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When we worked at Raleigh pop-up exhibition
A 3-panel pop-up display for hire. Featuring members of the Windrush generation who were employed at Raleigh industries from 1956 onwards. Contact nottinghamblackarchive@gmail.com for details.
The exhibition focuses on the Windrush generation of Nottingham and the significance of how Oswald George Powe successfully fought for improved conditions for the city’s Black population. Through a campaign initiated by Powe, Raleigh Industries were forced to make changes to their policies on Black workers, leading to greater equality in the workplace and to Raleigh becoming the largest employer of Black people in Nottingham.
Curated by Panya Banjoko, founder of the Nottingham Black Archive, this exhibition is important and timely and contains visuals by Keith Piper, portraits by Vanley Burke, sound and archival material from Nottingham Black Archive. First shown at Nottingham Castle.
A pop-up version of the exhibition is available to loan, contact: nottinghamblackarchive@gmail.com for more details.
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Credit
All credit for the research put into this project goes to Panya Banjoko of the Nottingham Black Archive. The When We Worked at Raleigh website was created by David Walton. We would also like to thank everyone who contributed to this project; without your support this would not have been possible.
Roydon Allen ROYDON ALLEN, on leaving school, was offered four opportunities of employment, one of which was at Raleigh. Allen’s mother was already an employee at the factory. His decision to become a Technician apprentice was influenced by the conditions he saw his mother working in. “I saw my mum in the press shop where…
Howard Edwards HOWARD EDWARDS started his time at Raleigh as a machine operator and then moved on to become a welder. He worked at Raleigh for approximately three years. “When I came to England my cousin gave me a Raleigh racer, it was a red one, really good. That bike meant so much to me…
David Sinclair DAVID SINCLAIR joined Raleigh on a Youth Training Scheme around 1979. “I needed to get some work experience and to earn so that I could deal with everyday issues. I had a good spell there, but it wasn’t for me. I found it dirty and noisy and assembling bike parts on the production…
The Nottingham Black Archive is proud to present the personal accounts of those who worked at Raleigh. Here you can find personal testimonies of their working life experiences. List of Raleigh Workers: Bettina WallaceBurnett George AndersonCordova SmithDavid SinclairDensel DavyFay OsbourneGladstone DeslandesGovern MurrayHoward EdwardsIona WalkerJasmine DeslandesLloyd DunwellLloyd FerronLydia BenjaminMilton Fitzroy CosdaleNigel SutherlandPhyllis MightenRosalind JordanRoydon AllenWinston SmellieWinston…
Click our logo to visit us at http://nottinghamblackarchive.org/ When We Worked At Raleigh Nottingham Black Archive is dedicated to documenting Black history, heritage and culture in Nottingham from the earliest time possible to the present day. It has a growing collection of oral history testimonies, political letters, documents, photographs and ephemera relating to the Black…
The history of Black people working at Raleigh Industries in Nottingham is one which demonstrates the power of community activism. Raleigh, established in 1887, is one of the world’s oldest and best-known bike brands. At its peak Raleigh produced 100,000 cycles, 250,000 hub gears, 15,000 motorcycles and 50,000 motorcycle gearboxes annually and despite the rising…
DENSEL DAVY, from St. Mary, Castleton, Jamaica arrived in Nottingham in 1965. He began an apprenticeship at Raleigh in 1969, gradually progressing to the status of Deputy Chief Electrical Engineer before leaving in 1983. “I did a four-year training programme involving six-week blocks at college and six weeks at work. When I finished my apprenticeship…
LLOYD FERRON, born in St Catherine, Jamaica arrived in Nottingham at the age of 14 in 1957. His first job after leaving school was working at Raleigh. He worked in the fender shop, putting fenders on Choppers and other bikes as they moved down the conveyor belt. “It was my first job when I finished…
GOVERN MURRAY began working at Raleigh in 1968. He had just turned sixteen and newly arrived from Jamaica. He spent the next 37 years working until he was made redundant. By the time he had completed his time at Raleigh he was able to make a bicycle from start to finish. “I did so many different…
When We Worked at Raleigh 