Learn about the characters from Black history.
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Mary Seacole - A great nurse and writer
Lived in H&F between 1853 and 1881
Mary Seacole has rightfully become more world famous with the passage of time. She was a nurse in the Crimean war (between Russia and Britain in today's Ukraine) having not accepted the rejection she initially faced when she offered her services.
She organised a hospital, her travel to the Crimea and was mentioned in many letters from soldiers she attended to.
She published a book, The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands that became a bestseller in 1857. She featured on Doctor Who as a character in 2021.
When Mary returned from the war, she didn’t have a lot of money but the soldiers she helped hadn’t forgotten her. They threw a big festival and raised a lot of money to help her.
Mary Seacole is buried in St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, 679 to 681 Harrow Road, NW10 5NU.
Ellen and William Craft - Courageous and daring abolitionists
Ellen and William Craft escaped from slavery in the United States to live in Hammersmith at 26 Cambridge Grove in the late 1850s.
Ellen, with her pale skin and hair cut short, pretended she was white to travel and that her husband William was her personal servant in a daring escape which might have seen them killed if they had been caught.
When they arrived in Hammersmith they became campaigners against slavery and returned to the United States after slavery was abolished after a civil war.
They have two plaques in their honour on the road where they lived - one where they actually lived and another at the end of the road celebrating other aspects of their achievements - that can be visited at any time.
Find out more: Hammersmith blue plaque celebrates abolitionists and former slaves.
Can you help us?
We’re always searching for historic figures who deserve more recognition or remarkable locations that have had a big impact in the community.
Can you help us? Do your family members have any stories about moving to H&F or living in H&F?