Hackney’s Windrush History
Discover Hackney’s Windrush stories by exploring the collections of Hackney Museum and Hackney Archives. These unique collections reveal the people and communities who settled in Hackney in the 20th Century as part of the Windrush Generation as well as their descendants. Find information for accessing these collections as well as a selection of Windrush stories from each below.
Hackney Museum
Hackney Museum
Hackney Museum is the local, social history museum for the London Borough of Hackney.
Address:
Hackney Museum, 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ
Opening Hours:
Tues, Wed: 9.30am-5.30pm
Thurs: 9.30am-8.00pm
Fri: 9.30am-5.30pm
Sat: 10am-5pm
How to search the collections
‘Hackney Museum’s collections represent the everyday lives of people in the borough, many of whom have migrated from different parts of the world. We have a significant number of items in our collection representing the experiences of the Windrush Generation. We hope our collections will empower local communities to tell their stories, share their concerns about local issues which are rooted in a historical context, and understand how their experiences fit alongside others.
This collection includes films, oral histories and personal objects that relate to the experiences of people connected to the Windrush Generation’.
- The Hackney Museum Team
Explore some of these stories from Hackney Museum below
Windrush objects in the collection
The Blue Spot radiogram
The Blue Spot radiogram was considered the best by the Caribbean community who moved to Britain in the 1950s and 1960s.
The radio and record player provided a means of entertainment in the home, at a time when many did not feel welcome in Hackney’s bars and clubs.
The ‘Barcelona’ model has a radio and record player with integrated drinks cabinet beneath for entertaining.
It was capable of receiving radio signals from as far away as the Caribbean.
This Paraffin Heater
This paraffin heater was used by Stanley and Adela Dormer who moved from Jamaica to the UK in the 1960s and shared a room with two other people.
Their landlady turned off the electricity and gas during the day, so the Dormer’s used the heater to stay warm during cold British winters and to cook food, as the house cooker was shared between 10 people.
Windrush Oral Histories
Vera Maloney Migration
Vera Maloney was born in St Lucia. In this extract from her interview with Hackney Museum discussing moving to England, she describes housing conditions and racism from London landlords.
Shirley Boteng’s NHS Story
Shirley Boateng moved to England from Trinidad in 1971 to be a nurse. In this extract of her 2010 interview with Hackney Museum, she discusses her career as a nurse, racism she experienced, and support within the Caribbean nursing community.
Roy Beckles on London Transport
Roy Beckles was born in Curaçao in the Caribbean and moved to the UK in 1961. In this extract from their 1998 interview with Hackney Museum, he discusses his employment with London Transport.
James Boston on Racism in London
James Augustus Boston (c.1928 - 2019) moved to Britain from Montserrat in 1960. James worked as a bus conductor and lived in Stoke Newington. In this extract of their 1998 interview with Hackney Museum, he describes racism he encountered while working for London Transport.
Hackney Windrush on Film
Dennis Morris A Life in Focus
In this short film, famed photographer Dennis Morris shares how he discovered photography as a young boy living in Dalston, Hackney during the 1960s and 70s. He tells of his early days as ‘Mad Dennis’ living on Cecilia Road, leaving home aged 14 to tour with Bob Marley and how his photos became world famous.
Living Under One Roof
This film tells the story of those who left their home countries in the Caribbean to move to the UK in the 1950s & 1960s. It explores what it was like to adjust to a different culture, and live and work in Britain. Featured in the 2008 exhibition ‘Living Under One Roof’ at Hackney Museum.
Kendrick Handson
Kenrick Hanson was born in Jamaica and moved to the UK in 1962. In this extract from his 2017 interview with Hackney Museum, he discusses his time as Mayor of Hackney from 1984-1985.
Windrush Blogs
Roots, Rhythms and Records
Through stories of musical innovation, distribution and enjoyment, Hackney Museum’s series ‘Roots, Rhythms and Records’ celebrates the impact of Hackney’s African and Caribbean communities on music in the borough and beyond. In this blog the museum explore music and the Windrush generation.
Revisiting Windrush and Beyond
Revisiting Windrush and Beyond returns to the stories of Hackney Museum’s 1998 exhibition, Windrush and Beyond. This series explores the lives, celebrations and struggles of the Windrush generation through their own words, describing their experiences as they moved to Hackney over the second half of the 20th century.
Learning Resources
Fascinating films and in depth lesson plans are all available to use thanks to The Hackney Museum’s trove of online learning resources. Visit the collection now. What will you learn!?
Hackney Archives
Hackney Archives
Hackney Archives is open to anyone who wants to find out more about Hackney’s past. If you are interested in the history of a building or street in the borough, a Hackney based business or organisation, or would like to know more about family members who lived in Hackney they’ll do their best to help.
Address:
Hackney Archives, Dalston CLR James Library, Dalston Square, London E8 3BQ
Opening Hours:
Wednesday to Friday 10am to 6pm, first Saturday of the month 10am to 5pm.
Search Hackney Archive collections
Knowledge of the history of the Windrush Generation is a crucial part of understanding Hackney in 2020 and beyond.
From information on Hackney's pioneering Windrush entrepreneurs through to documentation of some of the harsh realities of life that the Windrush Generation have endured in the UK, the Archive’s collection can help anyone who is interested to learn more.
If you have material about the Windrush Generation in Hackney that you'd like the Archives to help you preserve email archives@hackney.gov.uk
Material will be sent on request.
London Borough of Hackney's response to Caribbean immigration
The Same Uriah Morris Society
The Archives catalogue includes this Sam Uriah Morris Society annual report for the year 1980. The Sam Uriah Morris Society was an exhibition centre in Lower Clapton Road founded by Ralph Straker OBE, a race campaigner responsible for twinning Hackney with Barbados.