Restaurateur, Community Activist & Civil Rights Campaigner
Affectionately known by many as the “Godfather of the Grove,” Frank Crichlow was a celebrated legend and much-respected icon of the Caribbean community. Crichlow was a crucial civil rights campaigner. He set up the Mangrove – a community hub and iconic restaurant. In many ways, it defined the area. Such was the strength of his influence on the community that his funeral shut down the streets with a carnival-like procession.
Crichlow was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to London in 1953. Like many Caribbean migrants, Crichlow worked on the railways when he first arrived. He became the bandleader of the Starlight Four in 1955. This enabled him to earn an income through music. In the late 1950s, after the band dissolved, Crichlow put his money into El Rio Café on Westbourne Park Road.
Opening in the wake of the Notting Hill Race Riots, El Rio was a sanctuary to many. It was a vibrant hub for the Caribbean community, frequented by bohemians who had been moving into the Ladbroke Grove area. The venue was open almost all hours, allowing for important networks to form. They dealt with issues that plagued the community; racist policing and slum housing. Far-right figures Colin Jordan and Oswald Mosley were organising in the area, arguing for the forced repatriation of migrant communities. SUS laws were leading to illegitimate convictions for the black population. Crichlow struggled against these experiences.
El Rio was continually subject to police targeting. In the early 1960s, the Profumo Affair placed Crichlow’s venue at the centre of a scandal. The police prosecuted Crichlow seven times, mainly for allowing gambling and dancing without a licence.
The Mangrove was opened by Crichlow in 1969. It became a thriving Caribbean restaurant that attracted famous guests - Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and Nina Simone were just some of them. In its first year of business, police raided twelve times, always on a Friday night, when the restaurant was busiest. Accusations that drugs were being sold were cited by the police as justification, although no drugs were found. However, customers were disturbed and Crichlow lost income.
In resistance to police persecution, Crichlow organised a march to local police stations. Hundreds took part and scuffles broke out on the Portnall Road. Nine demonstrators were charged with riot and affray in a trial known as the Mangrove 9. The trial raised discussions of institutional racism and when the verdict was reached, Judge Clark recognised the presence of racism in the Metropolitan Police. All those charged were acquitted.
The Mangrove continued to operate until 1992. The hounding of Crichlow finally reached a climax when the police closed down the restaurant to investigate alleged drug dealing. The Mangrove could no longer operate and never opened again. However, he was later compensated with the sum of £50,000 by the Metropolitan Police. They admitted, out of court, to planting the evidence that had condemned him.
Frank Crichlow and the Mangrove still have a presence on All Saints Road in the shape of a blue plaque. What was once known as the 'The Line' is now a street filled with boutiques and restaurants. The Mangrove's Steel band continue, now based out of The Tabernacle. Every year they perform outside where the Mangrove once stood in the lead up to Panorama – the annual steel band competition that takes place on the Saturday before Carnival. This is just one way in which the immense legacy of Crichlow continues to reverberate around Grove.
Crichlow was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to London in 1953. Like many Caribbean migrants, Crichlow worked on the railways when he first arrived. He became the bandleader of the Starlight Four in 1955. This enabled him to earn an income through music. In the late 1950s, after the band dissolved, Crichlow put his money into El Rio Café on Westbourne Park Road.
Opening in the wake of the Notting Hill Race Riots, El Rio was a sanctuary to many. It was a vibrant hub for the Caribbean community, frequented by bohemians who had been moving into the Ladbroke Grove area. The venue was open almost all hours, allowing for important networks to form. They dealt with issues that plagued the community; racist policing and slum housing. Far-right figures Colin Jordan and Oswald Mosley were organising in the area, arguing for the forced repatriation of migrant communities. SUS laws were leading to illegitimate convictions for the black population. Crichlow struggled against these experiences.
El Rio was continually subject to police targeting. In the early 1960s, the Profumo Affair placed Crichlow’s venue at the centre of a scandal. The police prosecuted Crichlow seven times, mainly for allowing gambling and dancing without a licence.
The Mangrove was opened by Crichlow in 1969. It became a thriving Caribbean restaurant that attracted famous guests - Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and Nina Simone were just some of them. In its first year of business, police raided twelve times, always on a Friday night, when the restaurant was busiest. Accusations that drugs were being sold were cited by the police as justification, although no drugs were found. However, customers were disturbed and Crichlow lost income.
In resistance to police persecution, Crichlow organised a march to local police stations. Hundreds took part and scuffles broke out on the Portnall Road. Nine demonstrators were charged with riot and affray in a trial known as the Mangrove 9. The trial raised discussions of institutional racism and when the verdict was reached, Judge Clark recognised the presence of racism in the Metropolitan Police. All those charged were acquitted.
The Mangrove continued to operate until 1992. The hounding of Crichlow finally reached a climax when the police closed down the restaurant to investigate alleged drug dealing. The Mangrove could no longer operate and never opened again. However, he was later compensated with the sum of £50,000 by the Metropolitan Police. They admitted, out of court, to planting the evidence that had condemned him.
Frank Crichlow and the Mangrove still have a presence on All Saints Road in the shape of a blue plaque. What was once known as the 'The Line' is now a street filled with boutiques and restaurants. The Mangrove's Steel band continue, now based out of The Tabernacle. Every year they perform outside where the Mangrove once stood in the lead up to Panorama – the annual steel band competition that takes place on the Saturday before Carnival. This is just one way in which the immense legacy of Crichlow continues to reverberate around Grove.
