Our history

The accommodation was often very poor, the tenancy agreements were insecure and rents were exorbitant. Migrant communities coming to the UK were particularly affected by unscrupulous landlords.

"NO IRISH NO BLACKS NO DOGS"

In 1962, only three years after the notorious race riots, our founder Bruce Kenrick (1920-2007) came to live in Notting Hill in West London.

He was shocked by social and financial inequalities experienced by poor and immigrant communities in West London. He later wrote:

"What struck me painfully was the extent to which people's problems stemmed from housing conditions. Marriages broke up because one or other partner could no longer stand the strain of living in one room with a stove and sink squeezed into one corner."

Notting Hill Housing Trust

In December 1963 Bruce Kenrick, together with a group of equally committed individuals, formed a new, proactive type of voluntary housing organisation.

Notting Hill Housing Trust was born.

Within our first year, we had bought five houses and housed 57 people. Within five years, we had become a large presence in west London, housing nearly 1,000 people.

Since then we have spread out from our West London roots. We now work in almost every London borough and are committed to being London's leading housing association.

In 2009 we expanded even more with three other housing associations joining us: Presentation, CPHA and Pathway.

More information

For more information about our history contact the Communication Team on 020 8357 5033 or communications@nhhg.org.uk.