Windrush Front Room
We’re creating a 1960s front room that tells the story of a Windrush Generation family making a new home in the Black Country.
In this setting, the family has just arrived and they are still unpacking and setting up home. We’re inviting people from the Windrush Generation and their families to help us choose the objects that will make the room feel real, personal and lived-in.
What objects would you expect to find in a Windrush family home?
What would you expect to see in a 1960s front room?
We’re looking for objects with stories, items that help a room feel like home.
If you’d like to share an object and its story, we’ll listen with care and only use what you’re comfortable sharing.
Windrush Generation objects
This call-out is for people from the Windrush Generation and their families. We would be honoured to hear your stories and learn about the objects you brought, used, or treasured as you made a home here.
Did you bring something in your suitcase that you’ve kept over the years?
Do you have a souvenir from your first job in England? Or something you collected on your first trip in England? Do you have written letters to and from loved ones back home?
Was there an everyday item you missed at first because it was hard to find in the UK? If you’d like to share, how did you adapt or find an alternative?
We are also interested in:
• 1940s–1960s Caribbean souvenirs
• Family photographs or photo albums
• Photographs of 1950s–1960s front rooms in Windrush family homes (especially in the Black Country)
1960s Front Room Objects
Alongside Windrush family objects, we’re also looking for everyday 1960s items to set dress the room and create an authentic living space.
Do you have any 1960s objects that you would like to see being used and displayed to bring the 60s back to life here at the Museum?
We are particularly looking for:
• A 1960s sofa and armchair
• 1960s wall art, prints or pictures
• Gay Box Shelf Unit
• 1960s SodaStream
• Music by black artists, 1969 or earlier.
We’d love to hear from you if you have an item that you think might be perfect for our collections and that will contribute to preserve and celebrate this story.
How to make a donation to the Museum's Collections
We’re very grateful for all the offers we receive, however if you are considering donating an item to our Museum collection, please write to the Collections Team by email or post and we will reply if we are able to accept your offer or not.
Please don’t bring anything into the Museum or send it by post without arranging with our Collections Team in advance.
Post: Collections team, Black Country Living Museum, Tipton Road, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 4SQ.
Email: [email protected]
Please provide the following information in your correspondence:
• A photograph of the object
• Measurements for any larger items
• Date of the object
• Background information – brief summary of any personal stories and how the object relates to Windrush stories, the history of the Black Country or the 1960s.