A History of Notting Hill Carnival

Following the arrival of the SS Empire Windrush on 22nd June 1948, more than 300,000 people from the Caribbean settled in Britain. By the 1950s, Brixton and Notting Hill had the largest population of Caribbean people in Britain.

During this period, Notting Hill was also a stronghold for Oswald Mosley’s Union Movement, a far-right movement which galvanized the local white working-Class population to “Keep Britain White”. In 1958-59 under the banner of "Keep Britain White" attacks on the Black communities of Notting Hill, London and Nottingham began, culminating in the death of Antiguan-born carpenter Kelso Cochrane.

In response to these attacks and increasing tensions, Trinidadian-born activist Claudia Jones and founder of the West Indian Gazette newspaper organised a Caribbean Carnival in St. Pancras Town Hall on 30th January 1959. Jones’ Carnival was envisioned as a way of showing solidarity and strength within the growing Caribbean communities and to soothe the ongoing tensions.

Inspired by Claudia Jones’ carnival, Trinidadian husband and wife Edric and Pearl Connor organised a series of similar indoor events in halls around London during the 1960s until 1964 and the premature death of Claudia Jones.

Although the event was not directly related to Claudia Jones’ indoor carnival, many of the elements featured in her event were used in the street festival – such as Stirling Betancourt and Russell Henderson’s steel band and other elements of Caribbean carnival.This event marked the beginning of the annual Notting Hill Carnival with the gradual addition of Caribbean elements including more bands and costumes. By 1974, 100,000 people and a dozen bands participated and in 1975 static sound systems were introduced adding Jamaican reggae, dub and ska music to the traditional calypso and soca.