We are big fans of the W14 area of London here at
Red Residential. There are good transport links, it is central yet rents are no where near as high in nearby Kensington & Chelsea, there are many gorgeous streets, good amenities and some excellent restaurants and pubs.
It seems that we are in good company too, as few know that two of the 20th Centrurys most important and influential political and ideological leaders lived in the area... In this post we will cover the first of these leaders, Marcus Garvey.
If you happen to pass along the busy Talgarth Road, between West Kensington and Barons Court tube stations, you would be forgiven for missing the blue plaque fixed high on the imposing exterior of number 52. This plaque commemorates the London home of Marcus Garvey, Pan-Africanist and Rastafarian prophet.
This influential figure was born in Jamaica in 1887and was politically active at the beginning of the 20th century. He argued for people of African ancestry outside of the continent to "redeem" Africa from the European colonial powers that occupied much of the continent. This Pan-African philosophy was know as Garveyism.
He later became Jamaica's first National Hero and although he wasn't an Rastafarian himself he became an important Ratstafarian prophet. His thinking greatly influenced Rastafarian philosophy and he is often mentioned in popular Reggae music.
The second world leader will be revealed soon in part two...
