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City of Westminster Archives Centre

The City of Westminster Archives Centre holds a largely unique record which forms the most complete picture of Westminster's history and growth in existence. Holdings include books, newspapers, prints, ephemera, theatre programmes, parish registers and much more. You can get a much more complete list of the resources on their website (link below).

The website does not show holdings by cultural group, however a new publication "Sources for Black and Asian History At The City Of Westminster Archive" gives a fascinating illustrated guide. The book can be purchased for £10 from the Archives Centre. The book is not exhaustive - it is a work in progress. Some of the sources described are given detailed treatment, for example, the listing of events relating to Black and Asian people in pre-twentieth century Westminster parish registers is nearly complete; for other sources no more than pointers to their potential usefulness are given.

City of Westminster Archives Centre

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photo shows sepia print of black man in evening dress
1920s singer and music hall star Clarence Johnstone


African | Asian | Caribbean

African


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Elizabeth Welch appears at the Adephi in 1933 in "Knight Errant"

The book "Sources for Black and Asian History At The City Of Westminster Archive" gives an overview of Black and Asian material in the collections. Three classes of material are particularly worthy of note and invite further research: Westminster parish registers and records; the Westminster theatre collection; andt he deposited records of Westminster institutions, societies and businesses.

The Westminster parish records list over 900 baptisms, marriages, and burials of individuals of African or Asian descent. These are primarily from the eighteenth century but include earlier and later events. Complimenting these are parish poor law and petty session records relating to Black and Asian people. The poor law settlement examinations are especially strong and informative source, providing stark biographies of those examined.

The Theatre Collection contains several thousand playbills and other ephemera relating to the West End and other London Theatres. Although some seventeenth , and more eighteenth century playbills are represented, the collection is mainly comprised of nineteenth century programmes and playbills and twentieth century programmes. References to and depictions of non-European peoples are commonplace in the nineteenth century playbills - references and depictions which expansively evidence prejudice and racism - but on occasions too celebrating Black and Asian talent and achievement. The theatre collection also amply illustrates opinions and beliefs which informed British Imperialism.

Famous residents of Westminster include Olaudah Equiano, William Davidson and William Cuffay. Material relating to them and others can be seen in the online exhibition (below) and at the Archive centre.


Celebrating the Black Presence In Westminster: an online exhibition


Asian


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A pamphlet of Paddington Missionary Society

See note under "African" for description of Asian resources



Caribbean


drawing shows black seaman

A black mariner on board Nelson's Victory

See note under "African" above.



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World In The East End At Museum In Docklands

photo shows lascars in 19th c

This image of 19th century lascars is just one of the pictures held by the Museum In Docklands, recording the history of the Port of London as it received people and goods from all over the world. The museum building is itself part of that history - being a renovated warehouse that one stored goods brought into the city.

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Search The Diverse Collections Of The Museum Of London Online

photo shows asian man in smart victorian dress with top hat

The Museum Of London's new microsite allows you to search for the story of the many cultures of London in their collections.

This image shows Sir Mancherjee Bhownaggree, MP for Bethnal Green 1895 - 1906. A supporter of British rule in India, he was nicknamed 'bow-the-knee' by opponents. However he also lobbied parliament on the rights of Indian subjects.

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