From Tudor courts to BLM, a book brings London’s black history to life

The work highlights the plaques and art that celebrate a neglected side of the capital's culture

She's 10ft tall, barefoot, with a simple wrap dress stretching across her breasts and belly. She holds aloft an infant, gazing into its eyes. This is Bronze Woman, a statue on a busy traffic junction in Stockwell, south London. Unveiled in 2008, it was then the first public statue of a black woman on permanent display in England.

I used to pass by but never knew what it was for many years. One day I found myself in front of it and I was truly blown away," said Avril Nanton, who runs walking tours of London's black history.