Mods in Brixton 1963

[Nanker Phelge]

Where this taken?

 

[ajdown]

The Rossi's Cafe in the background should provide some clues to someone - although the only Rossi's Cafe I can locate with Google is in Spitalfields.

Fascinating picture though.

 

[miss minnie]

Tricky.

Nothing so far from no. 73 at...

New Park Road
Stockwell Road
Loughborough Road
Brixton Road
Railton Road
Atlantic Road
Coldharbour Lane

*Slight* possibility... Acre Lane? Lidl is there now but the rest of the road looks wrong. It looks narrower, that small side street in from of the cafe is no longer there nor is the shop/pub on the other corner behind the two women. I suppose that a lot of work may have been done to Acre Lane since the 1960's, I have no idea really.

If it was Acre Lane, those mods would be standing almost directly outside Supertone Records.

 

[editor]

Doesn't look much like Brixton to me.

This is from the same series:

 

[Mrs Redboots]

Isn't it taken on Brixton Road, underneath the railway arches, facing south? So Rossi's café is on the corner of Brixton Road & Atlantic Road? I think that that is Woolworth's in the upper left corner, but without the landmark of the Tube, it's difficult to tell.

 

[editor]

Another. I can't think of any central Brixton main road that looks like this one.

 

[editor]

Isn't it taken on Brixton Road, underneath the railway arches, facing south? So Rossi's café is on the corner of Brixton Road & Atlantic Road?

The surrounding landscape is all wrong for that. Besides, Atlantic Road is much wider.

http://www.urban75.org/brixton/history/atlantic4.html

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

My first thought was Atlantic Road as well, but I couldn't figure out what the building on the end was.

I then thought maybe Acre Lane, but couldn't be arsed googling as busy getting ready to pop out.

Brixton Road was a thought, but it's definitely not wide enough and that building on the end is stil throwing me. Of course, that building on the end may no longer exist. Also thought Vining Street but steered away from that as too short looking

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

May or may not be relevant, but everyone looks quite white!

 

[editor]

Here's another one. Still not ringing any bells at all.

 

[editor]

The mighty Lambeth Archives have settled the matter via Twitter:

rossi's cafe, 73 tower bridge road SE1. listed in 1965 PO directory. no listing for a rossi's cafe in brixton so most probabaly not

 

[MrSilly]

That last one is Brixton. Brixton Road, outside natwest/kingshield chemist ish, looking towards the police station/academy.

 

[editor]

Solved! Here's a modern view with no 73 (formerly Rossis) to the left on Tower Bridge Road.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Another one of no help whatsoever

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Solved! Here's a modern view with no 73 (formerly Rossis) to the left on Tower Bridge Road.

FFS!

Is anyone going to correct the owners of the photo?

 

[ajdown]

I knew it looked familiar but couldn't quite place it. I go past there on the 42 quite regularly and I believe I even had a kebab from there once a few years back - jolly nice it was too.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

An hour and a half of my life wasted for Tower Bridge Road

 

[editor]

Well, if you're in the mood for some investigation: http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/th...hines-Liberals-and-Ethiopian-Minstrel-Troupes

 

[Nanker Phelge]

Cheers all for your help. I wasn' sure it was Brixton either.

 

[toblerone3]

1963 was a bit early for Mods wasn't it. Did they get the date wrong on the photograph labelling as well? I reckon 1965-66. The mod movement did not begin in Bermondsey!!

 

[Nanker Phelge]

1963 was a bit early for Mods wasn't it. Did they get the date wrong on the photograph labelling as well? I reckon 1965-66. The mod movement did not begin in Bermondsey!!

By 65 the Mod movement was all but over for the original mods.

The mod 'movement' actually dates back to a late 50s scene with the first wave of Mods as they became known beginning to appear late 62/early 63.

The fashionista Mods were 64/65.

The hard core Mods became suedeheads and skins.......

All working class tribes pretty much subscribe to the Mod template of 'clean living under difficult circumstances' ....there are other fellas here who can expand.....

 

[toblerone3]

By 65 the Mod movement was all but over for the original mods.

The mod 'movement' actually dates back to a late 50s scene with the first wave of Mods as they became known beginning to appear late 62/early 63.

The fashionista Mods were 64/65.

The hard core Mods became suedeheads and skins.......

All working class tribes pretty much subscribe to the Mod template of 'clean living under difficult circumstances' ....there are other fellas here who can expand.....

What do you imagine about the lives of those mod and modettes pictured in the photo?

 

[Nanker Phelge]

What do you imagine about the lives of those mod and modettes pictured in the photo?

No such thing as modettes, On mods. Girls and boys alike. Modettes was a mod revival word from the early 80s.

Not sure where they woulda gone or got up to......they probably did what most people within youth culture did and grew up and married and had kids and kept photos of a time they worried less.

Or they went hard core and still ponce about at retro clubs with bad hair and expensive suits trying to ponce a shag of young birds using their 'know' of the original scene as bait to bung the hole.

 

[killer b]

unlikely many of the '63 mods are still up to that tbf...

 

[Lewins]

The photo is from Tower Bridge Road SE1, The berets being worn date this to pre 1965 when the first mod phase was all but over. The oil skins were pre- parkas as I remember (I could be wrong here), The scooters are parked alongside or outside a Mod cult shop called Lewins. It was one of the first mod clothes shops outside of the West End and scooters lined up outside especially on Saturdays before the ride up to the west end to visit The Scene Club,Flamingo or La Discoteque in Soho. The same street in SE1 also had a Ravel shoe shop (formerley Rouel's) a trendy shop for those mods who could not afford the Annello & Davide Drury Lane or Berts? in battersea hand made shoes. A few doors along from this picture Roseman's The Tailors made hand made tonik mohair suits for mods and there were four specialist scooter shops Ross (Vespa GS150 etc) , Scootalong for Lambrettas, Cosmopolitan and Supreme Scooters (still there to this day) The Tower Bridge Road area was very mod at this time, the Earl Of Derby in Grange Rd nearby, being a mod stronghold for those to get high before leaving for the West End.Not sure about Rossi's,although there were several ice cream shops of the same name,one being in Southend,not sure if they are connected. I can't see if the rear scooter is a 150GS,they were last made in 1961 and only in silver grey colour and were probably sold into 1962 when the 160 came along, so this may help too date the picture. Across from the picture further from Rossi's would have been Manze Pie & Mash Sop, next door to Edwards hot doughnut shop(one old penny each, still hot and shaken in a very large bowl of sugar before being put in the bag. Hope this helps.

 

[editor]

Thanks for the helpful update and the added info.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Rossi's are an institution in Southend, but have never heard of any cafes. None mentioned on their website either

 

[Nanker Phelge]

thanks for that

 

[Ol Nick]

And Manze's is still there of course.

Something I'm very pleased about, but at a loss to understand.

 

[CH1]

Where this taken?

Is this possibly North Brixton (i.e what is currently called "the Oval" or "Kennington Church". Certainly navigating by churches (as one does) Christ Church on Brixton Road is normally called Christ Church North Brixton.