Communities of Liberation: Discover Black East London

History • Culture • Community Marketplace

TH Archives, Bancroft Road, Education Room

Step back 300 years and discover the hidden stories of Africans who lived in the East End of London.

Communities of Liberation, a pioneering exhibition co-produced with residents, is now on display at Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives.

Meet Pompey, a trumpet player from Bethnal Green, Ann, who escaped servitude in Limehouse, Sabinah, who liberated herself from a Jamaica-bound ship, and the Griggs family, the first Black family identified in local records.

Featuring original archive documents and fascinating archaeological finds, the exhibition shines a light on Black life in Georgian East London.

Visitors can also browse a vibrant marketplace of Afro-Caribbean traders offering clothing, art, hair and skincare products, health and wellbeing, perfumes, oud, and more.

Come and listen to the experiences of current residents from across the borough.

Come for the history, stay for the culture, and support our Afro-Caribbean community.