In a moment steeped in both celebration and history, Camden Town Hall played host to the unveiling of a blue plaque on 26 June, honouring activist Claudia Jones and the UK’s first Caribbean Carnival. This groundbreaking cultural event took place at the same venue in 1959. The commemorative plaque marks not only the site of that inaugural carnival but also cements Camden’s place in the story of Britain’s Caribbean diaspora.
Held in the Claudia Jones Room – named in tribute to the formidable woman behind the original event – the unveiling was the first-ever plaque installed at Camden Town Hall. Attended by community members, cultural leaders, schoolchildren and representatives from the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission, the occasion was a vibrant and moving celebration of heritage, resistance, and joy.
Jones, who was born in Trinidad in 1915, moved to London in the 1950s and quickly became a leading figure in the fight for racial justice and Black empowerment. In response to the growing racial tensions of the era, particularly the 1958 Notting Hill riots, she organised the first Caribbean Carnival in Britain – a dazzling event that brought Caribbean music, food, fashion, and culture into the heart of London as an act of joyful defiance. Held indoors at Camden Town Hall and broadcast by the BBC, it featured steel pan, calypso, a beauty contest, and traditional Caribbean cuisine, showcasing the spirit and resilience of the Caribbean community in the UK.
Hosted by artist and educator Linett Kamala, the unveiling ceremony included heartfelt speeches by Camden Cabinet Members Councillors Sabrina Francis and Nadia Shah, as well as representatives from the High Commission of Trinidad and Tobago, including Beverley Reviero-Awonaya and Lawson Lovell. The event also featured performances from the Camden Music Service Steel Band and poignant poetry by pupils from Argyle Primary School, showcasing the power of cultural legacy through the voices of young people.
The Mayor of Camden unveiled the plaque outside the Town Hall to a gathered crowd of guests and passers-by, offering a moment of public recognition for Claudia Jones’ invaluable contribution to British cultural life. Carnival veteran Allyson Williams MBE shared poignant reflections, underlining how the legacy of that first celebration continues to resonate today through the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival – now one of the largest street festivals on the planet and a significant contributor to London’s economy.
This plaque not only honours Claudia Jones but is part of a broader effort by Camden Council to mark the 77th anniversary of the arrival of HMS Windrush – recognising the contributions of Caribbean people to British society. At the end of 2023, Jones was also honoured with a blue plaque at her Camden residence, where she lived from 1955 to 1964, and where she founded The West Indian Gazette – Britain’s first Black newspaper.
As Cllr Sabrina Francis put it, “Standing in the Claudia Jones Room on this historic day, I feel the pride and energy of that first Carnival all those years ago.” The unveiling served as a powerful reminder of how communities can turn adversity into art, resistance into celebration, and how one woman’s vision helped carve out a cultural legacy still felt across Britain today.
