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 (or district) of Brixiestan was a much larger area than the Brixton of today, incorporating what we now know as the London Boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth and Wandsworth, as well as parts of Merton and Richmond. The village of Brixton didn't come into being until the end of the eighteenth century when much of the woodland was cleared to make way for agriculture.
The population of the area saw a considerable increase in the early 1800s as the new bridges were raised over the Thames. For the first time, the idea that you could work in London but live in the country became feasible. The building of Vauxhall Bridge in particular, in 1816, resulted in a spate of new and comfortably proportioned houses appearing along Acre Lane.
Brixton thrived during the latter years of the Industrial Revolution. There was another building boom in the 1850s, which saw the development of Angell Town to the east of Brixton Road. This desirable estate of Italianate villas and sweeping crescents changed the face of the area, as did the bridges and viaducts that supported the recently installed railway and tram lines.
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.
The properties that were left empty in areas such as Brixton were usually either converted into small flats or simply abandoned. The bombing raids of World War II did nothing to improve conditions and the area was cleared after the war to make room for council houses.
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 (or district) of Brixiestan was a much larger area than the Brixton of today, incorporating what we now know as the London Boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth and Wandsworth, as well as parts of Merton and Richmond. The village of Brixton didn't come into being until the end of the eighteenth century when much of the woodland was cleared to make way for agriculture.
The population of the area saw a considerable increase in the early 1800s as the new bridges were raised over the Thames. For the first time, the idea that you could work in London but live in the country became feasible. The building of Vauxhall Bridge in particular, in 1816, resulted in a spate of new and comfortably proportioned houses appearing along Acre Lane.
Brixton thrived during the latter years of the Industrial Revolution. There was another building boom in the 1850s, which saw the development of Angell Town to the east of Brixton Road. This desirable estate of Italianate villas and sweeping crescents changed the face of the area, as did the bridges and viaducts that supported the recently installed railway and tram lines.
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.
The properties that were left empty in areas such as Brixton were usually either converted into small flats or simply abandoned. The bombing raids of World War II did nothing to improve conditions and the area was cleared after the war to make room for council houses.
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.
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