Black Cultural Archives

A celebration of Black History is a celebration of British History

In collaboration with

Telling the story of the Black British experience

Backstory

The Beginnings of the Black Cultural Archives

Digitized and available online for the first time

An archive for all

A History of Education Campaigning

How the education movement led to the idea of a Black archive

How it was done

A Behind-The-Scenes Look at the Digitization of the Black Cultural Archives

Virtual tour

A Virtual Tour of the Windrush Square Site

Take a tour of the Black Cultural Archives

The story of the Windrush generation

Caribbean communities in post-war Britain

History

A Closer Look At The Years Between 1948 and 1962

The early post-war settlement and development of the Black community in Brixton

Explore the archives through time

View

Making a movement

How the Black community became empowered in the 1970s and 80s

The Black Women's Movement

Disrupting the understanding of what it means to be a woman in Britain

Zoom in to 'Womanopoly'

A board game that demonstrates injustices for women in society

The African-Caribbean Educational Resource Project

Len Garrison, ACER, and the British education system

The Black Power Movement

Their manifesto, the social issues they explored, and their fascinating alliances in the UK and abroad

The 1981 Brixton Uprising

The events that led up to the riots and the response of the Brixton Defence Campaign

Culture in the capital

London Through the Lens of Black British History

Go on a virtual tour of key sites that made Britain

The spirit of Notting Hill Carnival

A celebration of Caribbean culture

Virtual Tour

A Walk Through the History of Notting Hill Carnival

Go on a virtual tour of the carnival route

A Brief History of Notting Hill Carnival

Exploring the heritage, traditions and celebrations of this iconic annual street festival, founded in 1966

The Art of Carnival and Masquerading

The colorful carnival sculptures of Carl and Lyn Gabriel

State of the art

Zoom in

Zoom in to a Drawing of Carnival by R. Sampson

Get up-close and personal with this 1980 artwork

Zoom in

Zoom in to 'The Past, and the Process of Debasement'

Gordon de la Mothe's artworks up close

Zoom in

Zoom in to 'Black Warriors: Resisting and Assisting'

Gordon de la Mothe's artworks up close

Spotlight on: Artist Rudi Patterson

A self-propelled star of London's swinging 60s

Explore

Visions of the Caribbean

How the artist's Jamaican upbringing was a key influence of his painting

Explore

Abstract Reflections

See how the artist experimented with abstract styles

Zoom into the details

Discover Patterson's tiny details and brushstrokes, up close

Culture goes pop

How Black British Pop Culture Has Been Influenced by History

Kemi Alemoru explores the unrest, resistance, and unity across black art and expression

The evolution of Black sound

Black performing artists who brought the distinct rhythms of Africa and the Caribbean to the UK

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Musical Legend

A Black British composer, conductor and pioneer of classical music

Rapper Derek B's Lyric Books

Explore his handwritten notes and see a snapshot of his working process

The History of Black British Dance

From ancestral traces to modern moves

On the same page

Black British literature and poetry

Poet Dean Atta on How He's Been Influenced by Black British History

Figures from our past and present that have inspired his work and are changing the course of history

Celebrating forgotten figures

Celebrating 8 Overlooked Figures From Black British History

Patrick Vernon profiles figures from the past to the present day who deserve recognition

Keeping it in the family

Finding our roots

How to Use Archives to Discover Your Hidden Family History

Patrick Vernon explores how maps, records, family trees, and historical images can help to discover the past

In collaboration with

Telling the story of the Black British experience

The Beginnings of the Black Cultural Archives

Digitized and available online for the first time

A History of Education Campaigning

How the education movement led to the idea of a Black archive

A Behind-The-Scenes Look at the Digitization of the Black Cultural Archives

A Virtual Tour of the Windrush Square Site

Take a tour of the Black Cultural Archives

The story of the Windrush generation

Caribbean communities in post-war Britain

A Closer Look At The Years Between 1948 and 1962

The early post-war settlement and development of the Black community in Brixton

Explore the archives through time

Making a movement

How the Black community became empowered in the 1970s and 80s

The Black Women's Movement

Disrupting the understanding of what it means to be a woman in Britain

Zoom in to 'Womanopoly'

A board game that demonstrates injustices for women in society

The African-Caribbean Educational Resource Project

Len Garrison, ACER, and the British education system

The Black Power Movement

Their manifesto, the social issues they explored, and their fascinating alliances in the UK and abroad

The 1981 Brixton Uprising

The events that led up to the riots and the response of the Brixton Defence Campaign

Culture in the capital

London Through the Lens of Black British History

The spirit of Notting Hill Carnival

A celebration of Caribbean culture

A Walk Through the History of Notting Hill Carnival

Go on a virtual tour of the carnival route

A Brief History of Notting Hill Carnival

Exploring the heritage, traditions and celebrations of this iconic annual street festival, founded in 1966

The Art of Carnival and Masquerading

The colorful carnival sculptures of Carl and Lyn Gabriel

State of the art

Zoom in to a Drawing of Carnival by R. Sampson

Get up-close and personal with this 1980 artwork

Zoom in to 'The Past, and the Process of Debasement'

Gordon de la Mothe's artworks up close

Zoom in to 'Black Warriors: Resisting and Assisting'

Gordon de la Mothe's artworks up close

Spotlight on: Artist Rudi Patterson

A self-propelled star of London's swinging 60s

Visions of the Caribbean

How the artist's Jamaican upbringing was a key influence of his painting

Abstract Reflections

See how the artist experimented with abstract styles

Zoom into the details

Discover Patterson's tiny details and brushstrokes, up close

Culture goes pop

How Black British Pop Culture Has Been Influenced by History

The evolution of Black sound

Black performing artists who brought the distinct rhythms of Africa and the Caribbean to the UK

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Musical Legend

A Black British composer, conductor and pioneer of classical music

Rapper Derek B's Lyric Books

Explore his handwritten notes and see a snapshot of his working process

The History of Black British Dance

From ancestral traces to modern moves

On the same page

Black British literature and poetry

Poet Dean Atta on How He's Been Influenced by Black British History

Figures from our past and present that have inspired his work and are changing the course of history

Celebrating forgotten figures

Celebrating 8 Overlooked Figures From Black British History

Keeping it in the family

Finding our roots

How to Use Archives to Discover Your Hidden Family History

Patrick Vernon explores how maps, records, family trees, and historical images can help to discover the past

Zoom in and Take a Look at One Hand-Drawn Family Tree

George Africanus's family tree drawn by Len Garrison

Explore a selection of objects from the archive

More...

Stories

Images

Videos