By Aimee Braniff Cree
COLOURISED IMAGES will transport you back in time to witness the rich history of the Romani gypsies of Kent from the past seven decades.
Through colourisation archival images of Kent’s Romani Gypsy communities have been brought to life, offering a vivid perspective of their way of life, culture, and resilience.
Images show residents camped on the confines of the A2 verge before being moved to spacious grounds at a new site in Cobham, Kent, England.
Other pictures reveal the everyday lives of Romani families gathered around the fire, elders passing down wisdom to the younger generation, skilled craftsmen at work dressed in waistcoats and flat caps, and children playing barefoot on the grass.
Their distinctive horse-drawn wagons, known as Vardos, appear even more striking with their rich patterns and polished wood.
A young Roma boy is pictured pulling a wellington boot off the foot of Norman Dodds MP at their camp.
Mr Norman Dodds was the Labour MP for Erith and Crayford and moved in with the gypsies at Darenth Wood, Kent in 1962, amid a battle between the community and local authorities.
The Romani gypsies have long been an integral part of the county’s history, their traditions woven into the fabric of rural England.
The Romani Gypsies of Kent, like their counterparts across Britain, lived a nomadic lifestyle for centuries.
They travelled the countryside in elaborately decorated wagons, earning their livelihood through horse trading, basket weaving, and seasonal farm labour.
Kent’s Romani Gypsies were known for their tight-knit communities, where oral storytelling, music, and a strong sense of kinship were central to their way of life.
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