This year, the ongoing Black Chiswick Through History project, featured in displays throughout Chiswick House, uncovers and honours the contributions of individuals of African heritage who played significant roles at Chiswick House in the 1700s.

A collaboration with local community groups, young people, historians and artists, the project brings to life the stories of Joseph Casar, Lady Burlington’s footman & messenger; James (or Jim) Cumberlidge, who rose from pageboy to publisher; and Jean Baptiste Gilbert, hairdresser to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.

Each of these men spent several years in the households of the Burlington and Devonshire families, across their many properties in England and Ireland, though not at the same time.

As part of this year’s programme, participants from Chiswick School and Hogarth Youth & Community Centre worked creatively with historian Nadege Forde-Vidal, artists Ayesha Weekes and Jaixia Blue, and with Brixton-based youth charity Poetic Unity, to recognise these three men as inspirational figures in the history of the House & Gardens.

By creating timelines, artworks, and poems that connect the lives of these individuals to the history of the House and Gardens on local, national, and global levels, the project not only reveals historical narratives but also encourages contemporary reflections on identity and heritage.

Visitors to the House, open Thursday to Sunday from 10.30am to 3.30pm, can now explore the year’s exhibits, alongside artworks and displays from programme’s previous years.

Interested visitors can also get involved online, via an interactive timeline created by Year 10 students at Chiswick School, that places known events in the lives of the three men in a local, national and global context.

Speaking about the project, Nadege Forde-Vidal said:

This year’s research has provided some of the most rewarding moments of my career so far.

Thanks to the Devonshire Collection archivists, I was able to take a deep dive into records relating to James Cumberlidge, previously known as Cambridge, identifying documents that give an intimate insight into his life and experiences at Chiswick.

Including accounts that reveal his signature, his love of books and the toys he bought for Lady Burlington’s grandchildren, and letters that disclose he was called Jim by those who knew him best like the actor/playwright David Garrick.

It has been an incredibly emotional experience the results of which I am proud and delighted to share with our community and the wider public on site and online.

A spokesperson from Hogarth Youth Centre said:

Young people at Hogarth gained invaluable knowledge from the workshops provided by Chiswick House and their partners. The informative sessions taught young people about their local area and the broad history it has.