Hackney’s Windrush history

Hackney Windrush on film

  • A black and white photograph of a man in a suit wearing a mayoral necklace of medallions, he is surrounded by a crowd of people

    Kenrick Handson

    Born in Jamaica before moving to the UK in 1962, Kenrick Hanson discusses his time as Mayor of Hackney from 1984-1985.

    Watch
  • A black and white photo of four young Black boys sitting on a fence. They are each dressed in jumpers and jeans, in the background is a block of flate.

    Dennis Morris A Life in Focus

    Photographer Dennis Morris shares how he discovered photography as a young boy in Dalston during the 1960s and 70s.

    Watch
  • A black and white photo of two men on a London street wearing long coats and looking at a newspaper

    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.

    Watch

Resources

  • An old room decorated in 1970s style with orange patterned wallpaper with a record player

    Hackney Museum

    Discover objects and oral histories from the Windrush Generation in Hackney Museum’s collections.

    More info
  • A black and photo of four people - two men, one woman and a child stood in front of a record shop

    Roots Rhythms and Records

    Hackney Museum’s series celebrates the impact of Hackney’s African and Caribbean communities on music in the borough and beyond.

    More info
  • A group photo of older Afro-Caribbean people in a garden. One row of people are seated at the front, others stand behind in a line.

    Revisiting Windrush and Beyond

    This series explores the lives, celebrations and struggles of the Windrush generation through their own words as they moved to Hackney.

    More info

Windrush oral histories

  • A grainy photograph of a man smiling

    Hackney Museum

    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.

    Listen
  • A Black woman smiles at the camera. She is wearing a black hat, pink and black cardigan and glasses. She is holding a child's doll .

    Vera Maloney Mirgation

    Vera Maloney was born in St Lucia. In this extract from her interview discussing moving to England, she describes housing conditions and racism from London landlords.

    Listen
  • An older

    Shirley Boteng’s NHS Story

    Shirley moved to England from Trinidad in 1971 to be a nurse. She discusses, her career as a nurse, racism she experienced, and support within the Caribbean nursing community.

    Listen

Stay connected with culture

Join the Culture newsletter highlighting cultural opportunities for everyone in Hackney.

Sign up