producers and immigrant labourers in urban Montevideo.[g] The dominance of Britain was further weakened by German and American competition, while the emergence of refrigeration (Uruguay sent its first shipment of frozen beef in 1905) allowed access to more export markets.[10] With the onset of the Second World War, Britain struggled to pay for meat imports it received from Uruguay, and in 1947 arranged to transfer ownership of railways, trams and waterworks to the Uruguayan government in exchange for cancellation of the remaining payments.[32] Other than reporting on the social activities of British residents, it expressed a consistently right-wing political stance characterised by loyalty to Empire, anti-communism, hostility to Juan Perón, and concern over the high inflation that then troubled Uruguay.[36] Since 2004, San Jorge has held the Encuentro Británico-Oriental, an annual festival featuring a parade, horseback riding contests, music, stands selling handcrafted goods, as well as a tour to historical points of interest.[37] Ana María Rodríguez, a Uruguayan historian, has described how these sporting activities reflected a desire on the part of the British to "carry a portion of their homeland with them" in order to feel more comfortable in a foreign land.Walker & Co., which based itself there to extract sand from the dunes for construction work to expand the port of Buenos Aires — its name deriving from the large amount of shells found in the quarries along the coast.[46] There are numerous legacy institutions that serve as reminders of the British presence in Uruguay, including sports clubs, bands, places of worship, and cultural exchange groups.
Uruguayans in the United KingdomHoly Trinity ChurchRioplatense SpanishEnglishRoman CatholicismProtestantismEnglish ArgentineBritish Latin AmericansBritish ChileansBritish MexicansBritish NicaraguansBritish ParaguayansBritish PeruviansBritish UruguayansSpanishPortugueseBritish Englishother waves of immigrationItalian immigrantstheir counterparts in ArgentinaVictorian erainformal colonyCentral Uruguay RailwayMontevideo Waterworks CompanyBatllismogreat powerpermanent residentsEl Observadortheir victory at Cardalcaptured MontevideoCampaign in the River PlateWilliam Henry KoebelBanda OrientalLord PonsonbyEmpire of BrazilCisplatinafought againstThirty-Three OrientalsUnited Provinces of the Río de la PlataTreaty of Montevideobuffer stateJohn Ponsonby, 1st Viscount PonsonbyBritish CemeterySamuel Fisher LafoneAnglicanUruguayan Civil Warestanciasmark their propertyRichard Bannister HughesFray Bentoseconomic geographyVictoria HallBritish HospitalCiudad Viejasmall family traditionsocial eliteColonia del Sacramentopublic debtWorld War IThe British Schools of MontevideoThe Montevideo TimesVictorian valuesPeñarolErnest Satowwhose desire for social improvement was underminedJosé Batlle y OrdóñezBritish Foreign Officespecial relationshipSecond World Wardriving on the rightdriven on the leftcriolloanti-communismJuan Peróninflationumbrella organizationFreemasonrySan JorgeAlbion F.C.Buenos AiresCarrascoMontevideo Cricket Clubfox huntingRío Negro DepartmentMontevideo Rowing ClubConchillasBarkerColonia DepartmentDurazno Departmenton creditSolísMaldonado Departmentterraced designOld Boys Club & Old Girls ClubThe British Cemetery MontevideoThe British HospitalThe British Schools SocietyJohn AdamsMateo AramburuSebastián CoatesThomas HaversAlberto Héber UsherNina MirandaEdificio London ParísPalacio TarancoforwardFC Schalke 04 IIcentre backUruguaySporting CPLeonard CrossleyWilliam Huskinson DenstoneGuillermo Douglassingle sculls1932 Summer OlympicsPaula Fynn2015 Pan American GamesEduardo Gordon1948 Summer OlympicsMargaret GrahamJohn HarleyFaustino HarrisonPresident of the Uruguayan National Council of GovernmentMario Héber UsherPresident of the Chamber of Deputies of UruguayChairman of the Uruguayan National Council of Government