Migra&onCasestudy:TheIrish&PakistanisofCricklewood

TheRomanarmylandedatRichborough,Kent, in43AD. They had traded with Bri&sh tribes for manyyears and nowwanted to gain control of their richresources.TheybuiltcampsandroadsacrossBritainas part of their plan to conquer the na&ve tribes.Later,Romansoldiers–whocamefromItaly,France,Spain,theMiddleEast,andNorthAfrica–sePledintownsclosetotheircamps.Around120AD, London(Londinium)becamethecapitalofthenewcolony.

CricklewoodBroadway,alsoknownastheA5,ispartofalongerroadthatrunsallthewayfromDovertoWroxter, near Wales. It follows the route of anancient track andwas paved by the Romans nearly2,000yearsago.WhentheSaxonssePledinEngland1,500yearsago,theycalledtheroadWatlingStreet.

EnquiryQues,on:Canyoufindoutwhatwere theresourcesthata7ractedtheRomanstoBritain?

RomansoldierswouldhavemarchedalongtherouteofthemoderndayCricklewoodBroadway.

Fromabout500AD,SaxonsePlersfromGermanyandna&veBri&shpeoplemergedtobecometheEnglish.A peaceful na&on, famed for the wealth of itsmonasteries,EnglandaPracted theaPen&onoffirsttheVikingsandthentheNormans.

The Norman army arrived from France in 1066 AD.Over the next few years, they defeated Englishresistance.Toestablishcontrol,theybuiltcastles,likethe Tower of London. William the Conqueror alsoordered a survey of his new kingdom in 1086. ThisDomesday book records sePlements at Wellesdone(Willesden) and Chileburne (Kilburn). ‘Cricklewood’comes from the Saxon meaning ‘a wood with acrooked outline’. The first wriPen appearance is inlegaldocumentsfromthe13thcentury,whenitwasrecordedas'LeCrickeldwode’.

EnquiryQues,on:WhydoyouthinkKingWilliamhadtheDomesdaybookwri7en?

ThefirstwriPenrecordingofCricklewoodwasastheNorman-French‘LeCrickeldwode’.

The area remained woodland trough the MiddleAges,un&lclearancesintheearly17thcentury.Bythe18th century Cricklewood was a small hamlet ofcoPages and farms surrounded by countryside. By1751apublichousecalledtheCrownhadopened,toofferrefreshmentstotravellers.

In 1870, a railway sta&on opened on CricklewoodLane.NowpeoplecouldeasilycommuteintoLondonand suburbs developed around the city as peoplecame to London from across the UK. Hundreds ofnewhouseswerebuiltinCricklewoodbetween1880and1930.The‘treeroads’-Pine,Larch,Ivy,OliveandAshford Road - were part of the Cricklewood Parkdevelopmentconstructedbetween1893-1900.

TheCrownwasrebuiltin1889,andnewshopswerebuiltontheBroadwaybetween1910and1914.

EnquiryQues,on:Whatreasonscanyouthinkofforpeoplemoving to London from other parts of theUK?

Thisphotofromtheearly20thcenturyisnotableforthelackoftallbuildings–andcars!

Ameni&esweredevelopedforthenewcommuni&es.Therewere schoolsand several churcheswerebuiltfor the growing popula&on, including St AgnesRoman Catholic Church. Built in 1883, many of thepeoplewhoaPendedthischurchwereIrishmigrants.Three synagogues were also built for new Jewishcommuni&es.

AswellasshopsontheBroadway, therewasanewcinema and ska&ng rink for entertainment onCricklewoodLane.GladstoneParkwascompleted in1901and the swimmingpoolwasadded in1903. Itwas an open-air pool and people could swim therefrom May to September. There were also cricketpitchesavailabletohire.

Enquiry Ques,on:What leisure ameni,es can youthinkofinyourlocalareatoday?Aretheysimilarordifferenttotheameni,esof100yearsago?

ChildrenattheGladstoneParkpool.ThephotowaspublishedintheOfficialGuidetoWillesdenin1954.

Rail links toLondonandroad links tootherpartsofthe UK meant Cricklewood was an ideal place forbusinessestoopen.

Therewas a large goods yard by the sta&on and intheearly20thcenturymanylightindustrialunitsandfactories opened in that area. One of the largestfactories was Smiths Industries. It opened in 1915,makingclocksandspeedometersforcars.Atitspeak,Smithsemployedmorethan8,000people.

Local industrybegan todecline from the late1960sas rising rates – a tax paid by businesses – forcedbusinessestomove.Severalfactoriesweredestroyedin a fire on Claremont Road in the late 1970s andSmithsclosedin1978.

Enquiry Ques,on: What problems does it causewhenbusinessesleaveanarea?

TheSmithsindustriesfactory,TempleRoad,Cricklewood,inits1960sheyday.[©TheSmithsGroup]

In theearly20thcenturymany Jewish refugeeshadcome to London, fleeing persecu&on in Europe.NorthwestLondonaPractedmanysePlers,withlargecommuni&es being established in Willesden,Hampstead,andGoldersGreen.

AsynagoguewasbuiltonWalmLane,Cricklewood,in1931.Thecongrega&ongrewandthesynagoguewasmoved into a larger building next door. In 1989 theoriginal building was sold and converted into flats.Fromthe1980s,thenumberofregularaPendeesfellandin2005thesynagogueclosedcompletely.

A second synagogue beside Gladstone Park hadclosed in 1993 and was re-opened as a primaryschoolforJewishchildren.

EnquiryQues,on:Canyoufindanyotherexamplesfromyourlocalareaofreligiousbuildingschanginguse? What might this tell us about changingcommuni,es?

TheformersynagogueonWalmLane,Cricklewood.

DuringtheBri&shEmpire,na&onals living intheUK,the Dominions (self governing territories) and thecolonies(territoriesdirectlyruledbyBritain)wereallBri&sh Subjects. As the empire became theCommonwealth,thischanged.TheBri&shNa&onalityAct of 1948 created the status of ‘Ci&zen of theUnited Kingdomand Colonies’,with automa&c rightofentrytoBritain.

TheUKwasexperiencingalabourshortagefollowingthe Second World War and needed more workers.TheActmadeiteasierforpeopletocomeandworkinBritain.

Between 1962 and 1971, controls on immigra&onwere &ghtened. This was a result of popularopposi&ontoimmigra&onfromAsiaandAfrica.

EnquiryQues,ons:1948alsobecameknownastheyearofTheWindrush.WhatcanyoufindoutaboutthisandwhywasitsignificanttoUKmigra,on?

Titlepagefromtheofficialgovernmentpublica&onoftheAct.

Irish ci&zens had the same rights to live,work, andvote as Bri&sh ci&zens, even aqer Ireland leq theCommonwealthin1949.Bytheearly1960s,theIrishrepresented the largest migrant group in the UK.Morethanonemillionhadimmigratedby1971.

Many Irishmigrants came from farms and villagesand were used to physical hard work. As well asrebuildinghomesdestroyedduringtheBlitz,projectslike motorway construc&on in the 1960s providedopportuni&esforunskilledworkers.Itwases&matedthatmorethan50%oftheworkersbuildingtheM1motorwaywereIrishmen.Inthe1950s,IrishwomenwereheavilyrecruitedforthenursingprofessionandbyLondonTransport.

Later,moreskilledprofessionalscametoworkintheUKasteachers,doctors,andengineers.

Enquiry Ques,on: Why did so many Irish peopleleaveIrelandinthe1950sand1960s?

Irishlabourers,London,1950s.[ImagecourtesyofDanielFoley]

Many Pakistanis emigrated from Northern Punjab,Mirpur,andKashmir,aslargeareasweresubmergedbyconstruc&onoftheManglaDaminthe1960s.

They came to the UK to escape the social andeconomic problems that followed independence.Mostthoughttheywouldstayjustafewyearsbeforereturning.ThefirstPakistanimigrantsweredrawntofactory work, which was more accessible for thosewhowerenotfluentinEnglish.

The voucher system in the 1960s allowed migrantsalready here to arrange jobs for their rela&ves andfriends. Other vouchers were issued for those whohad served in the Bri&sh forces and skilledprofessionals, such as doctors and engineers.Between1961and1966 thePakistanipopula&on inBritaingrewfromabout25,000to120,000.

Enquiry Ques,on: What a7racted people fromPakistan to se7le in Cricklewood? How manyreasonscanyouthinkof?

PakistaniworkersattheAscotGasWaterHeaterfactory,c.1960.[ImagecourtesyofTariqDar]

Migra&onfiguresfromthe1950sand1960sareoqeninaccurate, since monitoring at ports and airportswas not very strict. Children did not even needpassports,whichwastocausefutureproblems.

Therearenofiguresbefore1947forPakistan,butin1951theUKMuslimpopula&onwasabout23,000.

Immigra&on from Pakistan in the 1950s was small-scale: 12,800 males and 1,700 females. Migra&onincreased significantly in 1961 before theCommonwealth Immigrants Act of 1962. Thisrestricted automa&c entry for Commonwealthci&zens.

Enquiry Ques,on: Look at the figures in thepassport applica,on chart. What reasons can youthinkof forwhypassportapplica,onswereso lowinthe1950s?

Pakistanipassportapplica&onschart,1951-1958.[©TheNa&onalArchives:HO344/149]

MigrantsarrivingintheUKwantedtomakethemostoftheopportuni&esavailable.Theyworkedhardandmanytookclassestoimprovetheircareerprospects.Many Irish and Pakistanis soon progressed fromunskilled work and became business owners andhomeowners.Theyencouraged theirchildren togotouniversityandfollowprofessionalcareers.

Itwasasimportanttoretainasenseofiden&tyasitwas to move forward. Both Irish and Pakistanimigrants formed socie&es to socialise with peoplefrom home. For the Irish, there were dancing andmusicclasses foryoungsters, topassontheculturaltradi&ons.ForPakistanis,UrduclassesandlessonsintheKoranensuredtheyunderstoodtheirheritage.

EnquiryQues,on:Whydoyouthinkitisimportantformigrantstokeeptheirculturaltradi,onsintheirnewhomelands?

Irishlanguageclasses,CricklewoodTechnicalSchool,1956.

Commonwealth ci&zens had been invited to theUKtodoessen&alwork.Whilemanypeoplewelcomedthem, therewere fears for a loss of Bri&sh iden&tyandculture.

In1958Parliamentdiscussedcontrollingthenumberof Pakistani migrants. And in 1968 the MP EnochPowellspokeagainstmigra&onbypeopleofdifferentracialandreligiousbackgrounds.Thespeechcameatthesame&measthe1968RaceRela&onsAct.

The Act made it illegal to refuse housing,employment,orpublicservicestoapersonbecauseofcolour,race,ethnicorna&onalorigins.

From the late 1960s, tensions over Bri&sh rule inNorthern Ireland resulted in an increase in racismtowardsIrishpeopleintheUK.

Enquiry Ques,on: How do you think the RaceRela,ons Act changed the rela,onship betweenBri,shpeopleandmigrantcommuni,es?

Sign in a boarding house window, 1950s, reading ‘No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs’. [© London Metropolitan University Library Services and Special Collections]

Parveen Quereshi worked as a teacher in PakistanbeforemovingtoLondon.

ParveenwasborninRawalpindiin1943.SheearnedherteachingdegreeandmovedtoJhelumtoworkinaschoolrunbyIrishnuns.ParveenworkedthereforsevenyearsbeforemovingtotheUKin1973,sePlinginRiffelRoad,NW2.

The change from busy teacher to stay-at-homemother wasn’t always easy. Her family shared ahouse with her two sisters and their husbands butshemissedheroldlife.

ParveenwentbacktoPakistanwithherhusbandandchildren.SadlyherhusbanddiedandshereturnedtoLondon. She used her teaching experience to teachUrdu and the Koran, and became a foster carer tochildrenfrommanydifferentbackgrounds.

Watchthefilm‘Neuza&Parveen’here:hPps://youtu.be/gMb2MTmiVsg

Margaret Lornegan was born in Galway, Ireland, in1936.Shehasmanyhappymemoriesofthefreedomandadventuresofherchildhoodinthecountryside.

She was 22 when she came to London. Margaret’sfirstjobwasinLiPlewoodsonKilburnHighRoad.ShethenworkedforseveralyearsatSmiths,inthetypingpool. She met her husband in the Galtymore Irishdancehallandtheymarriedin1965.TheirfirsthousewasclosetoCricklewoodsta&on.

Her husband Daniel worked as a caretaker for asynagogue and they have happy memories of thewarmthoftheJewishcommunity.

Margaret recalled how violence in Northern IrelandaffectedtheIrishcommunityinLondoninthe1970sand empathised with the sadness of the Pakistanicommunityinresponsetocontemporaryviolence.

Watchthefilm‘Amelia&Margaret’here:hPps://youtu.be/OpmgoDvZM14

Michael Troy is amusician also knownby the stagename‘McGinty’.

Bornin1945inCoOffaly,heleqschoolat14toworkonafarmtoearnmoneyforhisfamily.Hewantedtoleavehomebuthisolderbrotherhadalreadygone,andtheirmotherdidn’twantMichaeltogo.

In 1966 Michael leq to join his aunt who lived inWeybridge, Surrey. He worked on building sitesbeforesevngupasacontractorandrunninghisownbuildingfirm.

Michael is a lifelong Pioneer,who pledged never todrinkalcohol,andasuccessfulmusician.Heplayedinmany of the Irish clubs in and around London. Heperformed many &mes at the Galtymore inCricklewood and recalled long queues of peoplewai&ngtogetintolistentotheIrishmusicstars.

Watchthefilm‘Benedict&Michael’here:hPps://youtu.be/DeKisXL8XYg

JamilaAnwarwasborn in Jhelum,Pakistan in1960.HerfathercametoLondonin1964,tofindajobandplace to live. The family came to join him inMarch1970:Jamila,hermum,brotherandsister.

It was difficult for Jamila to imagine what Londonwas like before she came, since there was notelevision in those days. The family moved toCricklewood, with their first house near StaplesCorner,sharingwithanotherfamily.

JamilawenttoBraintcroqJuniorSchool.Asagirl,shewantedtobeateacherbutgotmarriedfirst,star&nga family of her own. Sheworkedwith her husbandrunninga restaurant formanyyears.She laterwentback to fulfill her dreams, training as a teacher andworking in a further educa&on college teachingEnglish, numeracy and IT and working with SpecialNeedslearners.

Watchthefilm‘Dani&Jamila’here:hPps://youtu.be/6przbB9mVjI

Vocabulary

Act–awriPenlawpassedbythegovernment

Ameni&es–posi&vefeaturesofanarea,likeschools,parks,andshops

Bri&shEmpire–landsoutsidetheUKonceruledoverbytheBri&shmonarch

City–aplacewheremanypeoplelivetogether,ofgreatersizeorimportancethanatownorvillage,andincludinghouses,placesofwork,andotherameni&es

Colonisa&on–theprocessofpeoplesePlinganareawiththeplanofrulingit

Commonwealth–aunionofna&onsthatusedtobepartoftheBri&shEmpire

Community–agrouplivingtogetherwithsharedinterests,background,cultureCommute–totravelbackandforthregularlyfromoneplacetoanother

Conquer–totakeoverbyforceCulture–sharedbeliefs,tradi&ons,behaviours,values,andavtudes

Ethnicity–racial,na&onal,orlinguis&ciden&tyHamlet–averysmallvillage,oqenjustafewhouses

Iden&ty–thecharacterorpersonalityofanindividual;howyouthinkaboutyourselfandhowothersseeyou

MP–MemberofParliament;apersonvotedtorepresentthecommunity

Migra&on–theactofmovingfromonecountryorplacetoanother

Na&onality–membershipofapar&cularna&onorcountry

Parliament–thebodyresponsibleformakingdecisionsonna&onallaws

Par&&on–theformalsepara&onofasinglena&onintomorethanone

Popula&on–thewholenumberofpeopleinacountryorarea

Race–peoplesharingpar&cularphysicaltraitsorcharacteris&csRebellion–armedresistancetoagovernment

Republic–ana&onandgovernmentwhoseheadisnotakingorqueen

Suburb–residen&alareaontheedgeofacityortownVillage–smallsePlementwithhousesandbasicameni&es