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An animated GIF with the words 'Black Londoners through Time' flying across the page from left to right, along with an arrow like a timeline.

Take a trip back in time to discover just some of London’s Black history from the Roman era to the present day. Learn about the amazing achievements of African and Caribbean Londoners and their contributions to London life.

Children? You’ll need an adult to join you. The stories told here are all true, and some of them may be upsetting. Adults? Click here for information on language used in the resource.

Scroll down and click on the buttons to dive deeper and find out more, or click here for a text-only version.



The year 'AD 193' appears above a Roman artwork of a man, a woman and two children. A heading below says 'African Romans', and text below that says 'Emperor Septimius Severus' reign begins. Aurelian 'Moors' settle in Britain.' and below that, 'Image © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro / CC BY-SA 4.0', and a button says 'Find out more'. The year '1241' appears above a colourful illustration of a figure in a medieval manuscript. A heading below says 'Domesday Book', and text below that says 'An African man is illustrated in a Westminster Abbey manuscript', and below that, 'Image: The National Archives'. The year '1300' appears above a stone statue of a smiling woman's face. A heading below says 'Medieval London', and text below that says 'Black women live in 14th-century London', and a button says 'Learn more'. The year '1511' appears above an illustration of several men playing trumpets on horseback. A heading below says 'John Blanke', and text below that says 'A Tudor trumpeter plays in King Henry VIII's court.', and a button says 'Discover his story'. The year '1597' appears above an image of a handwritten old document. A heading below says 'Mary Fillis', and text below that says 'A young woman, born in Morocco, is baptised in Aldgate', and 'Image: St Botolph-without-Aldgate'. The year '1661' appears above an illustration of a topless man being held as another holds a cane in the air above him. A heading below says 'Barbados Slave Codes', and text below that says 'Britain secures its role in the Transatlantic Slave Trade with brutal laws for its Caribbean colonies. The Codes create the idea of 'race' and racial hierarchy.'. The year '1731' appears above an image of the City of London's metal seal matrix. A heading below says 'The City of London', and text below that says 'The Lord Mayor forbids any person of colour from becoming an apprentice in the City.' The year '1771' appears above an illustration of a woman in a thoughtful pose, writing with a quill. A heading below says 'Phillis Wheatley', and text below that says 'The African American poet travels to London to publish her work', and below that, 'Image © GraphicaArtis / Bridgeman Images.'. The year '1744' appears above a book illustration of Ignatius Sancho. A heading below says 'Ignatius Sancho', and text below that says 'The writer and composer is the first person of African descent to vote in Britain.', and a button says 'Learn more'. The year '1789' appears above a black and white animation of a smartly-dressed man glancing forward. A heading below says 'Olaudah Equiano', and text below that says 'The sailor and abolitionist publishes his autobiography'. A note below that says 'Image animated using MyHeritage.'. The year '1802' appears above an image of a sailing ship in a dock. A heading below says 'West India Docks', and text below that says 'New docks open in London to support the Transatlantic Slave Trade.' and below that, a button says 'Discover more'. The year '1807' appears above a photo of a commemorative coin. A heading below says 'Abolition of the Slave Trade', and text below that says 'Britain passes a law to stop the trade in enslaved African people. Slavery continues.'. The year '1813' appears above a sketch of a young man, and the caption 'George Bridgetower', and text below that says 'The violinist and favourite of King George IV performs with the Royal Philharmonic Society.' and below that, 'Image © The Trustees of the British Musum / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0', and a button says 'Discover his story'. The year '1828' appears above a painting showing the Houses of Parliament in the 19th century. A heading below says 'Mary Prince', and text below that says 'A Bermudan woman is brought to London in enslavement. She escapes and petitions Parliament for her freedom.' and below that, a button says 'Find out more'. The year '1833' appears above an image of a newspaper headline: 'Abolition of Slavery'. A heading below says 'Slavery Abolition Act', and text below that says 'An act is passed calling for the immediate abolition of slavery in most parts of the British Empire.' and below that, 'Image: National Library of Wales / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0'. The year '1850' appears above a photo of a young woman with a serious expression on her face. A heading below says 'Sarah Forbes Bonetta', and text below that says 'A young girl of Yoruba descent is taken from Dahomey to England and 'given' to Queen Victoria.' and below that, 'Image © National Portrait Gallery, London / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0', and a button says 'Explore her story'. The year '1857' appears above a painting of an elderly woman. A heading below says 'Mary Seacole', and text below that says 'The Jamaican 'doctress' publishes her life story, The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands.' and below that, 'Image © National Portrait Gallery, London / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0', and a button says 'Find out more'. The year '1900' appears above an image of a paper invitation. A heading below says ' First Pan-African Conference', and text below that says 'A meetings of delegates from Africa, America and the Caribbean is held at Westminster Town Hall.' and below that, 'Image: Department of Special Collections & University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst'. The years '1914-18' appear above a black and white photo of Walter Tull in military uniform. A heading below says 'World War One', and text below that says 'Walter Tull, one of Britain's first Black professional football players, goes to fight in France.' and below that, 'Image © Finlayson Family Archive / Getty Images', and a button says 'Discover his story'. The year '1919' appears above an animated photo of three young men in dirty clothes sat next to each other. A heading below says 'Race riots', and text below that says 'Black and Asian sailors are attacked in London's Docklands and in port cities across the UK.' The year '1931' appears above a photo of Harold Moody with a serious expression, holding his hand against his face. A heading below says 'The Kingston-born doctor forms The League of Coloured Peoples to campaign for racial equality.' and below that, 'Image: Department of Special Collections & University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst', and a button says 'Explore his story'. The year '1932' appears above a video clip of Una Marson speaking into a microphone. A heading below says 'Una Marson', and text below that says 'The Jamaican journalist and poet travels to London and becomes the BBC's first Black producer.' and below that, '© IWM CCE 211'. The year '1939-45' appears above a photo portrait of Johnny Smythe in RAF uniform. A heading below says 'World War Two', and text below that says 'Black servicemen and women answer the call on the ground, at sea and in the air.'. The year '1948' appears above a photo of two men wearing Panama hats walking down a high street. A heading below says 'Windrush arrival', and text below that says 'Almost 1,000 Caribbean British citizens arrive at Tilbury Docks on the Empire Windrush, to help rebuild post-war Britain.' and below that, 'Image © Estate of Roger Mayne / Museum of London', and a button says 'Find out more'. The year '1959' appears above a colour photo of a woman dancing in a colourful, feathered Union Jack dress. A heading below says 'Notting Hill Carnival', and text below that says 'Europes's largest Caribbean cultural festival, Notting Hill Carnival, is born at St Pancras Town Hall.' and below that, 'Image: Notting Hill Carnival in 1997', and a button says 'Hear responses'. The year '1969' appears above an animation of flicking through the pages of a book. A heading below says 'Eric and Jessica Huntley', and text below that says 'Community educators set up Bogle L’Ouverture publications to share work by Black writers.'. The year '1981' appears above a photo of a young man holding a placard with a defiant expression on his face. A heading below says 'Black People's Day of Action', and text below that says 'Twenty-thousand people march on Parliament to seek racial justice after 13 young Black Londoners are killed in a house fire.' and below that, 'Image: Vron Ware, courtesy of Autograph ABP'. The year '1984' appears above a photograph of Paul Boateng, smiling. A heading below says 'Three Black MPs enter Parliament', and text below that says 'Labour MPs Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant are elected to Parliament.' and below that, 'Image: Paul Boateng in 2020 © Parliamentary Digital Service / CC BY 3.0'. The year '1999' appears above a photograph of Doreen Lawrence. A heading below says 'The Macpherson Inquiry', and text below that says 'Years of campaigning by the parents of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence lead to a public inquiry into institutional racism.' and below that, 'Image: Doreen Lawrence in 2019 © Parliamentary Digital Service / CC BY 3.0'. The year '2006' appears above a photo of a Black Pride attendee wearing elaborate jewellery and holding a rainbow fan. A heading below says 'UK Black Pride', and text below that says 'Activist and community leader Lady Phyll hosts first annual celebration of UK Black Pride.' and below that, 'Image: Black Pride attendee in 2019 © Josie Fraser / CC BY-SA 4.0'. The year '2012' appears above a photograph of Mo Farah smiling in running gear with a Union Flag draped over his back. A heading below says 'London Olympics', and text below that says 'British gold medal winners include Sir Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis, Anthony Joshua and Nicola Adams.' and below that, 'Image: © Alamy Stock Photo'. The year '2020' appears above a photo of a man holding up a sign with 'Black Lives Matter!' painted on it. A heading below says 'Black Lives Matter', and text below that says 'Global protests for racial justice inspire marches in London.' and below that, 'Image: Alisdare Hickson / CC BY-NC 2.0'. Below that, a button says 'Find out more'. An animated GIF shows arrows fanning out in different directions at the bottom of the timeline below the heading 'London's Future'.



Words and terms in this resource

The words society uses to describe people and places are always changing. Names, terms and other words can have very different meanings and associations for different people.

Throughout history, some words and terms have been used to cause harm, degrade people and even take away a person’s humanity and dignity. An example of this is the word ‘slave’ when talking about people of African descent in telling the history of the transatlantic slave trade. Instead we choose to use the word 'enslaved' to make clear that this is an act that has been done to someone rather than an identity in itself.

While this is reflected in our displays, specifically in the ‘London, Sugar & Slavery’ gallery, it is not always reflected in our how our collections are documented because in some cases the information was written many years ago. We are working to change this.

In creating this resource, we have thought carefully about the words and terms used to describe the Black experience throughout London’s history.

If you would like further support on dealing with language and terminology in the context of enslavement and empire, important guidance for children and young people can be found here at the Understanding Slavery Initiative website.

We hope you enjoy sharing and using the Black Londoners through time resource.


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