Race to save 1960s Windrush front room exhibition

A temporary museum exhibition recreating a 1960s front room has proved so popular organisers say they are now in a race against time to find it a permanent home.

The curator of the Dominican Front Room project at Bristol's Watershed, broadcaster Sherrie Eugene-Hart, said the project was an important cultural reference point.

Eugene-Hart's project was supported by Bristol's longest-serving Black female police officer, Beverley Douglas and features real Caribbean keepsakes contributed by Bristol families.

It was installed for Black History Month and will be in place through October, but organisers hope to secure a long-term venue ahead of the city's Windrush Festival in 2027.

Eugene-Hart decided to bring the idea to life following the death of both her parents in the space of six years.

"This is homage to them and so many others - [thousands] of Dominican, Caribbean people in Bristol who had a front room just like this," she said.

The display has been popular with visitors and the organisers said it would be a shame if a permanent home could not be found.

"We don't want to put this back in bags and boxes," said Douglas.

"The hope is that we can find a home at the end of the installation so people can continue to see this is about education.

"It would be lovely to see people on school visits walking along wherever the installation is and say 'I know where these items come from. They come from Dominica, they come from the Windrush generation, and want to know more'."

Douglas said the project brought back memories of her childhood in Bristol.

"We have to ensure our young people know their history," she said.

"This is my childhood, this is my life, this is my pride and hopefully our young people will one day have a similar story about their legacy."

Eugene-Hart said the Dominican Front Room evoked her childhood and was symbolic as the most important part of the home in the 1960s.

"As much as the houses may have been falling down, the front room was the place where you had pride. It was a sense of achievement," she said.

"The house was always untidy because as children we didn't tidy up, however the front room was gorgeous.

"As children we couldn't go in - in fact we only went in to clean the china, to clean the crystals.

"And if we had visitors from Dominica or London or Preston, they would come and go into the front room, and we could go in and say hello, but we couldn't stay long."

She added: "Legacy is so important. Our parents and grandparents have now passed and I'd like to think [people] will take away some sense of pride and hope."

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.