1919 race riots in Britain
Britain’s 1919 race riots started at the end of the First World War starting with an outbreak of violence in Glasgow in January, race riots happened around the United Kingdom …
Moments in Time - A look at history to inform the present
Moments in time is an archive of historical events, people and places.
UK race riots – The murder of Charles Wotten
Charles Wotten was a 24-year-old ship’s fireman from Bermuda who was murdered by an angry white mob during the Liverpool race riots of 1919. What led to Charles Wotten’s murder? …
Queen Nzinga of Angola
Queen Anna Nzinga was a 17th-century African ruler who ruled the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms of the Mbundu people in Angola and fought against the slave trade and European influence …
Olaudah Equiano – Writer and abolitionist
Olaudah Equiano (c.1745-1797) was an eighteenth-century African writer whose experiences as a slave prompted him to become involved in the British abolition movement. Early years Equiano was born in c1745 …
History of Notting Hill Carnival
What is Notting Hill Carnival? Notting Hill Carnival is a 3-day annual event that takes place on the streets of Notting Hill during late August bank holiday weekend. It’s a …
Claudia Jones – Activist and Mother of Caribbean Carnival in Britain
Claudia Jones was a feminist, political activist, pioneering journalist, and visionary. She is known for being the ‘Mother of Caribbean Carnival in Britain’. Early years Claudia Jones was born on …
The Battle of Lewisham
The London Borough of Lewisham is a multicultural borough with a large Black and Asian community as many of the Windrush generation settled in Lewisham from the late 40s onwards. …
Notting Hill Riots of 1958
The Notting Hill Race riots were the result of a campaign of attacks on the Caribbean residents in a bid to drive them out of their homes and ultimately out of Britain. …
The murder of Kelso Cochrane
A 32-year-old black man from Antigua named Kelso Cochrane was brutally murdered in a racist attack in the early hours of 17 May 1959. After receiving treatment at Paddington Hospital …
Why Israel occupied Palestine: The history behind the conflict
Israel’s control of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza has been referred to as an “occupation” for decades. Yet until recently, many people have not fully understood the significance …
Dora Saint aka Miss Read
Miss Read (17 April 1913 – 7 April 2012) Miss Read was the pen name of Dora Saint, who wrote over thirty books from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s. Dora …
Sybil Phoenix OBE – community leader
Sybil Phoenix is a community leader who has devoted her life to helping other people, especially in Lewisham, the town she made home. Early years She was born Sybil Theodora …
Norman D’Alquen amateur photographer of Sunderland Road, Forest Hill
When I was writing about the Catford Broadway Theatre I was lucky enough to get into an email conversation with the daughter of Norman D’Alquen, a local Forest Hill businessman …
Rosa May Billinghurst – suffragette and women’s rights activist
Lewisham’s famous women: Rosa May Billinghurst ( 1875 – 1953) Rosa May Billinghurst (commonly known as May Billinghurst) was born on 31 May 1875 at 35 Granville Park, Lewisham. She …
#Vote100 – A vote of her own
6 February 2018 marked 100 years since the Representation of the People Act 1918 – the act which allowed some women in the UK the right to vote. This was …
Edith Lanchester – socialist and feminist
Lewisham’s famous women: Edith Lanchester (1871-1966) Many people know of famous Catford born actress Elsa Lanchester, but what do you know of her socialist and feminist mother, Edith? Edith ‘Biddy’ …
#Vote100 – Women’s suffrage movement
In the nineteenth century, women had no place in national politics. They could not stand as candidates for Parliament. They were not even allowed to vote. It was assumed that …
Clemence Dane (Winifred Ashton) – Novelist and playwright
Lewisham’s famous women: Clemence Dane (1888-1965) Clemence Dane was born Winifred Ashton on 21 February 1888 in Westcombe Park Road, Blackheath. In 1897 the family moved to 22 Westwood Hill, …
Eleanor Marx – socialist campaigner
Lewisham’s famous women: Eleanor Marx (1855 – 1898) Although commonly remembered as the daughter of Karl Marx, Eleanor Marx achieved a great deal in her own right as a feminist, …
Marie Lloyd – music hall star
Lewisham’s famous women: Marie Lloyd (1870-1922) Marie Lloyd is considered to be the greatest and most popular of the music hall artists, lived for several years in Lewisham, between 1887 …
Colin Kaepernick and the new salute – Take the knee
This post in is honour of Colin Kaepernick and the people who are currently participating in civil rights activities to highlight the injustices around the world. Whilst Black History Month …
Black Power Salute and Peter Norman – the third man
The picture of Tommie Smith and John Carlos giving the Black Power Salute is iconic and instantly recognisable to many. But few people know of the bravery and tragedy of …
The spread of Islam in Africa
Africa is the second largest continent in the world made up of 54 countries. There are many different religions in Africa and some of them have been celebrating their faith, …
Mansa Musa I of Mali – The richest person in history
Mansa Musa was the first African Muslim king to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. He was also the richest person in all history with a £321 ($400) billion fortune. Much …
