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Windrush 75th Anniversary

Connecting our Living Cultures collections from the Caribbean with descendant communities

Windrush 75th Anniversary

Connecting our Living Cultures collections from the Caribbean with descendant communities

Manchester Museum joins the rest of the UK in celebrating the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush. The Windrush ship arrived at Tilbury Docks on 22 June 1948. There were 1027 passengers on board according to the passenger lists, 802 who had last lived in the Caribbean, with 693 of them intending to settle in the UK, to help rebuild Britain after the Second World War.

Windrush symbolises the start of post-war Commonwealth Britain and its shift towards becoming a more multi-ethnic society.  A Windrush Generation followed in its wake.

In this project, we are showcasing some of the objects from our Living Cultures collections that were gathered by anthropologists during fieldwork in the Caribbean.

We hope to talk, to remember, and to connect these objects with people of Afro-Caribbean descent or heritage in Manchester and beyond, building and strengthening relationships with our communities.

If you’d like to help us build new stories around our collections from the Caribbean, email njabulo.chipangura@manchester.ac.uk for more information.

Get in touch

Objects from the Caribbean in our Living Cultures collections

These grass slippers made from fine thread of twisted grass and produced in the West Indies between 1800 and 1900. At this time, this was a very special type of footwear for women.

These baskets are made of pine fibre known as katoko. They were produced in Jamaica between 1850 and 1907. They will have been used for carrying small grains after harvesting.

These baskets are made of pine fibre known as katoko. They were produced in Jamaica between 1850 and 1907. They will have been used for carrying small grains after harvesting.

This carved gourd was made in St Lucia around 1922. The gourd was used for storing medicinal herbs associated with Indigenous healing practices.

Made between 1800 and 1900 on the island of St Vincent, this calabash (the hard shell of a fruit) was used for storing traditional brews of alcohol made from fermented sorghum and millet.

Across Jamaica and the West Indies, lacebark tree was used to make clothes. This sample was collected in the 1800s.

This strop for sharpening and polishing razor blades is made from soft wood and was collected in Jamaica in 1941.

Get involved

📣 If you’d like to help us build new stories around our collections from the Caribbean, we’d love to hear from you.

Get in touch

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