Notting Hill is a popular, multicultural neighborhood in London. The district is known for the Notting Hill Carnival, a popular Caribbean cultural event that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. However, less than a decade ago, Notting Hill was a very different place. During the mid-20th century, Notting Hill was a neighborhood typically associated with crime and poverty. Indeed, many of the buildings within the district were destroyed by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, resulting in Notting Hill becoming something of a slum. This fact, coupled with the influx of Caribbean immigrants to the area following the 1948 British Nationality Act, resulted in racial tensions that eventually culminated in the Notting Hill Riots of 1958.

Many immigrants came to Notting Hill due to the labor shortage present in London during the mid-20th century. They often accepted menial, low-paying jobs, forcing them to compete with the working-class white residents of the area. These immigrants also had to contend with the unscrupulous practices of Notting Hill's exploitative landlords. One of these landlords is the now-infamous Peter Rachman, whose questionable practices led to the creation of the word "Rachmanism," referring to the extortion of tenants by a landlord, usually involving intimidation or racial prejudice of some kind. The stage was set for an outbreak to occur. Challenging living conditions coupled with existing inter-racial tensions spurred on by white supremacist organizations such as the White Defence League and Oswald Moseley's Union Movement resulted in the Notting Hill Riots of August 1958. Over eight days, from August 28th to September 5th, rioters terrorized black homes and businesses while violence exploded in the streets.

Once the riots concluded, Notting Hill gradually started developing into the wealthy, metropolitan district it is today. 1959 saw the creation of the Notting Hill Carnival, an event that wears its Caribbean influence on its sleeve, seemingly as a retort to the racist demonstrations that occurred in Notting Hill a year prior. To this day, the Notting Hill Carnival continues to serve as a grim reminder of the neighborhood's unpleasant history and the triumph of tolerance over prejudice.

Sources:

Bloom, Clive. Violent London: 2000 Years of Riots, Rebels and Revolts. New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, pp. 351–365, ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/purdue/reader.action?docID=652390#.

Libraries. “Infamous Residents - Peter Rachman.” www.rbkc.gov.uk, www.rbkc.gov.uk/vmpeople/infamous/peterrachman.asp.

History — Notting Hill Carnival. “Notting Hill Carnival.” Notting Hill Carnival, 2014, nhcarnival.org/nhcs-story.

“The History Press | A brief history of Notting Hill.” thehistorypress.co.uk, 2020, www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/a-brief-history-of-notting-hill/.

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