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.
Everything changed, however, when the new bridges were built over the Thames in the early part of the nineteenth century. Many who lived and worked in the city moved south to escape the noise and pollution. The completion of Vauxhall Bridge in 1816 was the catalyst for a flurry of large and well-appointed houses to be built around Acre Lane to house the new and prosperous middle classes.
The 1850s witnessed another building boom; it was during these years that Brixton's largest single development, the sumptuous Angell Town, was completed. During the following decade the Chatham Main Line was laid down, giving Brixton a railway connection to the centre of London and making it even more desirable as a surburban retreat.
The shops kept pace with the rising population, and Brixton witnessed the opening of the UK's first department store: Bon March'e. Electric Avenue, an elegant shopping street with glazed canopies, became one of the first thoroughfares to enjoy electrical illumination. By the early twentieth century, Brixton was said to offer the best shopping experience in South London.
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.
Everything changed, however, when the new bridges were built over the Thames in the early part of the nineteenth century. Many who lived and worked in the city moved south to escape the noise and pollution. The completion of Vauxhall Bridge in 1816 was the catalyst for a flurry of large and well-appointed houses to be built around Acre Lane to house the new and prosperous middle classes.
The 1850s witnessed another building boom; it was during these years that Brixton's largest single development, the sumptuous Angell Town, was completed. During the following decade the Chatham Main Line was laid down, giving Brixton a railway connection to the centre of London and making it even more desirable as a surburban retreat.
The shops kept pace with the rising population, and Brixton witnessed the opening of the UK's first department store: Bon March'e. Electric Avenue, an elegant shopping street with glazed canopies, became one of the first thoroughfares to enjoy electrical illumination. By the early twentieth century, Brixton was said to offer the best shopping experience in South London.
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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