Broadwater Farm

Broadwater Farm is well kown for the civil unrest that took place in 1985, and for being the birthplace of Mark Duggan, whose death in August 2011 sparked civil unrest arcoss England. Here you can learn more about that estate and civil unrest of 1985.

Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign Leaflet
Cynthia Jarrett Memorial
Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign – The End of the Show Trial

Construction of the estate began in in 1967 and was completed in the 1970s. The design of the estate was inspired by the work of Swiss-French architect, designers and urban planner Charles-Édouard Jeanneret more popularly known as Le Corbusier. The Farm’s design was characterised by concrete block sand tall towers and uniquely for estates at the time there were no domestic or commercial premises on the ground floor, which was given over to car parking to combat the risk of flooding. The Farm also featured a series of interconnecting platforms and walkways to help residents move around the estate easily.

Initially hailed as a beacon of social housing by the time Alice Coleman’s Utopia on Trial was published in 1985 it had come to be seen as one of the worst places to line in the UK. BY 1985 the estate had become beset by a range of problems including poor management leading to pest infestations, widespread electrical faults and leaks. Added to these poor conditions the Farm also suffered from very rates of unemployment; in 1985 the unemployment rate was a staggering 42%. Unsurprisingly in these depressed social conditions crime increasingly became an issue.

The Farm is known for having a large population of African and African -Caribbean residents but in the mid-1980s the population on the Farm was roughly 50-50 residents of African heritage and White English. To try and help tackle the issues on the Broadwater Farm Residents Association was established but the group was made up of entirely of white residents. This very obvious racial divide was made worse by the aggressive policing tactics launched to try and manage crime on the estate. These tactics included raids and increased use of stop and search and the strong impression of these tactics being targeted at black residents.

Against this background of poor housing, worklessness, crime, aggressive policing and racial tension anger and mistrust of the authorities, particularly amongst black residents. The breaking point was reached when Cynthia Jarrett collapsed and died whilst the police were conducting a riad of her property setting off a sequence of vents that began with a peaceful protest outside Tottenham Police Station that escalated to violent civil unrest, the Broadwater Farm disturbances and the tragic, unsolved, killing of PC Kieth Blakelock.

The resources in this section allow you to explore in more detail the conditions and events that led up to the unrest and events in the aftermath of that unrest.

How can the artefacts support your teaching and students’ learning

The Broadwater Farm disturbances and the aftermath illustrate the tensions in 1980’s Britain which arose from post-war housing policy which concentrated poor and ethnic minority people in “futuristic Utopia” high rise estates. These tensions were compounded by economic pressures and policing policies which disproportionately impacted on Britain’s inner cities which lead to heightened feelings of injustice and indifference by both government and the criminal justice system. The artefacts show the impact social, housing, immigration and policing policies against a backdrop of inequality, austerity, recession and political ideology, that disproportionately affected poor and/or ethnic communities in England at the time.

The disturbances took place in the context of large-scale migration from the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia that began after World War 2, and reflect the challenges Britain faced in becoming a multi-racial society. Hostility towards the new arrivals was accentuated especially as wages and employment opportunities fell victim to wider economic crises of the period, and this is reflected in the way that the British Government and its official agencies dealt with the legacy of Broadwater Farm, as well as by the press and media… the increasing politicization of the police from the 1970s. The Police and the criminal justice system became a key battleground in this context, and the Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign files highlight the methods used by people to express their views about how the Government and the criminal justice system treated those who were marginalised and disrespected in society.

The Broadwater Farm Defence files can be used for

History KS3, GCSE and A-Level

Geography GCSE and A-Level

Interpret contemporary history requirements from KS3 – KS5 by focusing on the experience of immigrants to post-war Britain from the 1940s onward and looking at the reasons why people from Africa and the Caribbean moved on mass to Britain during this time, the experiences they have faced living in Britain such as housing, employment and policing and looking at how the progress of equality, diversity, inclusion and racism in Britain has changed over time.

Citizenship KS4/GCSE, GCSE/A-Level Sociology, GCSE Media, A-Level Politics and Law A-Level

Understand the roles undertaken by people within the legal system to affect change and how this is pivotal to our justice system. How the role of pressure and interest groups, play an important part in providing a voice and support for different groups in society campaigning to bring about a legal change or to fight injustice. Know there are different forms of democratic and citizenship actions people can take to bring about change and hold those in positions of power to account regarding issues relating to human rights and the justice system. Gain insight into why mutual respect and understanding, and community cohesion are important in a democratic society. Students can also understand the reasons why people migrate from one place to another, especially in and out of the UK over the last 60 years. Lastly, students can understand how people are represented in the media and law.

Linking to the present day

The ongoing debate as to whether the police are ‘institutionally racist’
The policing of inner-city areas such as Tottenham and the ongoing tensions through stop and search
The current state of race relations in Britain and how events contribute to and/or help diminish racial tensions and the juxtaposition of Britain’s reputation for racial tolerance.
The Government’s and official agencies reactions and action to race and equality especially when challenged
The changing face of Britain’s housing, it’s housing policy and the way we live
The community, political and media reactions to large scale racial incidents such as the Windrush Scandal or Grenfell Tower

Suggested classroom activities

Uncover the history of Britain’s postwar council housing from the 1950s onward that gave rise to estates such as Broadwater Farm or Aylesbury and high rises such as the Terllick Tower and its sister the Balfron Tower
Use this work to look at both the positive and negative factors of post-war council housing policies from slum clearance and futurist ideas of living to disasters such as Ronan Point and Grenfell Tower.
Debate and discuss the events which have contributed to and/or help diminish racial tensions.
Research the relationship between the police and migrant communities in the UK in key events such as the Broadwater Farm disturbances and legislation and policies that underpinned it
Juxtapose the idea of an ‘estate’ by looking at the relationships, histories and outcomes of wealthy estates of slave owners such as Blairquhan Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland or West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire to compared to modern-day council estates such as Broadwater Farm or Park Hill in Sheffield
A pictogram of riots in England from the 12th Century to the 21st Century and how much or the little impact they had on Britain
Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between race riots in England, especially outside of London, from 1919 to date.
Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between The Broadwater Farm disturbances and the 2011 Mark Duggan disturbances
Exploring how many different accounts there can be of a single experience e.g. personal, media, official and so on there are.
Evaluating how fact and opinion unconsciously shape the way you see things in a certain way and how you adjust your language accordingly to do so
Investigate the effectiveness of different types of actions that pressure and interest groups can take e.g. lobbying, campaigning, demonstrations etc and look at their effectiveness
Create action by getting the students to choose an issue they want to change and try different ways to do so and see which are the most successful.
Get the students to write an information a blog, leaflet or website for a pressure group outlining their point of view
Make links with a local pressure or interest groups that your students would be interested in so they can interview them.