Notting Hill Flashcards
What had happened to Britain after the Second World War?
-German bombing raids had badly damaged Britain’s major cities, in London, 70,000 buildings had been destroyed and nearly 2 million damaged
-A great need for reconstruction and shortages in everything
-The new labour government, elected in 1945, began to create a welfare state as well as other changes.
-The NHS, British rail, and the new national rail network and London transport all needed workers
-There were thousands of Jobs available
-In the years, 1945-46, the workforce fell by 1.38, due to combat, deaths from bombing, retirement, restrictions on married women working, and emigration
-1.5Million people left Britain in hopes of a better life elsewhere
-The British nationality act of 1948 gave everyone in the commonwealth the right to live and work in Britain
-Many people regarded Britain as the ‘mother country’ and believed in loyalty to it
-Wages in Britain were 3 times higher than in the Caribbean and the act seemed to provide an opportunity
What was policing and poverty like after 1945?
-Thousands were waiting for new houses to be built
-Bread was rationed for the first time and it did not end until 1954
-A server winter in 1947 disrupted coal production and energy supplies, leading to further shortages
-Petty theft from damaged houses, offices and warehouses were common
-Food and other goods were often sold security and illegally at high prices
What were the ‘swinging sixties’
-The economy was gradually improving
-Rationing ended and there was almost full employment
-In the ’60s, London became the most exciting city in the world - the centre of new styles, fashion and music
-However, poverty was still rife, especially in north-east England
-Young people had more money, more leisure time, and a greater sense of freedom than their parents
-Young people became politically aware and took part in marches and rallies, this affected black communities too
Why did Caribbean migrants settle in Notting Hill?
-Paddington station is very close to Notting Hill, it was the first London station at which the trains carrying Caribbean migrants stopped
-Caribbean migrants stopped with officials waiting there to welcome them and find them accommodation
-Many had friends or family and wanted to liver near them, the black community became even more established
-Few landlords elsewhere would rent houses to Caribbean migrants because of the colour of their skin
-The hostile reaction of many white people made Caribbean migrants want to live closer together
-The British government advertised for people to go to Britain to help rebuild
-They were known as the ‘wind rush generation’
What were the housing problems like in Notting Hill?
-Caribbean migrants had to pay high rents for poor, squalid housing in Notting Hill
-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 so they could maximise profit
What were the slum landlords like in Notting Hill?
-Houses in Notting Hill 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), this meant a single house could be rented to several people or even several families, not to just one
-Everyone in one house shared a kitchen and bathroom, which were of poor quality
-There were no rent controls so landlords could charge what they liked
-Peter Rachman owned 80 properties in Notting Hill, his houses were all HMOs and he charged high rents making over £80,000 a year or £2,000,000 today
-He had henchman who intimidated tenants if they complained or couldn’t pay rent
What was the notting hill housing trust?
-Bruce Kenrick was a minister in the United Reform Church
-He lived in Notting Hill and was appalled by the conditions Caribbean migrants were forced to live
-In 1965, he founded the Notting Hill Housing Trust, which aimed to provide decent houses at affordable rents to people in the community
-By 1970, the Trust was housing nearly 1,000 improving people’s lives
What was the portobello road market?
-Located on Portobello Road which runs through the heart of Notting Hill
-Caribbean migrants began to sell food such as yams and breadfruit, sweet potatoes and dasheen, and the market flourished
-A cafe was opened, which sold Caribbean food
-In 1969, Island records, founded in Jamaica, moved its base to near Portobello road. The area soon gained a reputation as the place to go for Caribbean music and culture
How did the Caribbean culture develop in Notting Hill?
-Caribbean’s love of spice, well-seasoned foods provided wonderful opportunities for traders to set up market stalls selling Caribbean food and ingredients for home cooking
-Some Caribbean migrants began setting up pubs, cafes and restaurants, for example, El Rio cafe served good Caribbean food and was popular with new arrivals, quickly becoming a meeting place for the whole community
-Nightclubs and mainstream radio stations didn’t play black music such as Blues, Reggae and Soul, it was difficult to access music the Caribbeans wanted. Basing Street studios opened in 1969 to meet this demand with performers such as Diana Ross
-There were lots of different groups in Notting Hill, each with their own culture, which is why, Notting Hill became such a rich and vibrant community
-The metro club opened in 1968. It was a community centre and youth club by day and a nightclub in the evenings. Young black people came from all over London and there were often large queues waiting to get in
-Many Caribbean people preferred to set up unofficial clubs, called shebeens, in their own homes and empty buildings. They could smoke, drink and listen to Caribbean music, however they had to be careful their neighbours did not complain
-Caribbean residents, often living in cramped accommodations, needed cubs to gain a sense of community, they used the shebeens and cities
What was the development of all saints road?
-A centre of Caribbean culture and also of black activism
-The mangrove, opened in March 1968, by Frank Crichlow, was an all-night restaurant that served Caribbean road. It was the first black-owned restaurant in the area and was very popular- from within and out of the Caribbean community
-The headquarters of the activist group British Black Panthers was set up there in 1968
-The Apollo was the first pub to serve black people
-The Notting Hill Carnival organisers often met in the mangrove
What were the mutual self-help organisations?
-The Caribbean community set up groups to help and support each other
-The London Free School arranged childcare and organised activities for children. This was vital as many childminders refused to take black children
-The Unity Association owned two properties where it housed homeless black youngsters who usually had great difficulty in finding housing
-The Black People’s information Centre provided legal advice and welfare support, it also provided information on black history and civil rights
-Some banks did not allow black people to open accounts and some building societies refused to give them a mortgage. Partner schemes helped black people save so that they could by their own homes
What were the notting hill riots of 1958?
-Racist tension and outbreaks were common
-On 30th August 1958, a mob of 400 white people, angered by seeing a mixed-race couple outside a pub, attacked the homes of Caribbean people. They used petrol bombs, iron bars, knuckle dusters and knives
-Black people defended their homes, the riot lasted for 5 days before the police restored order
-Impact:
-The police refused to accept that the riots were racially motivated
-The black community refused to accept that they had been involved in a riot. They claimed they were simply defending themselves and their property, 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
What was the murder of Kelso Cochrane?
-On 17th May 1959,Kelso Cochrane, aged 32, was murdered by a gang of white youths, the murderers were not caught
-People in the black community were angry believing the police were too busy claiming the attack was not racist, rather than finding their killers
-Most newspapers agreed with the police, which further angered the community
-The Jamaican prime minister visited Notting Hill for support, but was neglected by the police
-Kelso Cochrane’s funeral was attended by hundreds of white and black people, demonstrating support for the Black community
-Members of the Inter-racial friendship co-ordinating council asked the British prime minister to make racially motivated violence a crime. However, the government instead allowed the White Defenced League to hold a rally in Trafalgar square a week after Cochrane’s death
Who were the White Defense League?
-Was a violent organisation demanding Britain should be ‘kept white’
-Its office was in Notting Hill, and later joined the British National Party - move that was seen by the Caribbean community as provocative, intended to encourage violence
Who were the teddy boys?
-They roamed the streets looking for black people to attack
-They were part of a gangland culture which flourished in Notting Hill, making it a dangerous place for Caribbean migrants
