Brixton is a district of some 64,000 people in the London Borough of Lambeth. South of the River Thames, it is still within four miles of the centre of London with good transport links. Although known originally as Brixiges Stan, it is referred to in the Domesday Book as Brixiestan. As stan is the old English word for stone, it is reasonable to assume that it relates to some sort of marker.
The old hundred was a large, wooded area in the north east of Surrey, whose northern boundary was the River Thames. There was little of interest in the area until 1720, when a gallows was built to deal with the highwaymen that plagued the road between London and Croydon. By the end of that century though, farmland was beginning to replace woodland and the village of Brixton came into existence.
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.
Brixton's fortunes were soon to change, however, as the London middle classes started to move further out into the countryside where property was cheaper. The rapidly growing railway system made it reasonable to live in the leafy environs of suburban Surrey, and still commute into London 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.
The first of the African-Caribbean immigrants, who had been invited to the UK to strengthen its labour force, arrived in 1948 on the Empire Windrush. Their first, temporary home was the air raid shelter below Clapham Common tube station. Nearby Brixton, however, offered permanent accommodation and the opportunity to find work, so many decided to remain in the area, changing its dynamic once again.
The old hundred was a large, wooded area in the north east of Surrey, whose northern boundary was the River Thames. There was little of interest in the area until 1720, when a gallows was built to deal with the highwaymen that plagued the road between London and Croydon. By the end of that century though, farmland was beginning to replace woodland and the village of Brixton came into existence.
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.
Brixton's fortunes were soon to change, however, as the London middle classes started to move further out into the countryside where property was cheaper. The rapidly growing railway system made it reasonable to live in the leafy environs of suburban Surrey, and still commute into London 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.
The first of the African-Caribbean immigrants, who had been invited to the UK to strengthen its labour force, arrived in 1948 on the Empire Windrush. Their first, temporary home was the air raid shelter below Clapham Common tube station. Nearby Brixton, however, offered permanent accommodation and the opportunity to find work, so many decided to remain in the area, changing its dynamic once again.
About the Author:
Planning a move to South London? Are you searching for flats for sale in Brixton? Would you like to find out more about the location? Get the inside scoop on places to go to in South London, and learn more on http://www.housingbulletin.co.uk/.
No comments:
Post a Comment