Windrush Square (often referred to by its original name, Brixton Oval) is an open public space in the centre of

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...

, occupying an area in front of the Brixton Tate Library. After changing its name to Tate Gardens, it was again retitled and given its current moniker in 1998. The square was renamed to recognise the important contribution of the African Caribbean community to the area, marking the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT ''Empire Windrush''. It was the ''Windrush'' that in 1948 brought to the United Kingdom from Jamaica the first large group of post-war West Indian migrants (almost 500), who on arrival were temporarily housed less than a mile away from

Coldharbour Lane Coldharbour Lane is a road in south London, England, that leads south-westwards from Camberwell to Brixton. The road is over long with a mixture of residential, business and retail buildings - the stretch of Coldharbour Lane near Brixton Mark ...

in Brixton. The organization

Black Cultural Archives Black Cultural Archives (BCA) is an archive and heritage centre in Brixton, London, devoted to the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain. Also known as BCA, it was founded in 1981, by educationalist and historian Len Gar ...

is now housed at 1 Windrush Square in a Grade II-listed Georgian building, the former

Raleigh Hall Raleigh Hall is a building in Windrush Square, Brixton. It is now home to the Black Cultural Archives, after being derelict for many years. The building was originally two houses built in 1824, and is a Grade II listed building. The hall had been ...

. On 22 June 2017, the African and Caribbean War Memorial – devised by the Nubian Jak Community Trust as the United Kingdom's first national memorial to African and Caribbean service personnel who fought in the First and Second World Wars – was unveiled in Windrush Square. Windrush Square is a pedestrianised open space. The land is protected from development as it was formerly part of Rush Common.

References

{{coord, 51.4606, -0.1152, display=title Squares in the London Borough of Lambeth Brixton