Throughout November, Historic England has been supporting the BBC ‘Black and British’ season with a series of new listings that celebrate Black British history.

In this (by no means exhaustive) list we look at some of the most important buildings and places in the history of music by artists of black origin.

Greenwich Palace – Tudor Music

The Royal Naval College, 1870-1900. © Historic England Archive CC97/01513

Coming to London at the beginning of the 16^th Century, the trumpeter John Blanke is one of the earliest recorded black people to have lived in Britain.  He arrived with Catherine of Aragon and records show payments to him from the Treasurer of the Chamber in 1507 (by Henry VII) and then 1509 (by Henry VIII).  Blanke is thought to be portrayed in the 1511 Westminster Tournament Roll.

It is likely that he performed at Greenwich Palace (today the Old Royal Naval College