Previous Windrush Events
2022
For the Love Of…. Textiles: The Makers’ Fair @ The Castle
Date: Saturday 18 June 2022
Time: 10.30am to 4.30pm
Price: Free entry
Venue: Bruce Castle Museum and Archive, Lordship Lane, N17 8NU
Ahead of National Windrush Day and in celebration of the late Althea McNish, Windrush elder and world-renowned Tottenham based textile designer, we are holding a Makers’ Fair. We will be showcasing those working with textiles today in Haringey, whilst looking back at Althea’s life and work and celebrating Windrush week.
To accompany the Makers’ Fair, there will be Family Workshops for printing on fabric by Box of Prints and another Workshop for Families with N15 Archive to hand-print fabric to help create the designs for a storytelling chair, inspired by Althea McNish’s fabrics.
There will be a short film about Althea McNish as well as the showing of the short film ‘Weaving Tales of Resilience’ by Sonja Scantlebury of 4U2 and Sewn Together. These can be viewed in our current exhibition of the same name, with textiles by Christelle Mutombo-Cartier and Yodea-Marquel Williams.
- If you are interested in a free stall to sell your textile-based crafts, fashions and textiles please email Bruce Castle Museum and Archive: museum.services@haringey.gov.uk.
Meet the author: The Story of the Windrush - Family Workshop
Date: Sunday 19 June 2022
Time: 1.30 – 2.30pm and 3 – 4pm
Price: Free. Suitable for ages 5 to 13 years. Every adult must be accompanied by a child!
Venue: Bruce Castle Museum and Archive, Lordship Lane, N17 8NU
Join Kandace Chimbiri, author of ‘The Story of the Windrush’ and ‘The Story of Afro Hair, 5,000 Years of History, Fashion and Styles’ and hear about some of the history behind the books. You can also work with Kandace to create your own collage, inspired by the legacy of the Windrush generation.
About the books
In June 1948, hundreds of Caribbean men, women, and children arrived in London on a ship called the Empire Windrush. Combining historical fact with voices from the Windrush Generation, ‘The Story of the Windrush’ book sensitively tells the inspiring story of the Windrush Generation pioneers for younger readers (ages 7+ )
‘The Story of Afro Hair, 5,000 Years of History, Fashion and Styles’ includes some of the Windrush generation business pioneers like Tottenham’s finest, Dyke and Dryden (for readers aged 9+ ).
About the author - K.N. Chimbiri
Kandace was originally a self-published author. Motivated by the lack of diversity in children’s books, particularly non-fiction, she researched, wrote and distributed from home four Black history children’s books.
In 2020 Kandace decided to give up self-publishing to concentrate on research and writing. She signed with Scholastic UK which included a reprint of her most popular self-published title ‘The Story of the Windrush’. Her most recent book is 'The Story of Afro Hair, 5,000 Years of History, Fashion and Styles'.
Service of Thanksgiving for the Windrush Generation
Date: Sunday 19 June 2022
Time: 6pm
Price: Free
Venue: Holy Innocents Church, 134 Tottenham Lane, Hornsey, N8 7E
Join us for this special thanksgiving event in Haringey, as we look back and give thanks to the Windrush generation and their legacy. This event is open to one and all and will follow the format of the service that happened at Westminster Abbey.
All welcome, just come along!
Reminiscence Café @ The Castle - The Windrush Playlist
Date: Tuesday 21 June 2022
Time: 2 to 4pm
Price: Free, all welcome. No need to book, just come along!
Venue: Bruce Castle Museum and Archive, Lordship Lane, N17 8NU
Come along for a cup and tea and chat at the Reminiscence Café at the Castle where our topic will be The Windrush Playlist.
New and exciting music accompanied those arriving from the Caribbean, adding to the mix that had thrown up the American imports of rock and roll and jazz, and the home-grown pop of the Beatles. For the young in the fifties and sixties it was a time of music to dance to, lyrics to weep or laugh with, and generally display our rebellion and energy.
Dance halls, jazz clubs, discos and festivals were places where we could hear new music, but also, more seriously, Churches – usually outside the mainstream – vibrated with passionate gospel singing, bringing a new sound to the streets outside.
It’s music time again as we celebrate the Windrush generation!
Let’s Talk: The Windrush Legacies with Sheba Monstserrat
Date: Tuesday 21 June 2022
Time: 5 to 7pm
Price: Free. All welcome, bookings can be made through Eventbrite (external link)
Venue: Marcus Garvey Library, 1 Philip Lane, N15 4JA
Join Sheba, a stand-up comedian, poet, dancer and historian who will be sharing ideas and experiences using poetry and her historical background on the Windrush legacy.
Using reminiscences and reflections, Sheba will explore what is meant by home - where is home? what was left? what was lost and what’s been gained?
Sheba will invite you to join the discussion where you can share your experiences and stories.
Exhibition: The Windrush Collection
Date: Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 June
Time:
- Tuesday 21 - 1 to 6pm
- Wednesday 22 - Closed
- Thursday 23 - 1 to 6pm
- Friday 24 - 2 to 8pm
- Saturday 25 - open throughout the Windrush Festival
Price: £3, tickets can be bought through Eventbrite (external link)
Venue: The Hub Studio, Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach, London, N15 4RX
As part of Bernie Grant Arts Centre Windrush celebrations, we are pleased to present the wonderful Windrush Collection, starting from Tuesday 21 until Saturday 25 June.
Created by Fairweather Productions, the Windrush Collection is a touring exhibition; a detailed installation depicting a traditional 1940s Caribbean Front Room (or Living Room), complete with authentic glass cabinets, gramophone, patterned carpets and wallpaper, vintage glass fish and plastic flowers.
Visitors will also see the Caribbean bedroom, including the Candlewick bedspread, dressing table, wardrobe, suitcases, grip, and the infamous Pail.
For just £3, visitors can enjoy time travelling whilst exploring this interesting and evocative installation.
Special events:
- Friday 24 June at 4pm - Visitors will also receive a talk and tour from Fairweather Productions founder, Tony Fairweather.
- Saturday 25 June, 12noon to 6:30pm - Windrush Festival ticket holders: When you buy your Windrush Festival ticket for our celebration on Saturday 25 June, you get access to the Windrush Collection for free!
- Saturday 25 June, 1 to 2pm - Tony will lead interactive tours, which will include a talk on his new book, Twenty-Eight Pounds Ten Shillings 'A Windrush Story'.
Windrush Story Time: Coming to England
Date: Wednesday 22 June 2022
Time: 11 to 11.30am
Price: Free. No booking necessary, just come along!
Venue: Children’s Library, Wood Green Library, High Road, N22 6XD
Join us for this special story time where we will be reading Coming to England by Floella Benjamin, an inspiring true story of courage, determination and belonging from beloved Play School presenter and Chair of the Windrush Commemoration Committee, Floella Benjamin.
Windrush Day Celebration by Haringey Learning Partnership
Date: Wednesday 22 June 2022
Time: 2 to 5pm
Price: Free. No booking necessary, just come along!
Venue: Commerce House, Haringey Learning Partnership N22 8DZ
The theme of this year’s event is Windrush Fashion – voyage, hope and style.
Our staff and students have explored this theme through the curriculum. They have conducted their own research and met with fashion designer Tihara Smith, and Windrush elders living in Haringey to share oral histories.
At the celebration event we will be sharing- food made by our staff and by Uptown Cuisine, music performed by students and a local steel pan band and our students' work in an exhibition.
The event will be a joyous celebration, attended by local residents, local schools, the Mayor of Haringey and the Leader of the Council. We're delighted to open our doors to guests to join our celebration.
Windrush Discussion and Tea Party
Date: Wednesday 22 June 2022
Time: 2 to 4pm
Price: Free. This event is for adults. Bookings can be made through Eventbrite (external link)
Venue: Marcus Garvey Library, 1 Philip Lane, Tottenham N15 4JA
Come along to discuss and celebrate the Windrush and its legacy, history, and experiences.
Recognising and honouring the enormous contribution of those who stepped ashore at Tilbury Docks 70 years ago and to keep their legacy alive for future generations, ensuring that we all celebrate the diversity of Britain’s history.
Screening: Haringey Libraries and Windrush, short film
Date: Wednesday 22 June 2022
Time: 6 to 7.30pm
Price: Free, tickets can be booked through Eventbrite (external link)
Venue: Marcus Garvey Library, 1 Philip Lane, Tottenham N15 4JA
The film will be based on extensive interviews with communities from the Windrush generation to explore their experiences and how they have been supported by Haringey Libraries and Library staff who have assisted them in applying for the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
Join us for the first screening of a documentary capturing the stories, journeys and experiences of the people being supported by Haringey Library staff to apply for the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
There will also be spoken word, poetry and extract readings by Dawn Gobourne and Lady Esi.
Walk: West Green Road Legacy
Date: Friday 24 June 2022
Time: 10 to 11am
Price: Free. All welcome. Places can be booked through Avril's Walks and Talks (external link)
Venue: Meet outside Costa Coffee, 261 Tottenham High Road, N15 4RR
Take a walk with tour guide Avril Nanton and explore the history of this well-known road in Tottenham. With Avril you will discover more about pioneering trailblazers Dyke & Dryden and their beauty and hair products, Bernie Grant MP for Tottenham, and internationally renowned textile designer Althea McNish - and where they started their businesses, established their workplaces or set up home. Heavily influenced by the large African and Caribbean population, most people are not aware of the famous people who have lived in this street, making important contributions to the area and to Black British history in general.
Starting at Costa Coffee and finishing at Black Boy Lane, this walk will take in some of the well-known shops past and present along West Green Road, including Uncle John’s Bakery and Bodies Music, some of the 20 Black hair and beauty shops that line the street, as well as stopping by the lesser-known Windrush monument, and, not forgetting, the home of textile designer Althea McNish, the woman who designed for the Queen.
This special free walk for Windrush Day is organised by and accompanies the current exhibition ‘We’re In Business’ at Bruce Castle Museum and Archive.
- There are two dates to choose from for the walk (the other being Sunday 26 June). Places can be booked through Avril’s Walks and Talks (external link).
Curator’s Pick: with Ruth Hutchinson
Date: Thursday 23 June 2022
Time: 3.30 to 4.15pm
Price: Free. All welcome. No need to book, just come along!
Venue: Bruce Castle Museum and Archive, Lordship Lane, N17 8NU
Join us in the Museum’s galleries to hear Tottenham resident Ruth Hutchinson tell us the story behind her chosen object on display.
Come and hear Ruth’s story - caring for others since she arrived from Jamaica in 1959, her activism and campaigning alongside her joy for art, music and poetry - and find out why she has donated items to be part of the collections at Bruce Castle.
FILM: Sapphire (15+)
Date: Thursday 23 June 2022
Time: 5:30 to 7:30pm
Price: Free. This event is for audiences over 15 years of age. Bookings can be made through Eventbrite (external link)
Venue: Marcus Garvey Library, 1 Philip Lane, Tottenham N15 4JA
Sapphire is a 1959 British crime drama film, focusing on racism in London toward immigrants from the Caribbean,
Meet the Author: Twenty-Eight Pounds Ten Shillings, a Windrush story by Tony Fairweather
Date: Friday 24 June 2022
- There are two events at different venues with the author
Event 1
Time: 12 to 1pm
Venue: Bedale House, 23 Boyton Rd, N8 7AZ
Event 2
Times: 3 to 4pm
Venue: Latimer House, 1-32 Latimer Road, N15 6NW
Free events. For enquiries and to book your seat at either of the events, please contact Jessica: jessica.amery@homesforharingey.org or 07815 653 631
Haringey Council Supported Housing are delighted to be hosting the official book tour of Tony Fairweather's new release, ‘Twenty-Eight Pounds Ten Shillings’. Join us for a live reading by the author himself to honour Windrush Day 2022.
Author and curator Tony Fairweather exhibited his Windrush Collection at Haringey’s Supported Housing during Black History Month 2022. Tony’s knowledge and stories of Windrush are inspiring and create valuable spaces to honour the lives of the Windrush Generation.
We look forward to welcoming his wonderful storytelling- which is back by popular demand!
Craft Event: Windrush HMT Ship
Date: Saturday 25 June 2022
Time: 10.30 to 11.30am
Price: Free. This is a children’s craft activity for children aged 5 and over and their families. Bookings can be made through Eventbrite (external link)
Venue: St Ann’s Library, Cissbury Road, N15 5PU
Make a replica of HMT Empire Windrush ship from card and assorted paper. HMT Empire Windrush carried people from the Caribbean to the UK, many of them veterans of the Second World War. The ship and its passengers have a symbolic status as the start of the Windrush Generation.
Windrush Educational Poetry Workshop
Date: Saturday 25 June 2022
Time: 11.30am
Price: Free. This event is aimed at children. Bookings can be made through Eventbrite (external link)
Venue: Wood Green Children’s Library, High Road N22 6XD
Celebrated local poet and spoken word performer Abe Gibson will deliver a children’s workshop exploring ideas around the Windrush theme.
Windrush Festival Day at Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Date: Saturday 25 June 2022
Time: 12 to 6pm
Price: £15 Adults, £8 Children, £10 Concessions. Tickets can be booked through Eventbrite (external link)
Venue: Paul's Square in Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Road N15 4RX
Bernie Grant Arts Centre will celebrate Windrush Day in style again this year, with our Windrush Festival!
On Saturday 25th June, we have a fantastic line-up, from midday until 6pm hosted by Ashley J (Get Up Stand Up, Jo Jo and Gran Gran), headlined by Cleveland Watkiss & the Great Jamaican Songbook, and featuring, Rhythms of the City, Mobo Unsung and Hear Me Out. Disco Loco and Steppaz Dance will bring animation and carnival vibes to our courtyard, Paul's Square, and there will also be arts and crafts and games for all ages too!
Film: Small Island
Date: Saturday 25 June 2022
Time: 1.30 to 3.30pm
Price: Free. This event is aimed at audiences aged 15+ . Tickets can be booked through Eventbrite (external link)
Venue: Coombes Croft Library, High Road, N17
A two-part 2009 BBC One television drama adapted from the 2004 novel of the same title by Andrea Levy. The story focuses on two women who struggle to fulfil their personal ambitions and dreams amidst the chaos of World War two in London and Jamaica.
Walk: West Green Road Legacy
Date: Sunday 26 June 2022
Time: 11am to 12pm
Price: Free. All welcome. Places can be booked through Avril's Walks and Talks (external link)
Venue: Meet outside Costa Coffee, 261 Tottenham High Road, N15 4RR
Take a walk with tour guide Avril Nanton and explore the history of this well-known road in Tottenham. With Avril you will discover more about pioneering trailblazers Dyke & Dryden and their beauty and hair products, Bernie Grant MP for Tottenham, and internationally renowned textile designer Althea McNish - and where they started their businesses, established their workplaces or set up home. Heavily influenced by the large African and Caribbean population, most people are not aware of the famous people who have lived in this street, making important contributions to the area and to Black British history in general.
Starting at Costa Coffee and finishing at Black Boy Lane, this walk will take in some of the well-known shops past and present along West Green Road, including Uncle John’s Bakery and Bodies Music, some of the 20 Black hair and beauty shops that line the street, as well as stopping by the lesser-known Windrush monument, and, not forgetting, the home of textile designer Althea McNish, the woman who designed for the Queen.
This special free walk for Windrush Day is organised by and accompanies the current exhibition ‘We’re In Business’ at Bruce Castle Museum and Archive.
- There are two dates to choose from for the walk (the other being Friday 24 June). Please book via the links on the website Avril’s Walks and Talks (external link)
Family Activities: How Does Althea’s Garden Grow?
Date: Sunday 26 June 2022
Time: 1.30 to 4pm
Price: Free. Suitable for ages 5 to 13 years. Every adult must be accompanied by a child!
Venue: Bruce Castle Museum and Archive, Lordship Lane N17 8NU
Beautiful flowers, plants and bold colours inspired the exquisite fabric designs and artwork of internationally-renowned Althea McNish.
She also loved creating her own special space and garden at 142 West Green Road in Tottenham. Just like Althea, come along and be inspired by nature and join N15 Archive to help recreate her corner garden in the Courtyard at Bruce Castle.
Get hands on with planting flowers, designing the space and take part in crafts to create your own floral designs – just like Althea!
2021
Exhibition: We Have Always Been Here
Dates: Until 31 October 2021
Venue: Bruce Castle Museum and Archive, Lordship Lane, N17 8NU
We Have Always Been Here marks the culmination of the Haringey Vanguard Project, a two-year journey to collect and preserve the history of the Black, Asian and ethnically diverse LGBTQ+ community and activism in Haringey from the 1970s to the 1990s.
This exhibition showcases the artefacts and oral histories from the Haringey Vanguard collection at Bruce Castle Museum & Archive. You can learn about the invaluable work activists did to promote acceptance and find out about Haringey Council's pioneering role in the UK's fight for equality.
The Bernie Grant Arts Centre 2021 Windrush Festival 
Venue: Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Road, Tottenham Green, N15 4RX
From 21 to 27 June 2021 the Bernie Grants Arts Centre put on a range of events with special guests, including talks, music, activities and lots more to celebrate National Windrush Day.
The Windrush Festival marked the reopening of the Bernie Grant Arts Centre.
Bernie Grant Windrush Festival Opening - Inside Out London
Venue: Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Rd, Tottenham Green, London N15 4RX
On 21 June Bernie Grant Arts Centre opened its doors again to welcome people back to the centre for a week of performances, workshops and live events that celebrated the descendants and community of the Windrush Generation here in Tottenham and beyond.
They also took part in Inside Out London, the world’s largest global participatory art project, where they showcased local heroes from Tottenham’s Black community in a large-scale public art exhibition.
Celebrating Windrush Day with Haringey Learning Partnership
Venue: Commerce House, Commerce Road, N22 8DZ
To celebrate Windrush Day on Tuesday 22 June the Haringey Learning Partnership put together music, dance, art, food, performances and talks celebrating the arrival of Windrush and the impact of the Windrush Generation on Britain today.
Windrush Event at T on the Green
Date: Sunday 27 June, 12 noon to 8pm
To celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush and the contributions of Tottenham's Windrush Generation to British life, on the 27 June T on the Green celebrated with music, food, and activities for all ages.
With live music from Victor Romero Evans and Dennis Bovell, and a trip back in time with Gladdy Wax, speeches from the Right Honourable David Lammy MP, and a unique film event shown later in the day.