Where to Learn about Black British History in the UK

The Black Cultural Archives was founded to create a space where members of the Black community in the UK could come and find representations of themselves in history and culture, painting a more well-rounded image of the Black presence in Britain. 

Based in Windrush Square in the heart of Brixton, South London, the Black Cultural Archives collect, preserve and celebrate the culture and history of people of African and Caribbean descent in the UK.

Throughout the year, they curate exhibitions, run events and host educational programmes. 

The National Caribbean and Heritage Museum is a social history and community museum that celebrates the contribution of Caribbean people to the UK.

Described as a museum ‘without walls’ they connect people from across the UK with the arts and exhibition events.

Although based in Nottingham, the National Caribbean Heritage Museum travels across the UK to host exhibitions and events, celebrating the untold stories and culture of Caribbean people in the UK.

They also have a podcast called Objeks & Tings, which I appeared on a few years ago to speak about my Windrush Collection.

The Africa Centre was founded in 1964 as a ‘cultural hub’ for people of African descent in London. The centre is based in Southwark, South London and presents a series of events including panel discussions and film screenings. 

In addition to events, The Africa Centre is also a hub for innovation and enterprise, offering young creative businesses and entrepreneurs a platform to showcase their work, hot-desking and workspaces for start-ups and collaboration. 

Set up in 2007, Black History Walks offers a variety of walks, tours, talks, educational courses, resources and film events all with the aim of educating people about Britain’s Black history. 

All the Black History Walks presentations are given by experts in their fields. Black History Walks works with well-known educational organisations in London, including the Imperial War Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Museum of Docklands and the British Film Institute.

Find out which walks are coming up next on their website.

The National Jazz Archive is based in Loughton, Essex and is home to a comprehensive collection of written, printed and visual material that tells the story of jazz music in the UK. 

Visitors are welcome to explore their collections in Loughton and at Birmingham City University. 

The National Jazz Archive also provide an online collection that you can explore on their website and a great place to research Black Jazz icons as I did with FAD Charity back in 2016.

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and gives access to a vast research collection. It has two locations, one in St Pancras, London and the other in Boston Spa, Yorkshire.

Their collection includes over 170 million items and they add around three million new items to the collection each year!

As well as books, they offer newspapers, sound recordings, patents, prints, drawings, maps and manuscripts. They also curate exhibitions using pieces from their collections for the public and have events throughout the year like Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music.

The Library offers a variety of resources for the study of Black history and culture and in Britain. Including collections that reflect the histories of race, empire and post-colonialism.

You can see some of their collection on this topic through the online collection on their website.

The London Museum has a long history dating back to 1826. It is currently going through a major relocation, moving from its London Wall site to its new location at West Smithfield, where it will reopen in 2026.

Whilst it is going through this move, you can still visit its site in Docklands, where the museum tells the story of London from it’s first settlers to the present day.

Throughout the year the London Museum hosts various events to explore Black History.

They also have online resources covering different topics including the Windrush. The permanent gallery London, Sugar & Slavery, which explores how the transatlantic slave trade shaped London. 

The National Archives is the official archive and publisher for the UK Government, and for England and Wales. Based in Kew, Richmond, The National Archives houses over 1000 years of iconic national documents, including the Empire Windrush passenger list from 1948. 

They offer online resources that help support the research of Black British history using The National Archive’s collections. You can browse through the Black British history resources on their website. 

There is also an online exhibition called ‘Black Presence’ that explores forgotten Asian and black history in Britain from 1500 to 1850.

The International Slavery Museum is located in Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool*. The museum opened in 2007 and aims to increase the understanding of transatlantic, chattel and other forms of enslavement. Exploring also the impact and legacy.

Described as a campaigning museum, the International Slavery Museum engages with contemporary human rights issues, actively campaigning against racism, hate crimes, ignorance and challenging intolerance.

Whilst the museum is closed you can still take a virtual tour on the website. The museum also provides a variety of Black Lives Matter resources for visitors to engage with.

*Please note: At the time of writing this blog post, The International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum are closed for essential maintenance works ahead of a major redevelopment project - subject to funding. Please check the website for details of when they will re-open.