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.
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.
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.
As more people moved into the area, shops sprang up to serve the rapidly growing population. The first purpose built department store in the country, Bon March'e, opened its doors in 1877, whilst in the 1880s the famous shopping street Electric Avenue was built. In 1888 it became one of the first to be lit by electricity. By the 1920s, Brixton was considered to have the finest shopping facilities in South London.
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 (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.
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.
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.
As more people moved into the area, shops sprang up to serve the rapidly growing population. The first purpose built department store in the country, Bon March'e, opened its doors in 1877, whilst in the 1880s the famous shopping street Electric Avenue was built. In 1888 it became one of the first to be lit by electricity. By the 1920s, Brixton was considered to have the finest shopping facilities in South London.
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 properties 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/.
0 التعليقات:
إرسال تعليق