Notting Hill (1948-1970)

• Caribbean migration to Notting Hill

  People from the Caribbean migrated to Britain in the 1950s for work, which partly involved rebuilding Britain after the Second World War
• Reasons for Caribbean migrants settling in Notting Hill

  • Notting Hill was close to Paddington station, where the train from the shipping port stopped
  • Officials from High Commissions of Caribbean countries, including Jamaica and Barbados, and volunteers would help newly arrived migrants find a place to stay
  • In the 1950s, many landlords were not willing to rent houses to black people, leaving Caribbean migrants with little choice but to accept the neglected properties of the landlords in Notting Hill who would rent to them
  • The presence of some black people already living in Notting Hill led to other Caribbean migrants settling here, as they felt safer after being made to feel unwelcome in other areas of London and Britain
  • As more Caribbean migrants settled in Notting Hill, the community grew to include market stalls and restaurants selling Caribbean food, making it more attractive
• Problems of housing in Notting Hill

  • Houses in Notting Hill were neglected, and landlords rented them to Caribbean migrants, charging them higher rents than white tenants and leading to overcrowding
  • Landlords applied to change their properties into Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs), allowing more than one household in a house with shared facilities, and the Caribbean migrants had no legal protection against these living conditions
  • Peter Rachman was one of the few landlords in Notting Hill who would rent properties to Caribbean migrants, but the conditions of the properties were overcrowded, unhygienic and unpleasant, and the authorities did not take action to stop the migrant community being treated in this way
• Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

  Houses that are rented to many households, rather than to one family or one household
• Bruce Kenrick and the Notting Hill Housing Trust


  • Bruce Kenrick was shocked by the housing conditions and wanted to improve them, raising £20,000 to buy a house to rent out to poor families
  • In 1963, Kenrick set up the Notting Hill Housing Trust (NHHT) charity to raise money to help provide people with good quality affordable housing, and Kenrick and the NHHT helped to improve the lives of migrants
• Shebeens


  Unofficial nightclubs with music, dancing and gambling
• Migrant-owned businesses experienced harassment from the police
• Businesses owned by Caribbean migrants in Notting Hill

  • Shops and market stalls
  • Cafés and restaurants
  • Nightclubs
  • Entertainment
• Shops and market stalls

  • Sold foods from the Caribbean, favoured with herbs and spices including thyme, fresh ginger and tabasco sauce
• There was a colour bar in Notting Hill in the 1950s and Caribbean migrants were prevented from entering many pubs, cafés and restaurants
• Pubs, cafes and restaurants owned by black people


  • The Apollo
  • The El Rio cafe opened by Frank Crichlow in 1952
  • Other pubs, cafes and restaurants in the 1960s
• The colour bar also operated in nightclubs and black people were refused entry
• Nightclubs and community centres for black people


  • The Metro Club opened in 1968
• Members of the migrant community hosted shebeens in their homes or in abandoned buildings
• Migrant houses would use radios to pick up foreign radio stations that played Motown, reggae and R&B rhythm and blues
• Caribbean migrants seized the opportunity to open businesses that sold records by black artists because it was not available in London
• In the 1950s, people began listening to music via sound systems. They were used in houses and on the streets to play music performed by black artists
• In 1969, Basing Street studios opened. It was used by Bob Marley
• Shops and restaurants owned by Caribbean migrants opened on All Saints Road, one of the main roads in Notting Hill. This road became filled with businesses owned by black migrants in the 1950s
• The Mangrove Restaurant, owned by Frank Crichlow, was one of these shops and restaurants that became targets of police harassment and racism
• By the 1960s, All Saints Road had become a centre of black activism. The Black Panthers held meetings and the organisers of the Notting Hill carnival met here
• Mutual self-help organisations set up by black people in Notting Hill


  • The London Free School set up in 1966 to run classes for young people and offer childcare support
  • The Black People's Information Centre set up in 1970 to offer legal support and education on black history
  • Partner schemes set up to help members of the migrant community buy their own home
• Teddy Boys


  A group of British youths who wore Edwardian clothes and were interested in rock n roll music. Their behaviour was sometimes rough and aggressive
• Claudia Jones


  A black migrant from Trinidad who had been active in politics. She campaigned for black people to get promoted jobs, such as inspectors in London Transport and other organisations where there was a colour bar. She campaigned against the Commonwealth Immigrant Act.
• Frank Crichlow


  A man from Trinidad who operated the Mangrove restaurant on All Saints Road in Notting Hill.
• In 1958, Claudia Jones set up Britain's first major black-owned newspaper called the West Indian Gazette. This shared news, jobs and events with black people in London. Before this newspaper, there was no opportunity for the community to share information about issues that related to their lives.
• The Caribbean Carnival (1959)


  1. Claudia Jones wanted to celebrate African-Caribbean culture and unite the community after the Notting Hill riots

  2. The first carnival took place outside of Notting Hill in January 1959 and was sponsored by the West Indian Gazette

  3. The carnival was televised by the BBC

  4. Some of the money raised was used to help pay for the bail of black men wrongly arrested by the police

  5. The carnival took place annually until Jones died in 1954
• Notting Hill Carnival (from 1966)


  1. Rhaune Laslett (President of the London Free School) used the network of artists formed by Jones to develop the Notting Hill Carnival

  2. This has continued to take place every summer into the twenty-first century

  3. It has become the biggest street festival in Europe
• Mangrove restaurant


  • Served Caribbean food
  • Celebrities visited when in London, including Muhammad Ali, Bob Marley, Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye
  • The British Black Panthers frequently met here, and support was offered to black people in the community
  • The police frequently raided the restaurant claiming to look for drugs, but they never found any
• British Black Panthers (BBP)


  • Founded in 1968
  • They campaigned for civil rights and against police brutality
  • Inspired by the American movement, they created pride within black people in the community by educating the people about their history and helping them to find better jobs, housing and healthcare
  • Their leaders included Darcus Howe and Altheia Jones-LeCointe
• The 'Mangrove Nine'

  1. In August 1970, a march was organised to protest about the police harassment of the Mangrove restaurant

  2. The BBP helped to organise this march and over 150 people took part

  3. The police arrested several people including Frank Crichlow, Darcus Howe and Altheia Jones-LeCointe, claiming that they were inciting racial violence

  4. Nine of the marchers were charged with inciting a riot and became known as the "Mangrove Nine"

  5. Their trial took place at the Old Bailey and attracted huge media coverage

  6. During the trial, the defendants argued that the jury should be black 'as their peers' but only two black jurors were selected

  7. Howe and Jones-LeCointe defended themselves

  8. The trial focused on the police brutality and racism, and showed the Mangrove Nine as victims

  9. All defendants were acquitted of the most serious charges, and four of the Mangrove Nine were given suspended sentences for minor offences
• After the Second World War, Britain had to recover from years of fighting and the damage caused by the war. Civilians had been killed in German bombing raids, cities were damaged from bombing, and British people were left homeless.
• Britain was almost £21 billion in debt and had lost wealth directly linked to its Empire.
• Millions of people from across the British Empire had fought for Britain in the armed forces, including people from the Caribbean.
• Reconstruction and demand for labour

  1. Britain needed workers to rebuild the country and support the NHS and British railways

  2. The British Government passed the British Nationality Act (1948) with the intention of recruiting more workers from white settler families in the Commonwealth

  3. Many people in the Caribbean felt loyal to Britain following their connection through the British Empire, and saw Britain as 'the Mother Country'

  4. Some saw the 1948 Act as an opportunity to find work and earn higher wages while rebuilding Britain

  5. Thousands of people migrated to Britain, including engineers, nurses and bus drivers

  6. People were encouraged to migrate by the Caribbean newspapers but some in the British government tried to dissuade them

  7. The NHS and London Transport became two of the largest employers of Caribbean migrants

  8. However, the migrants found working in Britain difficult because of discrimination including the colour bar and lower wages
• By the 1960s, things had improved in Britain. People had found employment and rationing was ending. This led to a greater amount of freedom and the decade became known as the "Swinging Sixties'. London was an exciting city and a centre for music, fashion and political activism. However, it is important to remember that black people still experienced inequality and racism.
• Caribbean migrants were shocked by the poverty in London, which included rationing of goods, housing shortages, and bomb damage.
• Policing in London

  • London had the Metropolitan Police Force
  • In the 1950s, most officers were white males
  • Black people who tried to join the police force were refused
  • Many police officers held racist views and did little to build a relationship with black people
  • These views continued during this period because there were no laws against racial discrimination or harassment
  • This led to distrust between black residents of areas such as Notting Hill and the police force
• The Notting Hill riots (1958)


  1. Tension had been building in Notting Hill for years due to racism and anti-immigrant groups

  2. A fight broke out on 29 August when a mixed race couple suffered some racist abuse from white people outside a pub

  3. On the night of 30 August, a group of white people attacked the home of Caribbean people

  4. This was followed by a further six nights of attacks with petrol bombs, iron bars and knives

  5. Some black people counter-attacked to defend their homes
• The police denied that race was the cause of the riots