General Brixton history - photos, stories etc

[Puddy_Tat]

LCC Municipal on tweeter is continuing their tour of past and present boroughs in London, and today has got to the (pre 1965) municpal borough of lambeth



(the current london borough of lambeth is unusual in post-1965 london boroughs - most were 'merger' of two or more boroughs, but lambeth acquired the streatham patch from the old wandsworth borough, the remainder of which merged with battersea borough to form the new wandsworth borough.)

 

[BusLanes]

Anyone know why Battersea wasn't merged with Lambeth instead?

 

[lang rabbie]

Anyone know why Battersea wasn't merged with Lambeth instead?

It is all in this Twitter thread:

 

[lang rabbie]

LCC Municipal on tweeter is continuing their tour of past and present boroughs in London, and today has got to the (pre 1965) municpal borough of lambeth



(the current london borough of lambeth is unusual in post-1965 london boroughs - most were 'merger' of two or more boroughs, but lambeth acquired the streatham patch from the old wandsworth borough, the remainder of which merged with battersea borough to form the new wandsworth borough.)

Lambeth also gained the Clapham "patch" from Wandsworth at same time. Lyham Road was the old borough boundary.

 

[pbsmooth]

quite enjoyed this guy's video on the subject

 

[Rushy]

A film buff friend of mine sent me a text asking if 247 Brixton Road was still around. He'd been listening to an audiobook about the life of Cary Grant.
"He ran away from home age 13 and lived there circa 1918 and all the music hall stars used to live in that area. The guy that owned the house was a famous impresario who had a had an act that toured the country and went to New York on tour, and that’s how Cary Grant got spotted to become a movie star!"
It's now a modern block near Jamm.

 

[mx wcfc]

That video is brilliant.

When I lived in Acton in the late 80s, there was still resentment amongst local labour people that they had been taken over and marginalised by Ealing.

 

[editor]

A film buff friend of mine sent me a text asking if 247 Brixton Road was still around. He'd been listening to an audiobook about the life of Cary Grant.
"He ran away from home age 13 and lived there circa 1918 and all the music hall stars used to live in that area. The guy that owned the house was a famous impresario who had a had an act that toured the country and went to New York on tour, and that’s how Cary Grant got spotted to become a movie star!"
It's now a modern block near Jamm.

View attachment 363387

It's a fugly Lexadon number.

 

[BusLanes]

It is all in this Twitter thread:

So basically Battersea could be more effectively served from Wandsworth Town than Brixton and Streatham connections to Wandsworth Town were a bit inconvenient?

Seems like a vaguely unsatisfactory answer.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

When I lived in Acton in the late 80s, there was still resentment amongst local labour people that they had been taken over and marginalised by Ealing.

Yes - I'm aware of dis-satisfaction with the post-1965 boroughs, either 'they have brought the plebs from that borough in to our nice borough' or 'that borough took over and is neglecting what used to be our borough' I'm not sure how much of the latter was psychological in that many new boroughs took the name of one of the previous boroughs - Newham, Tower Hamlets, Camden are rarities where a new borough name was taken. The original plan didn't want combined names like Kensington + Chelsea.

Anyone know why Battersea wasn't merged with Lambeth instead?

Options were considered - for example one option was to merge Woolwich with Lewisham and Greenwich with Deptford - it ended up as Woolwich with Greenwich and Lewisham with Deptford.

I don't think 'go away and leave alone' was an option on offer, though. (apart from the City of London of course, which is always different, and - from memory - Harrow, where the population in what had once been a largely rural area had grown to about the 'right' size for a new borough.)

 

[felonius monk]

A film buff friend of mine sent me a text asking if 247 Brixton Road was still around. He'd been listening to an audiobook about the life of Cary Grant.
"He ran away from home age 13 and lived there circa 1918 and all the music hall stars used to live in that area. The guy that owned the house was a famous impresario who had a had an act that toured the country and went to New York on tour, and that’s how Cary Grant got spotted to become a movie star!"
It's now a modern block near Jamm.

View attachment 363387

Cary Grant joined the Bob Pender group of acrobats at age 14. Bob Pender advertised in The Stage and The Era for various variety acts circa 1915-24 and he and his wife were at 247 Brixton Road. Cary Grant (as Archibald Leach) lived with them apparently. There's a review of Dick Wittington in Colwyn Bay in 1919 in the BNA where young Archie Leach featured with Doris Pender (I assume Bob Pender's daughter).

Chapter 3

AbstractCovering the years 1918 to 1922, and taking Archie from 14 to 18 years old, this chapter explores the reasons Archie ran away from home and joined

academic.oup.com

A Lambeth report on Brixton Road properties in 2003 said that 247 BR was essentially a ruin and was derelict in 1981 even when it was listed.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Gresham Road, tram and police station - somewhere 1945 - 50

 

[Puddy_Tat]

P4 bus, c. 1982

 

[CH1]

Anybody remember the halcyon days when the 345 was a singel-decker Dennis Dart and "customers" had the added joy of waiting nearly an hour for the bus - then not being able to get on?

Apparently this was a contractual issue which went on for 5 years
"A new operating contract began in September 1997 and was specified on the basis of single deckers running at a higher frequency, which was quite a popular arrangement at the time (popular with the planners that is, the passengers were not so happy). Titans were replaced by 10.2 metre long Dennis Dart SLFs with single door Plaxton Pointer bodywork, which quickly proved to be highly unsuitable for the job both in operational and mechanical terms. The route reverted to double deck when a new contract began in 2002." (Londonbusroutes.net)

T"

 

[TopCat]

P4 bus, c. 1982

Earlier than 82

 

[teuchter]

Anybody remember the halcyon days when the 345 was a singel-decker

Yes!
In my mind it also used to go down Landor Rd but according to the internet, that seems to be a false memory.

 

[CH1]

Yes!
In my mind it also used to go down Landor Rd but according to the internet, that seems to be a false memory.

345 never went down Landor Road. Nor did the 322 - until 2005.
It would appear from this part of the Londonbusroutes.net site (which is difficult to read) that the original service down Landor Road was the 355, and that in 2005 the 355 changed to terminating in Brixton and the Landor Road-Clapham Common Old Town bit of the 355 route was added to the 322 - which had previously gone to Vauxhall along the current 196 route. Got it?

London Bus Route 322

www.londonbuses.co.uk

 

[CH1]

Earlier than 82

I wouldn't like to day - but I remember repeated articles and campaigns in the SLP on the 1980s to save the P4. Which seems a bit odd nowadays as it is quite vibrant and popular now.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Earlier than 82

not my picture, I'm only going on what they say. anything that shows it was earlier?

that sort of bus did the P4 from 1980 to 1983 so can't be that many years out.

I wouldn't like to day - but I remember repeated articles and campaigns in the SLP on the 1980s to save the P4. Which seems a bit odd nowadays as it is quite vibrant and popular now.

dunno - didn't really know the P4 route until it got extended through to Lewisham in 1983.

there was a round of cuts following the 'fares fair' scheme being ruled illegal, and there was a fear that routes would disappear. It must have been a bit marginal financially, as it was one of the first batch of routes to be put out to tender, going to london country / national london in 1985 (couldn't find a photo of a green P4 at the brixton end)

 

[editor]

We've got a new writer at Buzz and she's done some excellent digging for this history piece:

The lost and supposedly haunted history of The Gresham Tavern, Fyfield Road, Brixton

Attempting to unravel the history of The Gresham Tavern is a bit like trawling through your mum’s wardrobe to find something nice to wear for a party. Entertaining but ultimately a little frustrati…

www.brixtonbuzz.com

 

[editor]

Lovely turn of the century postcard view

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Lovely turn of the century postcard view

London Tramways Company car 911 running on cable.

Photo somewhere between 1898 (when they started converting the passenger trams to have cable gripper equipment instead of using a separate 'dummy' car to pull them) and 1904 when the cable trams were withdrawn for the line to be electrified.

and can just make out a (horse) tram of the London Southern Tramways Company crossing from Gresham Road to Stockwell Road.

 

[editor]

Interesting piece here

The famous architect behind Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Brixton

Corpus Christi Catholic Church has been a distinctive feature of Brixton’s skyline for well over a century. The Grade II-listed building, with its Gothic arches and its red and white colouring, is …

www.brixtonbuzz.com

 

[Puddy_Tat]

on teh tweeter today from 'modernism in metroland'

Sketch for Central Hill Estate, Lambeth 1967-1974, Rosemary Stjernstedt for Lambeth Borough Architect’s Department

 

[pbsmooth]

on teh tweeter today from 'modernism in metroland'

Sketch for Central Hill Estate, Lambeth 1967-1974, Rosemary Stjernstedt for Lambeth Borough Architect’s Department

Nice but definitely not in Brixton...

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Nice but definitely not in Brixton...

this thread has been known to stretch a bit...

 

[bcuster]

A fatal hike in Nazi forest leads to the death of Brixton youth:

The Fatal Hike That Became a Nazi Propaganda Coup

In 1936, a school group from south London went on a hike in the Black Forest. Despite the heroic rescue attempts of German villagers, five boys died. Over eighty years on, locals are still asking how it happened.

getpocket.com

 

[felonius monk]

A fatal hike in Nazi forest leads to the death of Brixton youth:

The Fatal Hike That Became a Nazi Propaganda Coup

In 1936, a school group from south London went on a hike in the Black Forest. Despite the heroic rescue attempts of German villagers, five boys died. Over eighty years on, locals are still asking how it happened.

getpocket.com

Thanks for sharing. Amazing that the teacher was never prosecuted. The Strand School was in Tulse Hill and closed in 1979 following the establishment of Dick Shepherd and Tulse Hill Schools. According to Wikipedia Old Strandians include Mick Jones of the Clash, Fruitbat of Carter USM, Tim Roth, Jeremy Spencer of Fleetwood Mac and environmentalist James Lovelock, which is not a bad list.

As an aside check out "D-Day Daily Telegraph crossword security alarm" in Wikipedia as it relates to Strand School in wartime.

​

 

[Puddy_Tat]

A fatal hike in Nazi forest leads to the death of Brixton youth:

The Fatal Hike That Became a Nazi Propaganda Coup

In 1936, a school group from south London went on a hike in the Black Forest. Despite the heroic rescue attempts of German villagers, five boys died. Over eighty years on, locals are still asking how it happened.

getpocket.com

link didn't work for me

was it the guardian article?

The fatal hike that became a Nazi propaganda coup | Kate Connolly

The Long Read: In 1936, a school group from south London went on a hike in the Black Forest. Despite the heroic rescue attempts of German villagers, five boys died. Eighty years on, locals are still asking how it happened

www.theguardian.com

 

[bcuster]

link didn't work for me

was it the guardian article?

The fatal hike that became a Nazi propaganda coup | Kate Connolly

The Long Read: In 1936, a school group from south London went on a hike in the Black Forest. Despite the heroic rescue attempts of German villagers, five boys died. Eighty years on, locals are still asking how it happened

www.theguardian.com

yes, I think so