W11 Westbourne Green, Holland Park, Notting Hill
In the Beginning |
|
|
My parents are from Barbados. They came to England in the late 1950's and lived in Ladbroke Grove. I was born in West London and attended school there. As a child I visited Barbados several times. I later returned there and worked in several places including The Archives Dept in Black Rock. Barbados is the place my family refer to as 'back home' although they have lived in England for almost 50 years. In the 1950s the British government recruited people from the Caribbean to come and work in England. In particular, they needed a work force for the transport system and the national health service. |
|
|
There were street signs that said 'No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish'. The Notting Hill Riots occurred in 1958 and racism was rife. There have been many changes since then. Various laws have been passed to try and ensure that those vicious times are never repeated. |
|
|
As stated earlier I was born in West London, Hammersmith to be more precise. However, this story begins much much earlier. I have been researching my family history and found some revealing information. Remember, if you are Caribbean your surname is probably European and derived from links to enslavement and slave masters. I have found out that my surname is linked to Henry Lascelles, the Earl of Harewood in Leeds (1700s). Lascelles became a very wealthy man because he enslaved Africans in Barbados to work on the sugar plantations. The Lascelles family are cousins to Queen Elizabeth ll. |
|
Disclaimer The Postcodes Project includes material submitted by users of the website. The Museum accepts no liability in respect of any of this material, and we are not responsible for its content and accuracy. |
 |
||||
|
 |
|
||