Skip page header and navigation
Two Black men and a white man sit around a table as one of the Black man is being interviewed

How we made our new exhibition Legacies: London Transport's Caribbean Workforce

By Laura Sleath, 28 January 2022
2 minute read

The Museum’s new exhibition Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce is now open. The exhibition looks at the history of London Transport’s direct recruitment scheme that began in Barbados in 1956 and was later extended to Jamaica and Trinidad. The experiences of these recruits and others who came independently from the Caribbean to work for London Transport are revealed through their first-hand testimony. The exhibition also looks at the legacies of this migration - the descendants who work for Transport for London (TfL) today and the impact of Caribbean culture on London.

The Museum first began exploring this topic in detail in the 1990s. Curators at the time conducted oral history interviews with many people from this first generation of Caribbean staff. Some were recorded in London where they had made their lives, while others were interviewed in the Caribbean where they had returned, usually after retirement. Their stories were revealed in a subsequent exhibition at the Museum entitled Sun a-shine, Rain a-fall.

The subject was revisited in 2006 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the direct recruitment scheme. Led by TfL, new interviews were conducted with first and second-generation Caribbean staff and a booklet was produced in conjunction with the Museum, titled Generations: Celebrating 50 years of Caribbean recruitment. You can browse the booklet in the Online Resources section of our Library. 

At the start of 2021, the Museum began plans to look again at the experiences of these intrepid people, their families, and the impact they had on London, and our new exhibition was born. We knew we needed to approach the development of this exhibition in a new, more collaborative way and that those with lived experience would be a critical part of the team. An Advisory Board of people of Caribbean heritage was established, many of whom work for TfL.

People posing in front of a carnival display at the Museum
From left to right, Advisory Board members Gloria George, Winsome Hull, Sherelle Cadogan, Joshua Burrell, and third generation TfL worker Ashley Mayers

The Advisory Board advised exhibition curators on the narrative, object selection, language and tone and design, as well as the wider Museum team on promotion of the exhibition, events and the development of school sessions. Some members also provided their own photographs and contributed new oral histories to the exhibition. The enthusiasm, ideas and feedback of the Advisory Board members were vital for the project - it would not have been possible without their insight and commitment.

A Black woman looks into the horizon with the landscape of the City of London in the background
Winsome Hull, a Windrush descendant who works for TfL, by Hannah Stevens, Khadija Saye Photography Fellow, 2021

The Museum also worked with Museumand, The National Caribbean Heritage Museum, for advice on language and culture and the TfL Raising Awareness of Culture and Ethnicity (RACE) Staff Network Group, who generously shared their resources and expertise. Up-and-coming filmmakers were commissioned to create new short films for the exhibition and Hannah Stevens, our Khadija Saye Photography Fellow, was commissioned to take portrait photographs of the new oral history interviewees.

Three Black women and three Black men in Carnival costumes and headpieces pose in front of the station sign of Highbury and islington
Members of the Burrokeets at Highbury and Islington Overground station on their way to Notting Hill Carnival, 2015

It has been a privilege to be part of the team putting the exhibition together and to work with the Advisory Board. There are still so many stories yet to be told, and as the exhibition will be open for more than two years, we look forward to adding new exhibits over time. We’re also building on our work with the Advisory Board, learning how to improve and bringing the practice to more areas of the Museum.

Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce is now open at the Museum.

Share this blog

Tags

About Laura Sleath

Laura Sleath is a Senior Curator at London Transport Museum, having worked at the Museum since 2012. Laura has taken on both collections management and interpretive roles on various exhibitions including Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce, Untangling the Tracks, London Transport at War and Designology.