The Changing Fortunes of Brixton
Brixton is a district within the London Borough of Lambeth, and the southern terminus of the Victoria underground line. It is bordered by Stockwell to the north, Clapham to the west, Tulse Hill to the south and Herne Hill to the east. Although its original name appears to be Brixiges Stan, it was referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086 as the hundred (district) of Brixiestan.
The Brixiestan of the Domesday Book was one of the many administrative areas making up the UK that were known as hundreds. It was a much larger district then, comprising what we now know as the London Boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth and Wandsworth, and spreading west as far as Richmond. Brixton as a single settlement didn't exist until the late 1700s when farms and market gardens began to replace the woodlands.
As the Industrial Revolution reached its peak, the bridges which had started to appear over the River Thames became the means by which wealthier Londoners could flee the grime and chaos of the city at the end of each working day. Residential developments grew up on the south bank of the Thames, and the opening in 1816 of Vauxhall Bridge resulted in a number of new houses being built around Acre Lane. Two other constructions of note were Ashby's Windmill on Brixton Hill (1816) and the Surrey House of Correction (1820). Both are still in existence today.
During the next 70 or so years, Brixton developed into a popular and genteel suburb. The Angell Town development of the 1850s was positively luxurious, with its Italianate style of houses and crescents. The Chatham Main Line Railway gave residents a 'high speed' link to the centre of London, making the suburb even more attractive.
Brixton also gained fame as one of the best shopping areas in South London. Bon March'e, the UK's first department store, was opened in 1877, and in 1888 Electric Avenue became the first shopping street to have electric lighting. Brixton's street market was also establishing itself, and the haphazard rapidity of its growth meant that it soon required a permanent home. The three elegant arcades that resulted now enjoy protected status.
The early years of the twentieth century saw the departure of many middle class families to suburbs even further afield. The lower cost of land and improved transport links meant that they could afford larger properties and still travel into work each day.
Thus abandoned, many of the properties (a large number of which were coming to the end of their standard 99 year leases anyway) were left to fall into disrepair. Some were converted into flats, and the changing demographic resulted in further middle class flight. The damage caused by the bombs of World War II engendered still more urban decay.
In 1948, the Empire Windrush brought the first wave of immigrants over from Jamaica. They were temporarily housed in the deep-level air raid shelter beneath Clapham Common tube station, but soon discovered that nearby Brixton offered both accommodation and a labour exchange. The Mayor of Brixton extended to them the warmest of welcomes, and many remained in the area to form the basis of a vibrant new community.
The Brixiestan of the Domesday Book was one of the many administrative areas making up the UK that were known as hundreds. It was a much larger district then, comprising what we now know as the London Boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth and Wandsworth, and spreading west as far as Richmond. Brixton as a single settlement didn't exist until the late 1700s when farms and market gardens began to replace the woodlands.
As the Industrial Revolution reached its peak, the bridges which had started to appear over the River Thames became the means by which wealthier Londoners could flee the grime and chaos of the city at the end of each working day. Residential developments grew up on the south bank of the Thames, and the opening in 1816 of Vauxhall Bridge resulted in a number of new houses being built around Acre Lane. Two other constructions of note were Ashby's Windmill on Brixton Hill (1816) and the Surrey House of Correction (1820). Both are still in existence today.
During the next 70 or so years, Brixton developed into a popular and genteel suburb. The Angell Town development of the 1850s was positively luxurious, with its Italianate style of houses and crescents. The Chatham Main Line Railway gave residents a 'high speed' link to the centre of London, making the suburb even more attractive.
Brixton also gained fame as one of the best shopping areas in South London. Bon March'e, the UK's first department store, was opened in 1877, and in 1888 Electric Avenue became the first shopping street to have electric lighting. Brixton's street market was also establishing itself, and the haphazard rapidity of its growth meant that it soon required a permanent home. The three elegant arcades that resulted now enjoy protected status.
The early years of the twentieth century saw the departure of many middle class families to suburbs even further afield. The lower cost of land and improved transport links meant that they could afford larger properties and still travel into work each day.
Thus abandoned, many of the properties (a large number of which were coming to the end of their standard 99 year leases anyway) were left to fall into disrepair. Some were converted into flats, and the changing demographic resulted in further middle class flight. The damage caused by the bombs of World War II engendered still more urban decay.
In 1948, the Empire Windrush brought the first wave of immigrants over from Jamaica. They were temporarily housed in the deep-level air raid shelter beneath Clapham Common tube station, but soon discovered that nearby Brixton offered both accommodation and a labour exchange. The Mayor of Brixton extended to them the warmest of welcomes, and many remained in the area to form the basis of a vibrant new community.
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