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Brixton news, rumours and general chat - September 2012
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hiraethified
It is indeed and it's become available nearly everywhere these days.
leanderman
Street Party: July 2
Did anyone see this article in the Economist about Brixton?
Changing London
Selling out: Brixton, once the heart of black Britain, is now a black shopping destination
A GOOD deal has changed in Brixton, a south London district, since Eta Rodney bought her Victorian terraced house in 1980. Then many of her neighbours were, like her, Jamaican. West Indians had settled in Brixton since 1948, when some arrived on the Empire Windrush. Today many of Mrs Rodney’s black neighbours are selling up and moving out of the area, making way for predominantly white newcomers. Britain’s historic black centre is being transformed—but in an odd way.
The Afro-Caribbean population of Lambeth, the borough where Brixton is located, is estimated to have fallen by 8% since 2001 even as the borough’s overall population has risen by 9%. Interracial mixing explains only part of this: the main reason is black flight. Afro-Caribbeans have dispersed from other parts of central London too, such as Hackney and Hammersmith and Fulham. They move to escape crime, buy bigger houses and get their children into better schools—the familiar reasons people of all races head for suburbia. In the South East outside London, Afro-Caribbean numbers have jumped, albeit from a low base.
In Brixton, escaping has been made easier by a second force: gentrifying newcomers. They are drawn by prices that are low for inner London. Lambeth council has worked to encourage them by sprucing up the area, preventing the conversion of houses into flats to attract middle-class house buyers and transforming an old covered market into a mall with upmarket restaurants and cafés. Since Brixton Village opened last year house prices in the area have risen by 20%, say estate agents.
Mrs Rodney feels both pressures. Her husband would like to retire to Jamaica. She prefers Streatham, further south in London, where she could buy a palace for the money gentrifiers are keen to pay for her house, with its original cornicing and marble fireplaces. The former council house she bought under the Conservative Party’s right-to-buy scheme—“I love Mrs Thatcher, God bless her soul”—would today fetch at least 20 times what she paid.
Yet there are many remnants of the old Brixton. In the streets outside Brixton Village it is still possible to buy plantains and chicken feet. Ben Gidley, a sociologist at Oxford University who is studying ethnic patterns of movement in south London, believes Brixton will hold onto its Afro-Caribbean culture longer than its Afro-Caribbean residents. It is becoming a new kind of ghetto, revolving around shopping rather than living.
Vincent Miller, a barber at Ruff Cut, a popular meeting place for young black men, says most of his customers already come into Brixton by bus from as far away as Ealing in west London, for the company, music (often loud at his shop) and a good cut. “If you go to a normal, white, short-back-and-sides barber, you probably won’t get the words ‘Bob Marley’ shaved into the back of your head,” he explains.
Changing London
Selling out: Brixton, once the heart of black Britain, is now a black shopping destination
A GOOD deal has changed in Brixton, a south London district, since Eta Rodney bought her Victorian terraced house in 1980. Then many of her neighbours were, like her, Jamaican. West Indians had settled in Brixton since 1948, when some arrived on the Empire Windrush. Today many of Mrs Rodney’s black neighbours are selling up and moving out of the area, making way for predominantly white newcomers. Britain’s historic black centre is being transformed—but in an odd way.
The Afro-Caribbean population of Lambeth, the borough where Brixton is located, is estimated to have fallen by 8% since 2001 even as the borough’s overall population has risen by 9%. Interracial mixing explains only part of this: the main reason is black flight. Afro-Caribbeans have dispersed from other parts of central London too, such as Hackney and Hammersmith and Fulham. They move to escape crime, buy bigger houses and get their children into better schools—the familiar reasons people of all races head for suburbia. In the South East outside London, Afro-Caribbean numbers have jumped, albeit from a low base.
In Brixton, escaping has been made easier by a second force: gentrifying newcomers. They are drawn by prices that are low for inner London. Lambeth council has worked to encourage them by sprucing up the area, preventing the conversion of houses into flats to attract middle-class house buyers and transforming an old covered market into a mall with upmarket restaurants and cafés. Since Brixton Village opened last year house prices in the area have risen by 20%, say estate agents.
Mrs Rodney feels both pressures. Her husband would like to retire to Jamaica. She prefers Streatham, further south in London, where she could buy a palace for the money gentrifiers are keen to pay for her house, with its original cornicing and marble fireplaces. The former council house she bought under the Conservative Party’s right-to-buy scheme—“I love Mrs Thatcher, God bless her soul”—would today fetch at least 20 times what she paid.
Yet there are many remnants of the old Brixton. In the streets outside Brixton Village it is still possible to buy plantains and chicken feet. Ben Gidley, a sociologist at Oxford University who is studying ethnic patterns of movement in south London, believes Brixton will hold onto its Afro-Caribbean culture longer than its Afro-Caribbean residents. It is becoming a new kind of ghetto, revolving around shopping rather than living.
Vincent Miller, a barber at Ruff Cut, a popular meeting place for young black men, says most of his customers already come into Brixton by bus from as far away as Ealing in west London, for the company, music (often loud at his shop) and a good cut. “If you go to a normal, white, short-back-and-sides barber, you probably won’t get the words ‘Bob Marley’ shaved into the back of your head,” he explains.
colacubes
Mr Hot Cookie
Yes and it's given me a cracking headache.
Brixton Hatter
Home is south London mate
Yeah I saw someone posted that on Twiter. There's quite a lot of generalisations in it, and they repeat that estate agent 20% crap once again. It's come to something when the fucking Economist is writing editorials about Brixton gentrification....it must be the silly season still.
Kanda
Diving wanker
What makes you think the estate agent 20% thing is crap? Prices are bonkers at the moment...
Brixton Hatter
Home is south London mate
When we discussed it at the time, it was clear it was a made up figure used for the purposes of promoting the estate agent's business. 20% of what? By which measure? Over what time period? Yes prices may be rising/high/bonkers/whatever, but it's still crap journalism cobbled together from old stories cos everyone's been on their summer hols.
Kanda
Diving wanker
Well, having just sold a flat (6 months ago) that went up 20% in 2 years, if we had put it on the market last month we would have got another 10% or so, I've been looking for a place for 6 months now and prices are crazy stupid at the moment. Just personal experience...
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
Which is a problem. A lot of houses were sold to these Thatcher lovers. So there is not a lot of family sized houses around that are affordable.
snowy_again
Slush
Harmony bar (or whomever owns it now) is going to get its planning permission for flats and a new bar according to Effra Blog:
http://effrablog.com/2012/09/06/harmony-bar-development-to-be-approved-council-meeting-11-sept/
http://effrablog.com/2012/09/06/harmony-bar-development-to-be-approved-council-meeting-11-sept/
lefteri
Well-Known Member
I'm a bit suspicious when you say 'the exact same change' - after all, the starting conditions (whenever you choose to place them) are hardly the same - did the east village / alphabet city have a sizeable & culturally rich caribbean population? wasn't it mainly populated by artists & musicians, many who had come from outside NY? Perhaps with a latino community mainly in the projects near brooklyn bridge?
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Marks & Spencer's food hall is too cold if you are wearing shorts and/or if you are self-conscious about visible nipplage.
editor
hiraethified
would exact same sort of change please your oh-so pedantic tastes?
editor
hiraethified
How is it 'wrong', dear Supreme Pendant Ruler Of The Picky Lands Most Tedious?
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
New York is a very different place to London. The conditions for gentrification are not the same the world over.
It's not pedantic to point out vague unhelpful generalisations made from observations made whilst on holiday
It's not pedantic to point out vague unhelpful generalisations made from observations made whilst on holiday
Onket
Je suis [CONTENT REMOVED]
crawl
Gimme gimme gimme, don't ask what for
Because people tend to make generalized statements as this is an internet message board (and a thread about chit-chat nonetheless), so they tend to not treat their posts like theses. Not most people, anyway. Editor said the things happening to Brixton were the same and gave examples such as it being a trendy place to do fashion shoots and film movies... not that the towns were exactly the same. Christ.
A better question would be why does everything have to be spelled out and corrected for the anal/autistic on this board
Onket
Je suis [CONTENT REMOVED]
I know what happened. I am able to read posts.
For clarity, as you seem to have missed it-
Exact Same Changes.
No it wouldn't.
A better question would be, why make incorrect statements & then blame someone else when you get pulled up on it.
But it's only an internet bulletin board, as you correctly point out, so there's no point getting worked up about it.
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