General Brixton history - photos, stories etc

[CH1]

Brixton East has been coming up a bit of late with the election- anyone know what has happened with that council feasibility thing? I confess to not following it

If you mean re-opening East Station Station, it is mentioned in the local plan as an aspiration.

The proviso is that the more railway obsessive people (such as teuchter and Crispy on here) will tell you it can;t be done due to health and safety, short platforms etc.

Not sure what the various parties have to say. The Tory leaflet majors on Mental Health, the Lib Dems on giving estate dwellers a choice about being regenerated.

Labour's tweets are all about being beauteous. Frankly my dear I couldn't give a damn!

I'll try and work or Michael Groce on the off-chance he gets in.
Lambeth Council starts review to look at business case for reopening East Brixton train station
Call for Brixton link to Overground rail network
Design team sought for East Brixton Station revival

One did try and thrust this into the public eye back in the 2014 election (and maybe contributed to the debate above)

Meanwhile if you are talking of Brixton East, the arts venue this has apparently recently closed down
Brixton East 1871 (@BrixtonEast1871) | Twitter

 

[Crispy]

Brixton East station could easily be reopened. The tracks are flat and there's space for platforms. The much more useful proposal for a new station on the high-level line over Brixton station and tube is the one that's "infeasibly" complex and expensive.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Brixton East station could easily be reopened. The tracks are flat and there's space for platforms. The much more useful proposal for a new station on the high-level line over Brixton station and tube is the one that's "infeasibly" complex and expensive.

That's roughly my understanding of it.

Although I think I'm right in saying that any new East Brixton station would need to be constructed to modern day standards of - among other things - accessibility, which would mean lifts, which would have a construction and maintenance cost attached.

Standards are quite stringent for new stations (and that's where the issue of curved platforms, or stations on a gradient comes in) compared to standards that are accepted on the basis that a station has been in use since before the new standards came in.

 

[editor]

Brixton East station could easily be reopened. The tracks are flat and there's space for platforms. The much more useful proposal for a new station on the high-level line over Brixton station and tube is the one that's "infeasibly" complex and expensive.

Still be a tight fit to wedge in the station. The original platforms were very narrow compared to most stations but with enough will, it should definitely be do-able.
That said, a new, super-handy station would add even more pressure on rental/house prices in the area.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

new-ish account on tweeter that came to my attention today

South London History (@SouthHistory) on Twitter

 

[editor]

Look at these poor buggers



Recruiting in the Great War at Lambeth Town Hall for the The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
1916

 

[Pickman's model]

Look at these poor buggers

View attachment 144926

Recruiting in the Great War at Lambeth Town Hall for the The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
1916

Wonder if that's before conscription introduced in March '16

 

[Puddy_Tat]

found on flickr while looking for something else.



RT bus and 1950s built Southern Region train. Looks like early Saturday morning (combination of buses rules out a Sunday) early 70s

 

[happyshopper]

RT bus and 1950s built Southern Region train. Looks like early Saturday morning (combination of buses rules out a Sunday) early 70s

Taken from the footbridge.

 

[editor]

Coming up: Lambeth Local History Fair at the Omnibus Theatre, SW4, Sat Sept 1st

 

[Puddy_Tat]

on tweeter today courtesy of LdnMetArchives (@LdnMetArchives) on Twitter

students in action at the LCC School of Building, Brixton (Ferndale Road)

 

[editor]

This is a great archive pic. It was on FB with no photographer credit.

 

[friendofdorothy]

Taken from the footbridge.

What foot bridge?

 

[Puddy_Tat]

What foot bridge?

the one that isn't there any more.

article and pictures here

 

[friendofdorothy]

the one that isn't there any more.

article and pictures here

thanks. It looks hiddeous. It must have gone by the time I first visited Brixton.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

thanks. It looks hiddeous. It must have gone by the time I first visited Brixton.

thread seems to have concluded it came down about 1980

 

[Favelado]

thread seems to have concluded it came down about 1980

1981 riots footage can confirm that as a cut off date I suppose.

 

[sealion]

A view from the Tube station side.

 

[sealion]

thread seems to have concluded it came down about 1980

lambeth don't seem 100% sure either. Scroll down,Plans and documents relating the the old Brixton High Street footbridge (c. 1975) - a Freedom of Information request to Lambeth Borough Council

 

[Puddy_Tat]

A view from the Tube station side.

It really looks like it was thrown together in a couple of hours...

 

[Favelado]

My post was useless and wrong so I deleted it.

 

[sealion]

It was gone before the riots in 81.

 

[Favelado]

Ah. Well, you've got it narrowed down a bit then. What other Google-able events on Brixton Road are there that can tie it to a particular time?

 

[sealion]

What other Google-able events on Brixton Road are there that can tie it to a particular time?

Living there at the time helps jog the memory.

 

[Favelado]

"Happily, the poster 'haushoch' came to the rescue, unearthing a photo showing a section of the footbridge from 'London Anders Reisen' published in 1980 by Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag GmBH."

With Urban 75's very own post, we know that it must have come down in 1980 or before 11 April 1981 then.

e2a Ah, Only PUBLISHED in 1980. I haven't had a drink, but I'm posting as if I had. I'll retire from the thread.

 

[editor]

Ah. Well, you've got it narrowed down a bit then. What other Google-able events on Brixton Road are there that can tie it to a particular time?

I wrote about it here :

The Mystery of the Brixton Road footbridge - urban75 readers track down a forgotten landmark. Historical Brixton - old and new photos of Brixton, Lambeth, London, SW9 and SW2

 

[teuchter]

Would be interesting to know when the footbridge was installed, as well as when it was removed. Was it prompted by an increase in motor traffic, or earlier than that and related say to the start of regular tram routes through the town centre.

 

[sealion]

It was built in 1971

 

[Favelado]

Cool. I wish there were more mysteries and less fighting on U75. This is more how I imagined the internet when it started. What else can we investigate.

In fact, I have one but it's going to have to go in another sub-forum...

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Would be interesting to know when the footbridge was installed, as well as when it was removed. Was it prompted by an increase in motor traffic, or earlier than that and related say to the start of regular tram routes through the town centre.

sealion has come up with the definitive answer on the first bit (I'd found references on the earlier thread to it not having been there in one or two 1960s photos) I'll not add to that.

as to why, it may have gone up at the same time as the pavements and central reservation got barriers to stop pedestrians crossing - very much part of 1960s / 70s thinking on town / highways planning - the "let cars go as fast as possible, get pedestrians out of their way even if it means them having to walk three times as far" approach