London is an amazing city with a black presence since the Roman times – 2,000 years ago. However, like many other aspects of our fast-paced contemporary life, this part of London and British history has often been overlooked and hidden. On some occasions in black history it is ……actually physically hidden from public view.

However, for those with discerning eyes, there are clues to past in today’s streets, buildings and parks. Clues that paint a picture of the lives of black men, women and children who lived, survived and for some thrived in the city in days past.

It’s just the case of visibly looking for those clues about Black people and places in history that you never knew existed. This is where historian Avril Nanton steps into the light. Avril is a historian and tour guide who lives in Enfield and spends her days in various parts of London, guiding clients, both local, national and international. Most of her clients are from the USA, but she also has many European and British clients.

October is Black History Month in the UK, when the country celebrates the untold historical contributions of African-Caribbean people. This year, ECA decided to celebrate Black History slightly different by partnering Avril Walks and Talks to organise a series of walking tours in central London.

So, on a crisp, sunny October morning, a group of intrepid folks joined up with Avril, to discover and learn aspects of the past by visiting statues and monuments to black men and women in Westminster. For example, the small and innocuous plaque on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building in Whitehall dedicated to Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780). A successful writer, composer and entrepreneur who fought for the abolition of slavery, found and married a black woman and had seven children.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, an imposing relic from the Victorian era, stands as a testament to the prevailing imperial mindset of its time. Its facade features five sculptures, each intended to symbolise one of the world’s continents. Avril drew attention to the Africa representation: a woman and child encircled by a hippo—for many Africans often considered the least intelligent and most ignorant animal —and palm fronds. Disturbingly, the woman is depicted in chains, a stark reminder of colonial attitudes.

Over the course of a two-hour walk through Westminster, we encountered the striking 16-foot statue of Mary Seacole at Waterloo. Notably, Seacole’s own field hospital was just four miles from the 1853-56 Crimean War frontlines, and she frequently braved the battlefields to tend to wounded soldiers. By contrast, Florence Nightingale’s government-funded facility lay some 295 miles away in the Ottoman Empire. While Nightingale received widespread acclaim, Seacole—despite substantial support from the troops at the time —remained overlooked in historical records for more than a century.

Hidden within a wall at Parliament Square is a marker for the original site of the Buxton Memorial Fountain, which commemorates the abolition of slavery in 1834. The fountain now resides in Victoria Tower Gardens, but its view is partially obscured due to construction of a new Jewish memorial nearby. London has to wait until next year to see it’s new memorial to victims of Transatlantic Slavery. The Wake, a seven-metre tall sculpture in the shape of a bronze cowrie shell, is expected to be installed in 2026.

Parliament Square is also home to the much-admired statue of Nelson Mandela, set deliberately on the lowest plinth so that visitors can easily approach it. Opposite, the magnificent and gothic Westminster Abbey displays sculptures of Modern Martyrs above its west gate. Among them are Manche Masemola (South Africa), Janani Luwum (Uganda), Martin Luther King Jr (USA), and Lucian Tapiedi (Papua New Guinea), each representing resistance to religious persecution and oppression. The statues were unveiled in 1998.

This was a truly fascinating walk, expertly guided by Avril, who successfully brought black history to life. Moreover, Avril herself is a serious ‘Tour de Force’, a bundle of positive energy, enthusiasm and pure fun and laughter. For those interested, two more ECA walks with Avril’s Walks and Talks are scheduled as part of ECA’s Black History Month:

Tuesday 14^th October from 2pm: City Walk

This walk provided an understanding of how the City of London was heavily involved in slavery from day one, setting up the system of commercial credit that enabled slave trading.

Thursday 30^th October from 2pm: Brixton Walk

This walk looked at the tumultuous history of Brixton, south London.

Roy Edwards, ECA Trustee