"One member of the 19th-century Afro-Caribbean community in Islington was William Gustavus Allen (c1820-1888), who came to Britain from the USA in 1853. [Allen was born in Virginia, his father was Welsh and his mother mixed race].Teacher and author of 'National Watchman', Allen was forced to flee New York when he married one of his white students.

His English friends bought control of the Caledonian Training School at 234 Caledonian Road and installed him as headmaster, the first instance in this country of an educational establishment being under the direction of a man of colour. However, in 1869, the landlord sold the building as a result of racist pressure from rival schoolmasters."

• Keywords
  AFRICAN CARIBBEANS, BLACK PEOPLE, ETHNIC MINORITIES, IMMIGRATION, HEAD TEACHERS, SCHOOLS
• Geographical keyword
  CALEDONIAN ROAD
• Persons keyword
  William Gustavus Allen, Caledonian Road Caledonian Training School