notting hill

    Cards (24)

    • WWII left Britain exhausted after years of fighting, £21 billion in debt and in desperate need of rebuilding - however there was a severe shortage of workers and housing
    • End of Second World War
      1945
    • First 500 Caribbean migrants arrive on the SS Windrush
      June 1948
    • Murder of Kelso Cochrane
      May 1959
    • Notting Hill riots and West Indian Gazette is launched

      1958
    • London Free School organise the first Notting Hill Carnival
      1966
    • The Metro Club opens and BPP set up
      1968
    • 'Mangrove 9' trial

      1970
    • Rationing
      Government policy which limited what people could buy to ensure there was enough for everyone, for another 9 years after WWII, everything was rationed, from electricity to bread
    • National and regional context
      • Severe shortage of workers and housing after WWII
    • Local context of Notting Hill
      • Large black community developed there due to proximity to Paddington station, availability of housing, and existing black community
    • Caribbean culture in Notting Hill
      • Development of churches, pubs/cafes, music, and community support organisations to serve the black community
    • The 1948 British Nationality Act gave everyone in the Commonwealth the right to live and work in the UK
    • There were no anti-discrimination laws yet, so black people often did low skilled jobs they were overqualified for and faced lower wages than white people for the same job, colour bars and little support from trade unions
    • Post-war London: many Caribbean migrants were shocked by the bomb damage, rationing and poverty
    • By the 'Swinging 60s': black activism was on the increase, influenced by young people of all races looking to challenge 'traditional' society
    • Where migrants ended up working
      • London Transport
      • NHS
    • Push factors for migration
      Lack of jobs, low wages
    • Pull factors for migration
      Britain seen as 'mother country', short-term migrant work normal, British firms advertised, appeal of starting new life, higher wages
    • Racism and policing in Notting Hill: the police were openly racist, there were no laws against racial harassment, and the police had no interest in understanding the black community
    • The Notting Hill riots in 1958 were triggered by a fight over a mixed race couple, with 100s of white youths targeting black homes
    • The murder of Kelso Cochrane in 1959 angered the black community as the police denied a racial motive
    • The 'Mangrove Nine' trial in 1970 was a landmark in black British civil rights, as the judge acknowledged racism in the police
    • This unit requires understanding contemporary evidence and assessing its strengths and limitations, including provenance