A Walk Through Carnival…
Every year over the August bank holiday weekend the Notting Hill Carnival attracts millions of carnival goers, who descend on Kensington to celebrate Caribbean culture, music, dance and all forms of cultural cuisine; however it’s also a tradition deeply rooted in political origins.





Map Of Walk…

The Metro Club
The Metro Club was located at the St Luke’s Road corner of Tavistock Crescent. It was a popular black community centre, used by many black youths during the period. The venue hosted gigs by reggae legends such as Alton Ellis, the famous UK reggae band Aswad and was the home venue of many sound system clashes. During the 1976 Carnival Tavistock Crescent became the riot frontline between the police and youths. By the mid 20th Century the area had gone from being respectable working class to the worst slums in the country. At the 1979 Carnival, there was an unsuccessful attempt to prevent closure of the club and it was demolished and replaced with local housing developments.

History of Tavistock road…


The 1968 Notting Hill Fair/Carnival concluded at the London Free School ’shanty town’ adventure playground between Tavistock Crescent and Tavistock Road. It included an ’open air dance’ featuring iconic entertainers of the time such as Ginger Johnson, Pure Medicine and a steel band. The junction with Portobello also appeared in the car chase in “The Squeeze” film, a British gangster thriller starring Stacy Keach and Freddie Starr.
34 Tavistock Crescent
World heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali, 1942–2016, centre) visits the London Free School children’s play group and families’ group at 34 Tavistock Crescent, the home of Rhaune Laslett, in Ladbroke Grove, London, 15th May 1966. The group was later known as the Neighbourhood Service.


Our Carnival Pioneers…




Kelso Cochrane

The killing of Kelso Cochrane in 1959, along with the Notting Hill Race Riots which took place in 1958, marked a climax in racial tension. These events became an important catalyst for activists who decided to find ways to ease cultural tensions and bridge the racial gaps. One of the key ideas was presented by Claudia Jones, a political activist editor of the West Indian Gazette newspaper, who presented the idea of forming a Caribbean carnival to build unification by showcasing Caribbean arts and culture.
She was known as the mother of the Notting Hill Carnival and Founder of Britain’s first black weekly newspaper “The West Indian Gazette”.


Claudia Jones
Claudia Jones lasting legacy is undoubtedly the Notting Hill carnival, which she helped launch in 1959 as an annual showcase for Caribbean talent. These early celebrations were held in halls and were epitomised by the slogan, ‘A people’s art is the genesis of their freedom’




Claudia Jones, feminist, black nationalist, political activist, community leader, communist and journalist — the diversity of her political affiliations clearly illustrated her multifaceted approach to the struggle for equal rights in the 20th century.
She founded and edited The West Indian Gazette, which despite financial problems, remained crucial in her fight for equal opportunities for black people.
Rhaune Laslett
The East End pioneer who brought carnival to the streets of west London…

Rhaune Laslett was responsible for organising the Free School Fayre Pageant Parade where people dressed in costumes of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Charles Dickens, a New Orleans-style jazz marching band and many more. The costumes paraded the streets along with Russ Henderson’s Trinidadian steel band. This was also where the first Notting Hill Carnival procession began on September 18 1966.
Russ Henderson recalls: “Some kids dressed up a bit and bunting in the road, they had a clown, donkey cart and juggler, just things to entertain the kids… Instead of staying outside of Mrs Laslett’s building we walked to one end and we walked back down and we thought that was going good and we said we’ll move the barriers and make a little run.”
The Parade ended at the London Free School ‘shanty town’ adventure playground between Tavistock Crescent and Tavistock Road. In the many years that followed, benefit gigs were organised and hosted by legends of the day such as Sly and the Family Stone and David Bowie.


Russell Henderson
Trinidad-born jazz pianist and leading figure in the steelband movement in Britain who helped set up the Notting Hill carnival.


Russell Henderson left Trinidad for England in 1951 to study piano tuning but landed a job as a pianist within two weeks of his arrival. In 1952 he quit his studies and formed his own band, playing both Jazz and calypso music. He later integrated pan music into his band’s performance, after he had learned to play pan upon his arrival in England. While in England, Russell Henderson teamed up with Fitroy Coleman and Rupert Nurse to accompany Lord Kitchener in his recordings.

In 1964 creating a nostalgic atmosphere in relation to the tradition of the Trinidad carnival, the steel band began an impromptu march through the streets, enticing some of the onlookers to take part in the procession.
A defining point for the band came in 1965 when the band was invited to play at the revived London Fair in Notting Hill. The invite came from Rhaune Laslette, who was organising the event.
Leslie Palmer
Leslie Palmer, 1943, pioneered the template for the modern Notting Hill Carnival. He helped transform a local community carnival into a nationally recognised event.


The Notting Hill Fayre was predominantly run by Trinidadian enthusiasts and featured the music of the island. At its peak it attracted crowds of up to 1000. However, it was not until the arrival of local teacher and visionary Leslie Palmer as Director of Notting Hill Carnival in 1973, that the template for the modern Notting Hill Carnival was born.
Leslie Palmer realising the carnival needed to be marketed to a wider audience, decided to include local Jamaican sound systems and black music bands playing live on the street corners at the carnival for the first time. While this was seen as controversial, it transformed the carnival in terms of numbers attending.
The Carnival Riots — 1976
1976 was the year of Sus laws, where black young people were the main group for being stopped and arrested by the Metropolitan Police. The laws allowed the Police the power to stop, search and arrest anyone they considered to be acting suspicious. The laws raised tension in the black community, giving the Police a reputation as being their enemy.
First shown: 31/08/1976 — fremantlemedia
In 1976, around 1600–3000 police officers were present at the Notting Hill Carnival, almost ten times the amount in previous years. The Police justified their presence due to increased allegations of outbreaks of petty crime by young black youths. The Police was not welcomed at the Carnival by these young black youths and as increased tension developed, at around 5pm, rioting broke out spreading over the whole of the Ladbroke Grove area and lasting well into the night. There were 300 police injured, 35 police vehicles were damaged, several shops looted, 30 carnival goers injured and 60 people arrested.
Acklam Road
1964–1970: Acklam Road was the centre of much action during the building of the Westway. During the opening of the Westway angry residents surrounded Michael Heseltine, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Transport. Crowds protested about the effects the Westway development would make to their living conditions and demanded better housing.


In the 70’s the Portobello Green became the outdoor arena for major bands such as the Clash, U2 and Aswad and many more.


Acklam Road Adventure Playground
Before the Westway construction work began in 1966, the site of the south side of Acklam Road towards Westbourne Park hosted the London Free School adventure playground.


The Westway Trust
A charitable organisation set up to benefit the local community, making it a better environment for them to live, work, play and visit. The charity’s key responsibility is to enhance the 23 acres of space under the Westway flyover. Today the charity supports the development of creativity, heritage and diversity to the area, while improving the spaces and ensuring this vibrant part of London continues to thrive.


The History of Portobello Road Market…


Located in the trendy district of Notting Hill, Portobello Road is the home to one of the most iconic markets. However, historically it was a very different place, being the place where mainly “rag and bone” men would sell their wares. In the 1980’s Portobello went from being a run down working class area to one of the most affluent, fashionable and desirable districts to live in London.
Ujima Housing Association
Ujima was Britain’s oldest and biggest black housing association, set up in the early 70’s to specifically support minority ethnic youngsters in the inner city. Thirty years after being set up by six idealistic housing officers, and having grown into a respected £1bn organisation, Ujima housing association went into bankruptcy due to poor management and fraud.

The Tabernacle, Notting Hill
In early 1869 the building was an evangelical Christian church. In the 70’s it was transformed to a community arts centre leased from the Kensington and Chelsea Council. The site went through many years of struggling financially but in the 90’s it reopened after a 4 million refurbishment, featuring a studio, art gallery, new halls and a bar / restaurant. During the period Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones rehearsed at the premises.

Today The Tabernacle is one of the key sites of The Carnival Village Trust, which is a London development agency for the Carnival Arts. The key aim of the Trust is to spotlight the arts and crafts of the business by delivering events and performances through carnival arts and the African Caribbean culture.



All Saints Road
Famous for being the residence of Jimi Hendrix and Paula Yates, but All Saints Road has other iconic historical landmarks …….


The Mangrove Restaurant
The Mangrove Restaurant was located at 8 All Saints Road, Notting Hill and opened by the civil rights campaigner Frank Crichlow in 1968.

The restaurant was a popular Caribbean hangout of its day, serving as a meeting place for the black community. It also attracted many celebrities, such as white radicals, artists, authors and musicians. Its most famous customers included Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Jimi Hendrix, Vanessa Redgrave and many more. The restaurant also served as an informal head office for the Notting Hill Carnival.

During its years of trading the Mangrove restaurant was a continuous target of police harassment, designed to close it down. During January 1969 and July 1970 the restaurant was raided 12 times on claims of drug trafficking. Many raids ended in protest riots and in 1970 nine protesters (the “Mangrove Nine”) which included Crichlow and Darcus Howe, were charged with conspiracy to incite riot. However, the trial was watched by the whole nation and all nine were acquitted in 1971 of all charges and it became headline news that the Mangrove Nine “turned the fight against the police racism into a cause for celebration”. After the trial, the police continued to raid the premises and charged Crichlow with supplying heroin and cannabis, banning him from going near the restaurant for a year. The charges were later dropped and in 1992 the Metropolitan Police awarded him £50,000 for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution.


Loss of earnings during the year long closure, gentrification and economic conditions caused the restaurant to close in 1992. Today the restaurant is the home of The Rum Kitchen, a successful chain of Caribbean-themed restaurants. In honour of Frank Crichlow there is a heritage blue plaque outside, unveiled on 4 December 2011.
Powis Terrace
In June 1966 The Grove Notting Hill neighbourhood newsletter announced the London Free School September Fayre, featuring a pageant, fireworks, music, plays and poetry: ‘September 1966 will be a landmark in Notting Hill. For the first time this century — apart from a bank holiday entertainment that survived until the First World War (see carnival tradition note below) — Notting Hill is to have its own Fair or Fayre, as they seem to be calling it. An opening pageant, with all the glamour and happiness of the Mardi Gras; a week of evening entertainments at low prices; a grand torchlight procession ending in a firework display; these are some of the
activities planned by the Notting Hill Fayre Committee.’

The fair organiser Rhaune Laslett said it was happening to bring the various communities in the area together: “We felt that although West Indians, Africans, Irish and
many other nationalities all live in a very congested area, there is very little communication between us. If we can infect them with a desire to participate then this can only have good results.”


Map of the carnival floats…

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