Key people

Bruce Kendrick

• Minister in United reform church

• Lived in Notting Hill, and was appalled by conditions in which Caribbean families forced to live

• 1965 founded Notting Hill housing trust

• Aim to provide decent houses at affordable, rents to people in community

• 1970 trust housing nearly 1000 people improving peoples lives

Oswald Mosley

• Led Union movement far right group

• Slogan ‘keep Britain white’

• Had offices in Notting Hill

• Offices deliberately establish there to make black community fearful

• 1959 general election Mosley run for parliament to seat: Only received 8% of votes, he and the party never covered from the defeat

• Motivated discriminatory behaviours

• Supported Hitler WW2 and imprisoned for speculation of being a traitor

Claudia Jones and West Indian Gazette

• Born in Trinidad

• Deported from USA in 1955, because of her civil rights activities

• Move to Britain 1958: set up West Indian gazette: Britain’s first major newspaper for black people

• 1950s newspapers: few ways of spreading information and ideas

• Allowed black people a voice

• Persuaded London transport to allow black people to rise to senior positions

• Campaign against 1962 CW immigration act that restricted immigration from black, but not white Commonwealth countries

• Offices in South London received abusive and racist mail

• Persuaded West Indian gazette to sponsor Caribbean carnival 1959

Frank Crichlow and the Mangrove

• Police regularly raided Mangrove looking for drugs none found

• Furious at police action nine raids between a few months

• British Black Panther helped organise a protest march

• Organisers told the Prime Minister the leader of opposition and Caribbean officials of their plan

• Over 150 people took part in march

• Police monitored march and Mangrove’s customers

• Police claimed marches inciting racial violence many arrested among them Frank Crichlow (owner)

• Magistrates dismissed charges, but director of public prosecutors, decided nine, defendants (Mangrove nine) had to be tried, including Frank Crichlow

• All defendants acquitted of serious charges. Gov tried to make judge take back his ruling that there was racial hatred on both sides, but he refused

• Trial seen as great victory for black community

• BBP formed 1968: campaign against police brutality and on social issues aim to build sense of pride in black community

• 3000 members worked with other groups tackling racism

The Notting Hill carnival

• First Caribbean carnival featured black entertainers

• Claudia Jones was instrumental in organising and running first carnival

• 1966 two years after Jones‘s death, the event moved outdoors known as Notting Hill carnival biggest street festival in Europe

Portobello Road market

• Runs through heart of Notting Hill

• Caribbean migrants began to sell food: yams and bread fruits

• Café open serving Caribbean food

• 1969 Island records founded in Jamaica moved its base near Portobello Road area soon gained reputation as place to go for Caribbean music and culture

Britain after 1945

After WW2 Britain faced many national and regional changes

By 1960s almost full employment and more freedom and leisure time

• German bombing raids badly damaged Britain’s major cities

• London, alone, 70,000 buildings had been destroyed nearly 2 mil damaged

• Great need for reconstruction

• Shortages in everything from houses to food

• Many in Britain wanted society to change new labour government, elected 1945

• Create welfare state

• NHS

• British rail: new National rail network and London transport all needed workers

• Thousands of jobs available

• 1945-46 Britain workforce fell by 1.38 mil due to deaths during war

Poverty and policing

• Decade after 1945, many British lived in harsher conditions than during the war

• Thousands, waiting for new houses to be built

• Bread rationed for first time and rationing of foods didn’t end until 1954

• Severe winter disrupted coal production and energy supplies: leading to further food shortages

• Problems worse in London (largest population)

• Policing damaged country very difficult

• Petty theft from damaged houses common

• Food and goods often sold secretly and illegally at high prices

1960’s

• During 1950s economy, gradually improved

• Rationing ended

• Almost full employment

• 1960s, London became most exciting cities in the world

• Centre of new styles, fashion and music

• Enormous poverty in areas in north east

• Young people more money, more leisure time and greater sense of freedom than parents

• Young people politically aware, and took part in marches and rallies

Notting Hill

Area of West London

After WW2 many Caribbean people migrated to Notting Hill

Area was very rundown and housing was major problem

Why did Caribbean migrate to Notting Hill?

• Paddington station very close to Notting Hill

• Paddington first London Station where trains carrying Caribbean migrants stopped

• Caribbean officials waited to welcome and help them find accommodation

• Many migrants had friends and family in Notting Hill

• Black community in Notting Hill grew larger

• Landowners rented houses to Caribbean migrants, nowhere else very little

• Hostile reaction of many white people made Caribbean migrants want to live close together

Why did Caribbean migrate?

• British government advertised in Caribbean for people to go to Britain to help rebuild country

• Migrants known as ‘Windrush generation’

• Many in Commonwealth, especially in Caribbean, felt loyalty to Britain, often regarded it as mother country

• Many in Commonwealth, especially in Caribbean, felt loyalty to Britain, often regarded it as mother country whom they shared a history of war with

• Job opportuntities

What experiences did Caribbean have in Notting Hill?

• Pay high rent for poor housing

• Landlords charge Caribbean, people higher rents than white people for same type of accommodation

• Overcrowding common

• Few landlords made repairs to houses as to spend money would reduce their own profits

• Houses in Notting Hill, often large, but usually cheap to buy because bomb damaged

• Landlords applied to change houses they owned into HMO’s: single house could be rented to several people or family

• Everyone in single house, shared kitchen and bathroom (poor quality)

• No rent control, so landlords could charge what they liked

• Statutory tenancy not applied (racist)

• Notting Hill: One of few places where landlords rented to black people because of the colour bar

What impact did Caribbean have in Notting Hill?

• Love of spicy food provided opportunities for traders to set up market store selling Caribbean ingredients for home cooking

• Caribbean migrants began setting up, pubs, cafés and restaurants

• Nightclubs and mainstream radio stations didn’t play black music difficult for a Caribbean to access music wanted: Basing Street studios open 1969 to meet demand

• Different Caribbean groups in Notting Hill each with own culture

• Rich and vibrant community

• Metro club, 1968 community centre and youth club young black people came from all over London

• Caribbean, people preferred to set up unofficial clubs called she beans in own homes and empty buildings: smoke, drink, and listen to Caribbean music

• Developed sense of community in clubs

All Saints Road

Centre of Caribbean culture and black activism

The Mangrove

• 1968 opened

• All night restaurant that served Caribbean food

• First black owned restaurant in area very popular

• Headquarters of activist group, British British black Panthers set up 1968

• Notting Hill Carnival organises often met in mangrove

The Apollo

• First pub to serve black people

Mutual self-help organisations

• Caribbean community set up groups to help and support each other

• Group gave Caribbean migrants clear sense of identity

• London Free School: arranged childcare and organise activities for children: vital as many childminders refused to take black children

• The Unity Association: owned two property, where housed homeless black youngsters, who usually had great difficulty in finding housing

• The Black Peoples Information Centre: provided legal advice and welfare support also provided information on black history and civil rights

Institutionally racist police

• Metropolitan police 16,400 officers 1952 97% white and ex-military

• No effort to understand or build relationships with black community

• Black people refused entry: colour bar

• Racist attitudes by police: not respected by black community

• Don’t investigate cases with victims properly

• Refused to say riots ‘racially motivated’

1958 Notting Hill riots

Racist tension and outbreaks of racially, motivated violence common

• 1958 mob of 400 white people angered by seeing mixed race, couple outside pub

• Attacked homes of Caribbean, people use: petrol, bombs, iron bars, knuckle, dusters, and knives

• Black people defended their homes riot lasted five days before police restored order

Riot impacts

• Police refused to accept riots were racially motivated

• Black community refused to accept they had been involved in a riot claim. They were simply defending themselves and their property not rioting

• Organisations form to fight black civil rights

1959 Murder of Kelso Cochrane

• Murdered by gang of white youths: murderers never caught

• People in black community angry

• Police institutionally racist

• Most newspapers agreed with police further angered black community

• Prime Minister of Jamaica agreed

• Kelso Cochrane’s funeral attended by hundreds of white and black people demonstrating support for black community

• Members of Interracial Friendship Coordinating Council asked British Prime Minister to make racially motivated violence a crime

• However gov instead allowed White Defence League to hold rally

• Black people believed it was up to them to fight for civil rights

• Black activist, organising marches

• Heightened awareness on racial justice

• Murder was a symbol of largest struggle against racial oppression and discrimination in UK

Anti-immigrant groups

• White defence league: Violent organisation, demanding Britain ‘kept white’ office in Notting Hill later joined with British National party

• Teddy boys: roamed streets looking for black people to attack a part of a gangland culture that flourish in Notting Hill: making it dangerous place for a Caribbean migrants

• Union movement