What do a wealthy businessman, a member of the aristocracy, a best selling author and a shopkeeper have in common? The answer is that they all lived in 1700s London and came from Africa via slavery. Cesar Picton, a coal merchant whose home in Kingston still stands, Dido Elizabeth Belle, who was raised in Kenwood … Continue reading
As James Barnor proudly held court at Paris’ exclusive Clémentine de la Féronnière gallery last week where a new exhibition coincided with the launch of a book of his photography, it is hard to believe that 20 years ago he was working as a cleaner at Heathrow’s terminal 3. “I worked there for four years … Continue reading
Nah Dove has come a long way since taking a degree at the erstwhile Polytechnic of North London at the age of 40. Some 30 years on she is an author, lecturer and respected scholar in African American studies, most recently contributing to the first encyclopedia of African heritage in the US. What is all … Continue reading
More than a hundred years after the last slave ship left British shores a primary school in north London was named after one of the biggest slave owners of the British Empire. He was William Beckford, an MP and two times mayor of London whose local roots lay in a substantial residence nearby. Beckford owed … Continue reading
Like a still from a post-war B Movie, two pals are captured posing for the camera against a now vintage car. The setting is Clerkenwell long before it became the epitome of inner city chic and behind the lens is eight-year-old Colin O’Brien, who would go on to become a widely exhibited photographer. Sixty odd … Continue reading
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