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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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