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I have felt it slightly less safe in that area of late but haven't seen the drug taking - not that I spend much time nearby at present. Smelt a lot of weed the other day but that feels more normal?
 
jimbarkanoodle said:
Sometimes i get the train out to West Dulwich or Penge East from Brixton Station, and every time without fail on the stairs going up to the platform there is couple of wrong un's smoking stuff from a pipe or tin foil, brazen as you like in full view of anyone who wants to do something as simple as use a train station. Often they'll also be an unconscious person slumped at the halfway mark, to step over.

I fully understand people have their problems with addictive drugs in London, and Brixton is not exactly the garden of Eden (however much Hondo etc might try and make rich people think so), but you'd hope the folk with these problems might be able to find somewhere just a little more discreet to get their fix? The station is actually staffed with a guy in the ticket office at the top of the same set of stairs, i guess he doesnt want to get involved.
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I wrote to Kate Hoey about this issue around 1996.
She took a year to reply, and when she did she referred me to a named SE trains regional manager based at Streatham Hill.
Kicking the can up the hill?
 
BusLanes said:
I have felt it slightly less safe in that area of late but haven't seen the drug taking - not that I spend much time nearby at present. Smelt a lot of weed the other day but that feels more normal?
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Back in the 1990s it was awful. There was a serious risk of crack poisoning if you came back from the Proms late at night via the Victoria/Southern Region.
 
editor said:
They were supposed to open in 2016

www.brixtonbuzz.com

Soho House to launch Fox Bar: an upmarket late night Brixton drinking den

The colonisation of Brixton as a new playpen for the cash-rich continues with the news that the elitist Soho House will be opening a US themed drinking den in Brixton.
www.brixtonbuzz.com www.brixtonbuzz.com
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According to this it's finally happening. Again. But it doesn't say when 'Gentrification complete': Londoners divided over exclusive club in Brixton The story was based on this tweet, which also doesn't say when.

 
Mr paulee said:
Albert needs gutting and re-opening.
Thoroughly depressing experience
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I don't see what's wrong with it, it lacks atmosphere often due to not many people in the pub, but i think that is slowly improving. It probably didnt help that it opened and closed so erratically during Covid, at one point lasting about a week before closing again before Christmas. There is lots of competition for places to drink in Brixton, and the Albert seems to have been forgotten about. Maybe they could bring back the special offers, and make a point of having a big poster on the wall outside promoting it.
 
jimbarkanoodle said:
I don't see what's wrong with it, it lacks atmosphere often due to not many people in the pub, but i think that is slowly improving. It probably didnt help that it opened and closed so erratically during Covid, at one point lasting about a week before closing again before Christmas. There is lots of competition for places to drink in Brixton, and the Albert seems to have been forgotten about. Maybe they could bring back the special offers, and make a point of having a big poster on the wall outside promoting it.
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That last refurb was pretty bloody awful though. Removing the stage was a terrible idea, as was building that ludicrous superstar DJ booth that DJs to crawl into and no one can talk to them.

The folding tables made sense as they cleared the dancefloor but then they added those almost comically oversized barrels that took up huge amounts of space. And that tree should have stayed in the garden too.

I suspect it's going to stay in under-performing stasis for some time until the management situation is resolved.

It was horrendous there last night but I've had some good night weekend nights there recently.
 
I used to use the Albert when Pat was there. In early days it was empty. Then it got popular with the alternative crowd. You either went to Albert or The Railway. I was always for the Albert.

It never was an attractive interior. It was the people using it and Pat who made it a popular pub.

Brixton has changed so much that perhaps its not going to survive?
 
Gramsci said:
I used to use the Albert when Pat was there. In early days it was empty. Then it got popular with the alternative crowd. You either went to Albert or The Railway. I was always for the Albert.

It never was an attractive interior. It was the people using it and Pat who made it a popular pub.

Brixton has changed so much that perhaps its not going to survive?
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One of the reasons I started putting on DJ nights and live music was because I feared the place could close. I can certainly remember Friday nights with about only 20 people in the place.

Although Brixton has changed there's still plenty of appetite for an alternative-ish cheap pub. If they let me take over the bookings I could guarantee busy crowds there!
 
editor said:
One of the reasons I started putting on DJ nights and live music was because I feared the place could close. I can certainly remember Friday nights with about only 20 people in the place.

Although Brixton has changed there's still plenty of appetite for an alternative-ish cheap pub. If they let me take over the bookings I could guarantee busy crowds there!
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You are right about the big club style DJ booth they installed, which looks like it has all the right gear within, which never seems to get used properly, if at all. I get that Greene King probably dont want it to be too much of a Dogstar or POW, but they have a 2am license so they might as well? Why not get local DJ's in to get the place more busy and the tills ringing on a Friday and Saturday night.
 
jimbarkanoodle said:
You are right about the big club style DJ booth they installed, which looks like it has all the right gear within, which never seems to get used properly, if at all. I get that Greene King probably dont want it to be too much of a Dogstar or POW, but they have a 2am license so they might as well? Why not get local DJ's in to get the place more busy and the tills ringing on a Friday and Saturday night.
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Look how busy it used to be!

roy-de-roy-brixton-feb-2104-17.jpg


dulwich-ukulele-club-april-2012-08.jpg


mrsmills-albert-july-2012-bbc-08.jpg
 
I'm sure lots of places in Brixton are potential goldmines. If pandemic ever ends and can get back to ongoing gentrification of Brixton.

Perhaps Green King should get advice from Hondo.
 
Mr paulee said:
It's just been badly run by management/Greene King.
The location couldn't be much better.

It's a potential goldmine.
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Agreed, the demise of Market House gives it even less competition. I just checked the Facebook page of The Albert and some of its most recent posts are harping on about a young brewer from head office and plates of fish and chips, when the Albert doesn't even serve food :confused: I wouldn't want social media to attract the Clapham crowd but surely there's a gap in the market which could be filled to get the place a bit more lively again.
 
jimbarkanoodle said:
Agreed, the demise of Market House gives it even less competition. I just checked the Facebook page of The Albert and some of its most recent posts are harping on about a young brewer from head office and plates of fish and chips, when the Albert doesn't even serve food :confused: I wouldn't want social media to attract the Clapham crowd but surely there's a gap in the market which could be filled to get the place a bit more lively again.
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Felt the Market House on the whole got stuff right.
You're absolutely right about the Clapham crowd.
With Brixton House due to open imminently Coldharbour will become even busier.
 
*Post reluctantly deleted by editor because the content was really inappropriate for a public forum.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pretty sure that, at least in the last decade, anyone foolish enough to buy tablets on the street of Coldharbour Lane before going into the 414 quickly realised their money would have been better spent on a can of red bull.
 
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