Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
Shops, Markets, Cafes & Restaurants (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note
Exam code: 1HI0
How did Caribbean restaurants and shops shape Notting Hill?- Timeline & Summary
Caribbean migrants played a key role in shaping Notting Hill’s streets and local economy. People like Clifford Fullerton opened tailor shops and music clubs that offered both services and social spaces to the Black community. His shop on Talbot Road helped young Caribbean men access smart clothing and feel pride in their identity. On market stalls, especially in Portobello Road, Caribbean migrants also sold spices and food from home, helping introduce new flavours to British diets.
As more Caribbean people settled in the area, the number of Black-owned businesses grew. Restaurants and cafés like El Rio and the Mangrove served Caribbean food. They became vital meeting places, especially when migrants were often rejected from other venues due to racism. These places allowed people to enjoy familiar food and music and connect with others in a welcoming space. These businesses helped preserve Caribbean culture while also shaping Notting Hill into a vibrant and diverse neighbourhood.
Who was Clifford Fullerton?
Clifford Fullerton was a Caribbean migrant who settled in Notting Hill after arriving in Britain in the post-war years
He lived on Talbot Road
This was one of the most important streets in the local Caribbean community
In 1952, Clifford Fullerton became the first Black person to be accepted as a Master Tailor by the City of London Master and Foreman Tailoring Society
This was a major professional organisation in British tailoring
Alongside his work as a tailor, Fullerton was also involved in music
He played in a band that performed at social clubs and parties
He became a well-known figure in the local area
Clifford Fullerton's tailor shop
Clifford Fullerton opened a tailor shop on Talbot Road in Notting Hill
It became a hub for the local Caribbean community
It was popular with young men who wanted smart clothes for events or music venues
The shop helped create a sense of pride and identity for migrants trying to build new lives in difficult conditions
Fullerton’s shop showed how Caribbean businesses helped change the look and feel of Notting Hill by bringing:
New styles
Services
A strong sense of community
The Mangrove
The Mangrove restaurant opened in March 1968, founded by Frank Crichlow
It was the first Black-owned business in Notting Hill
The Mangrove served Caribbean food and stayed open all night
This attracted both Black and white customers, including celebrities and activists
The Mangrove later became a focus of Black activism, especially during the Mangrove Nine trial in 1970
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Examples such as the Mangrove can be used for multiple exam questions, such as:
A political question by using the Mangrove Nine or the role of the Mangrove in protest
A cultural question on Caribbean food and music
El Rio
El Rio was another important café that served Caribbean food in Notting Hill
It was especially popular with new arrivals who wanted familiar food in a new and sometimes hostile environment
Like the Mangrove, El Rio became a meeting place for Caribbean migrants
It was a space where they could socialise, share information, and feel at home
Cafés and restaurants helped Caribbean migrants feel at home by offering familiar food, music and company
They became places where people could support each other and keep their culture alive
Worked Example
How could you follow up Source A to find out more about the experiences of Caribbean migrants in Notting Hill c1948–c1970?
In your answer, you must give the question you would ask and the type of source you could use.
Source A: An interview with Clifford Fullerton in the Black Cultural Archives’ Windrush oral history collections
Interviewer: "About the blues club. Was it through playing that you had the idea of opening the club?
Clifford Fullerton: Yes, you see, they couldn't get anywhere to amuse themselves, you know, freely. Because if they go to the West End, the fellows that I used to work for, the black people at the time, reject them, they don't want them. So I used to do a big business here, to work for hundreds of them, you know.
Interviewer: Is this the tailoring? Was it, this is tailoring?
Clifford Fullerton: Tailoring. So they used to complain to me that they have nowhere to go, you know, when they go to the West End, they don't want them. So I said to them, you have a big place here, why don't you help us to... "
(4 marks)
Answer:
Detail in Source A that I would follow up: “they have nowhere to go, you know, when they go to the West End, they don’t want them” (1)
Question I would ask: How common were Caribbean migrants turned away from entertainment venues in London? (1)
What type of source: Newspaper articles in Notting Hill and the West End from 1948-1970 (1)
How this might help answer my question: Newspaper articles could report on incidents where Caribbean people were refused entry to clubs or treated unfairly. It would help show how widespread this problem was and if it happened often (1)
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This answer would receive full marks because it provides an appropriate question related to the detail selected from the source. The suggested source is precise and explains how it would answer the question.
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