The changing face of Brixton
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 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.
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.
Nevertheless, the early twentieth century saw many families moving out of London to leafier suburbs, where they could afford to buy larger houses. The ever improving transport system meant that they could still get to work relatively easily from the Home Counties. Furthermore, the 99 year leaseholds on many properties were coming up for renewal, making tenure a risky proposition.
The empty properties that they left behind were often converted into flats and boarding houses as the local demographic changed. Some were just left to fall into disrepair and this, together with the heavy bombing of World War II, led to many buildings being cleared to make way for social housing.
The years that followed the Second World War saw many of the old houses being removed to make way for new social housing. Once again, changes were afoot as many of the first wave of West Indian immigrants that had arrived on the Empire Windrush in 1948 settled down in the Brixton area. This event, seen by many as the birth of our multicultural society, was celebrated in 2010 by the opening of Windrush Square in the heart of Brixton.
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.
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.
Nevertheless, the early twentieth century saw many families moving out of London to leafier suburbs, where they could afford to buy larger houses. The ever improving transport system meant that they could still get to work relatively easily from the Home Counties. Furthermore, the 99 year leaseholds on many properties were coming up for renewal, making tenure a risky proposition.
The empty properties that they left behind were often converted into flats and boarding houses as the local demographic changed. Some were just left to fall into disrepair and this, together with the heavy bombing of World War II, led to many buildings being cleared to make way for social housing.
The years that followed the Second World War saw many of the old houses being removed to make way for new social housing. Once again, changes were afoot as many of the first wave of West Indian immigrants that had arrived on the Empire Windrush in 1948 settled down in the Brixton area. This event, seen by many as the birth of our multicultural society, was celebrated in 2010 by the opening of Windrush Square in the heart of Brixton.
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New Unique Article!
Title: The changing face of Brixton
Author: Gerard Hamilton
Email: dirasu.678269.0@articlesamurai.com
Keywords: Brixton,London,UK,real-estate
Word Count: 523
Category: Real Estate
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