nothing hill c1948-1970

• Britian after WW2

  • German bombing raids badly damaged Britain's major cities. 70 000 destroyed and 2mn damaged buildings in London. Shortages in food aswell
• Britain after ww2

  • German bombing raids badly damaged Britain's major cities. 70 000 destroyed and 2mn damaged buildings in London. Shortages in food aswell
  • the new Labour govt., elected in 1945, began to create a welfare state. NHS, British Rail, London Transport all required workers
• Britian after ww2

  • 1945-46: the British workforce dropped by 1.38mn. due to combat, bombings, retirement, restriction to married women and emigration. Many people emigrated to Canada and Australia looking for a better life. 1945-1960 1.5mn people left Britain
  • British Nationality Act of 1948. Many in the Caribbean (and in the Commonwealth too), felt loyal to Britain. They view it as their "mother country". Britain wages were at least three times higher than in the Caribbean. Thousands migrated to work on rebuilding Britain
• Poverty and policing

  • thousands were waiting for new houses to be built
  • bread was rationed for the first time and rationing of all foods didn't end until 1954
  • a severe winter in 1947 disrupted coal production and energy supplies, leading further food shortages
  • petty theft from damaged houses, offices and warehouses was common
• The Swinging Sixties

  • during the 1950s, the economy gradually improved. Rationing ended and there was almost full employment
  • in the 1960s, London became the most exciting city in the world- the centre of new styles, fashion and music
  • young people had more money, more leisure time and greater sense of freedom than their parents
  • young people become politically aware and took part in marches and rallies. This political awareness affected black communities
• Why did Caribbean migrants settle in Notting Hill

  • padding station is very close to notting hill (NOH). Caribbean officials waited there to welcome them and help them find accommodation
  • many migrants had friends or family in NOH. They wanted to live near or with them. The black community in Notting Hill grew larger
  • few landlords in London would rent houses to Caribbean migrants because of their skin colour
  • hostile reaction of many white people made Caribbean migrants want to live close together
• Housing problems

  • Caribbean migrants had to pay high rents for poor, squalid housing in Notting Hill (NOH)
  • landlords charged Caribbean people higher rents than white people for the same type of accommodation and so overcrowding was common
  • few landlords made repairs to their houses as to spend money would reduce their profits
• Slum landlords

  • houses in Notting Hill (NOH) were often large but were usually cheap to buy because they were bomb-damaged
  • many landlords applied to change the houses they owned into Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs). A single house could be rented to several people or even several families
  • everyone in a single house shared a kitchen and a bathroom. These were often of poor quality
  • there was no rent controls so landlords could charge what they liked
• The landlord, Peter Rachman

  • he owned 80 run-down, squalid properties in Notting Hill. His houses were all HMOs and he charged high rents, making +£80 000 a year.
  • he also had henchmen who intimidated tenants if they complained or couldn't pay their rents
• The Notting Hill Housing Trust

  • Brue Kenrick founded, in 1965, the Notting Hill Housing Trust
  • he was a minster in the United Reform Church. he lived in Notting Hill and was appalled by the conditions in which Caribbean families were forced to live in
  • this Trust aimed to provide decent houses at affordable rents to people in the community.
  • 1970, the Trust was housing nearly 1 000 people, improving people's lives
• Portobello Road Market

  • Portobello Road runs through the heart of Notting Hill. Caribbean migrants began to sell food such as yams, breadfruit, sweet potatoes and dasheen, and the market flourished.
  • a café opened serving Caribbean food
  • 1969: Island Records, founded in Jamaica moved its base to near Portobello Road. The area soon gained reputation for Caribbean music and culture
• How did Caribbean culture develop in Notting Hill (NOH)

  • Caribbean people love spicy, well-seasoned foods provided opportunities for traders to set up market stalls selling Caribbean ingredients for home cooking
  • some migrants started to set up pubs, cafes and restaurants. The 'El Rio' café served good Caribbean food and popular with new arrivals, becoming a meeting place for the whole community
  • Basing Street Studios opened in 1969 meet the demands of the black music such as the Blues, Reggae and Soul, which nightclubs and radios didn't. They had performers such as Diana Ross
• How did Caribbean culture develop in Notting Hill (NOH)

  • the Metro Club opened in 1968, becoming a community centre and youth club by day and nightclub in the evening. Young black people waited in queues from all of London
  • Shebeens (unofficial clubs) in their homes or empty buildings. They could smoke, drink and listen to Caribbean music. They used their own sound system, but had to be careful so the neighbors didn't complain
  • Caribbean residents could meet in cafes, clubs and Shebeens, which developed the community in NOH
• Developing All Saints Road

  • the 'Mangrove' opened in March 1968 by Frank Crichlow, which was an all-night restaurant that served Caribbean food; which was black-owned and popular with (black and white) celebrities
  • the HQ of the activist group British Black Panthers was set up in All Saints Road in 1968
  • the 'Apollo' was the first pun to serve black people, due to some pubs 'colour bar'
  • the Notting Hill Carnival organisers often met in the Mangrove
• Mutual self-help organisations

  • the Caribbean community set up groups to help and support each other. Gave Caribbean migrants a clear sense of identity
  • the 'London Free School' arranged childcare and organised activities for children. Vital as many childminders refused to take black children
  • the 'Unity Association' owned two properties where it housed homeless black youngsters who found it difficult finding housing
  • the 'Black People's Information Centre' provided legal advice and welfare support. Information on black history and civil rights
• Racism was common throughout Britian. Many black people were refused entry to pubs, restaurants and nightclubs. The Metropolitan Police were used to enforce this, reflected racist attitudes held by many in Britian at the time. They weren't trusted by the black community. Police officers were white and male, so many black people who wanted to join were rejected
• When was the Notting Hill riots

  1958
• What caused the Notting Hill riots 1958

  • an angry mob of 400 white people by seeing a mixed-race couple outside a pub
• Key events of the Notting Hill riots 1958

  • On 30 August 1958, the mob attacked the homes of Caribbean people. They used petrol bombs, iron bars, knuckles dusters and knives
  • black people defended their homes, which the riots lasted for 5 days before police restores order
• What are the impacts of the Notting Hill riots, 1958

  • the police refused to accept that the riots were racially motivated
  • the black community refused to accept they had been involved in a riot. They claimed they were defending their homes and themselves, not rioting
  • organisations were formed to fight for black civil rights. Among these were the 'Inter-Racial Friendship Coordinating Council' and the 'West Indian Standing Conference'
• On 17 May 1959, Kelso Cochrane, 32, was mudered by a gang of white youths. The murderers were never caught. His funeral was attended by hundreds of white and black people, demonstrating support for the black community
• What was the impacts of the murder of Kelso Cochrane, 1959

  • the black community were angry, and believed the police were too busy claiming that the attack wasn't racist instead of catching the killers
  • most newspapers agreed with the police, adding to the fueled anger of the black community, supported by a visit from the PM of Jamaica
  • members of the Inter-Racial Friendship coordinating council asked the British PM to make racially motivated violence a crime. However, the govt. instead allow the 'white Defence League' to hold a rally in Trafalgar Square on 24 May 1959
• Anti-immigrants groups

  • Teddy boys roamed the streets looking for black people to attack. They were apart of the culture that flourished in Notting Hill, difficult for Caribbean migrants
• Anti-immigrants groups

  • Union movement was far-right group led by Oswald Mosley. 'Keep Britian White' was it slogan and had offices in Notting Hill. Purposely establish themselves there in order to make the black community fearful
  • Mosley ran for the seat of Kensington North (including Notting Hill). In his violent and racist campaign, he falsely claimed that black people were 'criminals and rapists' and other things. He received 8% of votes and the party never recovered from the defeat
• Anti-immigrants groups

  • White Defence League was a violent organisation demanded Britian to be 'kept white'. Offices in Notting Hill. Joined the British National Party- they saw the Caribbeans as provocative and encourage violent acts against them
• Claudia Jones

  • Born in Trinidad
  • deported from the US in 1955 (where she lived) because of her civil rights activities
  • moved to Britian and set up the 'West Indian Gazette' in 1958, the first major British newspaper for black people. Newspapers were very important in spreading information and ideas, in which black people suffered from
• Claudia Jones and West Indian Gazette

  • she persuaded London Transport to allow black people to rise to senior positions
  • she campaigned against the 1962 Commonwealth immigration from black, but not white, Commonwealth countries
  • her offices in south London received sack-loads of abusive, often racist, mail
  • she persuaded the West Indian Gazette to sponsor the first Caribbean Carnival in 1959
• Crichlow and the Mangrove

  • the police raided the Mangrove in search of drugs. None were ever found
  • Furious at police action, 9 raids between 1969 and 1979), the British Black Panthers (BBP) helped organise a protest march
  • +150 people took part in the march on 9 August 1970. The police monitored the march and the Mangrove's customers
  • the police claimed the marchers were inciting racial violence, arresting many including the owner, Crichlow
• The Mangrove Nine

  • caused by the march against the raids in the Mangrove pub
  • the magistrates dismissed the charges, but the Director of Public Prosecutions decided nine defendants (the Mangrove Nine) had to be tried, including Frank Crichlow
  • all the defendants were acquitted of the serious charges. The govt. tried to make the judge take back his ruling that there was racial hatred on both sides but he refused. The trial was seen as a great victory for the black community