12 October 2010

Funding worth more than £5m is being given to support the development of the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in Brixton (London), it was announced today. The BCA archive collection numbers over 10,000 historical archive documents, spanning some five centuries, from letters and personal papers to periodicals, ephemera and photographs relating to black Britain and the African diaspora. The £5m investment will help turn currently derelict Grade II Raleigh Hall in Windrush Square into a permanent home for BCA’s wide-ranging collection of historical material. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has confirmed a £4m grant and the Mayor of London a further £1m. The London Borough of Lambeth is also providing a financial package of £910,000 over five years, and has gifted a 99-year lease for Raleigh Hall. The BCA funding package is completed with £50,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation, £100,000 from the Foyle Foundation and £500,000 from Biffa.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “I am pleased to support the development of the Black Cultural Archives, which will house a wealth of historical material about the contribution of black people to British society. It will be a wonderful new cultural centre for London, but also for the UK, giving scholars a greater understanding of our country's rich heritage and inspiring people of all ages and communities.”

Over the past 29 years, the BCA has amassed a varied and unique collection of material relating to the lives of people of African and African-Caribbean descent in the UK. An important aspect of this project is the provision of storage space for committed archive donors with a specific interest in a black cultural archive’s centre.

The BCA archive collection covers five centuries of history with records relating to the Transatlantic Slave Trade, including the Gale papers - a series of indentures relating to plantations in Jamaica owned by the Gale family and their descendents, notebooks and memorabilia owned by a middle-class Edwardian family, the Barbour-James and documents which tell the story of more recent 20th-century history, including those of Len Garrison, community activist, academic and founder of the BCA.

Matthew Ryder, Chairman of the Black Cultural Archives, said: "The movement of BCA to a permanent, purpose built home, is itself an historic moment. We believe it will enable the BCA to become a global resource and a leading heritage site in London. It is a very exciting time and the support has been overwhelming."

Raleigh Hall’s re-development, which means the building will be removed from the ‘At Risk’ register3, also feeds into plans for the wider regeneration of Brixton. It is anticipated that it will be the ‘jewel in the crown’ of this iconic part of London alongside Lambeth Town Hall, the Tate Library, Brixton Academy and the Ritzy Cinema. It adds to improvements made to Windrush Square, a flagship project of the Mayor's Great Outdoors Programme, which was opened in February by the Mayor following a GLA Group investment of £9.7m.

In addition to visiting the archives where admission will be free to an exciting programme of changing exhibitions, there will be a range of educational and public events on offer at the National Black Heritage Centre.