Next Phase: MPEF and Welcoming Renée
Co-written by: Amouraé Bhola-Chin and Renée Landell Throughout the lifespan of the Mapping Black London project, our team has been approached consistently by school…
Celebrating the presence of people of colour throughout London's history.
Our Mission
The Mapping Black London digital project recentres and recovers the presence of people of colour across the city's long history. Although Britain's multiracial heritage is often seen as a post-war phenomenon, its capital has attracted people of African, Asian, and other diasporic descent since at least Roman times. This history and its legacies inform important conversations about belonging and identity in today’s Britain.
To this purpose, Mapping Black London offers new insights into our rich past, producing interactive maps, dynamic digital exhibits, curriculum material, and other educational content that allows users to encounter and discover the varied contributions made by people of colour to the development of London.
Watch: Sancho draws a Blanke
A dramatised meeting between Ignatius Sancho and John Blanke introduces the rich and often overlooked history of early Black Britain. Explore the classroom materials →
Featured Exhibits
Ignatius Sancho’s London
The life and times of one of the eighteenth century’s most important Black Britons.
360° tour
Unforgotten Lives
An interactive map of the baptisms, burials and marriages of people of colour in London’s parishes.
Arts in London
The lives and legacies of Ira Aldridge, George Bridgetower, Fanny Eaton, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Pablo Fanque.
Latest Updates
MBL celebrates Black History Month with Brentford Community
In celebration of Black History Month 2024, we were invited by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team at London Borough of Hounslow to run…
‘UNFORGOTTEN LIVES’ moves outdoors
Recently, when conversing with a long-time archivist, I learned that up until the late 1990s and early 2000s, archives were seen as a source…
Funders & Collaborators
The Mapping Black London project is grateful for the support and encouragement of our funders and collaborators, including:
Northeastern University support also includes the Provost’s Office Tier III grant, an Interdisciplinary Research Sabbatical Fellowship, and PEAK grants from the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Research Development Initiative, the Humanities Center, NULab, the Community Collaboration grant, and the Seedling grant.