Windrush Lives
in the Welcome Gallery
10 Jun - 4 Nov, museum opening times
Reading Caribbean Associations Group proudly presents Windrush Lives
In June 1948, a ship named Empire Windrush set sail from far-off Caribbean Islands on the long journey to England. On board was a whole generation of enterprising young Black men and women, prepared to travel across the ocean in search of a better life through hard work in local industries and services. As British subjects they travelled with a sense of duty to the ‘Mother Country’ and its call for help to rebuild after the Second World War.
75 years on, this highly symbolic moment in Black and British history has indelibly shaped Reading’s social and economic fortunes. With a unique display of treasured local family keepsakes, pictures and spoken word, Windrush Lives shares the living memory of the Windrush generation and their descendants in making Reading the place it is today.
A partnership with ACRE and Age UK Berkshire. Supported with grants from Reading Borough Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Engima of Arrival exhibition
We are thrilled that our Windrush Lives display is complemented with the long awaited exhibition, Enigma of Arrival.
This authoritative exhibition is produced by the University of West Indies and our partners at Barbados Museum and Historical Society. Covid put a stop to plans to host this exhibition in 2020 but we were able to present it in digital form on our website. It is wonderful to now finally have it in physical format to share with all our visitors.
Please note that the Enigma of Arrival exhibition will be on display most days but will occasionally not be open due to other activities in the Welcome Gallery space. So if you are making a special trip to see the exhibition please contact us or call 0118 9373400 before you travel.
