General Brixton history - photos, stories etc
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felonius monk
Well-Known Member
Francis & Sons Ltd were where M&S is now. Closed in 1930. Marks and Spencer, 448-450 Brixton Road and Dorell Place, Brixton with old picture of Woolworths. Historical Brixton - old and new photos of Brixton, Lambeth, London, SW9 and SW2
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
Bumpette.
I was finally having another go at the Courtney Laws podcast - which essentially seems to be structured around flashbacks at Courtney Laws' funeral.
Towards the end of part 2 Claudette Laws mentions a sum of £150,000 donated by David Bowie towards the renovation of Carlton Hall - the building behind Morley's which was for a time part of the Brixton Neighbourhood Community Association - but now seems to be a locked and chained Buddhist centre.
Episode 2 — THE UNTOLD STORY OF COURTNEY LAWS
As the family and the community say their goodbyes to Courtney Laws, Claudette begins to dig a little deeper to find why her fathers work was so significant and makes an unexpected discovery. Thank you for listening.
www.mydadmrbrixton.com
Bowie arriving 4 July 1989 (private footage) Courtney Laws and Mayor Rudy Daley greet David Bowie.
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
and their other branches (from 1914 directory)
the Dorrell Place addresses look as if they were built in to the 1930s Marks + Spencer building, post-war OS map shows a single building at 448-450 Brixton Road.
lang rabbie
Je ne regrette les gazebos
Some illustrations of the former Brixton branch of Francis's in this Brixton Buzz story that our esteemed editor wrote eight(!) years ago.
Brixton history: Marks & Spencer, Francis & Son and the long-lost Bon Marché Arcade in Brixton Road
Brixton history: Marks & Spencer, Francis & Son and the long-lost Bon Marché Arcade in Brixton Road
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
I wonder if anyone can clarify - a May 2020 Brixton Buzz article has this map. Suggests that in 1914 the Tram 20 was Victoria - Croydon via Brixton running along South Lambeth Road and Stockwell Road.
The service pattern involving Brixton Streatham and Tooting is preserved in the 333, and much earlier on in the 1980s the N87, which was circular, but served Trafalgar Sqaure rather than Victoria. Looks like the original Tram 20 was more like the current bus 109.
I suspect the photo in Ed's post is intermediate - the tram doing an N87/333 type route.
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
photo is post-1945, and the route network had changed a bit by then (there was a bit of a shake up in the mid 20s when the LCC lines and Croydon Corporation lines were joined at Norbury - the 1914 map is slightly misleading here - you had to change trams at Norbury, and similar at Merton / Tooting Junction where the LCC lines weren't joined to the London United's tracks.) From the mid 1920s, the 16/18 (later 109 bus) started to run through to Purley.
Service 20 was by this time linked with the 8 as a pair of circular services - 20 did Victoria - Vauxhall - Stockwell - Brixton - Streatham - Tooting - Clapham - Stockwell - Vauxhall - Victoria, the 8 did it the opposite way round. Operation was from the depots at Brixton / Streatham Hill (and Brixton Hill outstation) and Clapham. They were replaced by bus routes 57 and 57A in January 1951 (57 still does the Streatham Hill - Tooting Broadway bit of this, but has changed a lot over the years.)
tram is heading south on South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall (this was a one way system from the early 30s) - building behind is the United Dairies / Unigate depot (photo here)
1951 OS map with UD building marked here, current Street View from about the same point here.
Photo is probably from autumn 1950 - 195 was one of a batch of trams new to Leyton Corporation, and after the Leyton area was converted to trolleybus in the late 30s, this batch of trams moved south of the river. I can find photos of 195 running from Wandsworth depot on Kingsway Subway service 31 which went to bus in October 1950, and with each stage of the conversion, the newer / better trams were transferred to other depots to replace the oldest / most knackered trams (although Brixton and Brixton Hill depots lost their modern 'Feltham' trams before final conversion, as they were sold to Leeds.) 195 kept moving and survived to the end of London tram operations, at New Cross or Abbey Wood depot in July 1952.
RoyReed
Must fly!
There's a 1920 hi-res LCC tram map here. Timetable of routes on the back.
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
1920, like it says, looks about right - what became the Grove Park line is only shown as far as Southend Village, the line through Downham Way wasn't finished until the late 20s. This map is again is a bit misleading about the connection at Norbury.
Found this - someone's put the 1950 tram and trolleybus map (from just before the tram to bus conversion plan started) on Flickr - tram route in dashed line, trolleybus in solid red line
editor
hiraethified
Twenty years ago
www.brixtonbuzz.com
Brixton history: No War and Love Thy Neighbour banners above Coldharbour Lane, Sept 2003
Here’s the scene in September 2003, when a large banner against the war in Iraq was draped between the then-squatted Clifton Mansions residential block and Club 414 in Coldharbour Lane, Brixt…
www.brixtonbuzz.com
20 Remarkable Photos Of London In 1992
Concorde, IRA bombs and the Chippendales - what a time to be alive! Relive it in these remarkable photos.
londonist.com
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
from robnitm on teh tweeter today, dated 1973
(posted as 'where in brixton? - has been identified as atlantic road)
(posted as 'where in brixton? - has been identified as atlantic road)
editor
hiraethified
By Vining St
Oh to be able to peek into the window of the Radio & TV shop!
friendofdorothy
Solidarity against neoliberalism!
1992 was also the very first EuroPride, here in Brockwell park20 Remarkable Photos Of London In 1992
Concorde, IRA bombs and the Chippendales - what a time to be alive! Relive it in these remarkable photos.
friendofdorothy
Solidarity against neoliberalism!
Getting this lot (50, 000 approx?) from Central London to the Park in Brixton was a headache! And Herne Hill station was closed that day as they were upgrading the rail lines to get ready for the Eurostar going to the Waterloo terminal.
nick
Pleomorphic Adenomas R us
I think that in-between incarnations as a radio shop and the wine parlour, the corner of Vining St and Atlantic was a dry cleaners: My sister lived in a squat above it at the time of the 81 riots / uprising. I remember the smell of the dry cleaning fluid from the cleaners below was "heady"
editor
hiraethified
Yes it was.
Aquamarine
Well-Known Member
Vintage Electric Ave.
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
The mod in the Streatham Society Twitter account put this up - which equally applies to Brixton.
This is part of the letters page of the Jewish Chronicle 2 October 1981.
The cause is the closure of the Brixton Synagogue - whose facade is preserved at "The Link" 49 Effra Road near Currys/Halfords.
PS Marcus Lipton MP was Jewish and there was apparently a memorial service for him in the synagogue when he died - February or March 1978.
Photo of the interior of Brixton Synagogue 1981
similar view 1930
The information on the Lambeth Landmark website seems to be out by several years?
Interior of Brixton Synagogue in Effra Road. The synagogue was opened in 1913, prior to that services were held from 1905-09 in Carlton Hall and from 1909, at 44 Brixton Road. The building was enlarged in 1921 but closed in 1986, when the congregation amalgamated with the Streatham Synagogue.
Interesting that Carlton Hall (behind Morleys) had twice been used as a place of worship.
Built as a Conservative club, then used as a synagogue, in the 80s converted with David Bowie's funding into a BNCA centre, and now its gone back as a Buddhist shrine.
This is part of the letters page of the Jewish Chronicle 2 October 1981.
The cause is the closure of the Brixton Synagogue - whose facade is preserved at "The Link" 49 Effra Road near Currys/Halfords.
PS Marcus Lipton MP was Jewish and there was apparently a memorial service for him in the synagogue when he died - February or March 1978.
Photo of the interior of Brixton Synagogue 1981
similar view 1930
The information on the Lambeth Landmark website seems to be out by several years?
Interior of Brixton Synagogue in Effra Road. The synagogue was opened in 1913, prior to that services were held from 1905-09 in Carlton Hall and from 1909, at 44 Brixton Road. The building was enlarged in 1921 but closed in 1986, when the congregation amalgamated with the Streatham Synagogue.
Interesting that Carlton Hall (behind Morleys) had twice been used as a place of worship.
Built as a Conservative club, then used as a synagogue, in the 80s converted with David Bowie's funding into a BNCA centre, and now its gone back as a Buddhist shrine.
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Casaubon
Well-Known Member
I moved to Brixton at the beginning of '81, and remember the synagogue being closed, fenced-off and very run-down at the time. One of my flatmates, Pete, was a keen photographer with Jewish roots, and one day he hopped over the fence to take pics of the crumbling synagogue facade. He didn't realise that simultaneously some local geezers were on the roof, nicking the lead. They thought Pete was taking pics of them and chased him down the road.
About 20 years later I was chatting to Des, a local squatter, among other things , and he admitted that he’d been one of the geezers nicking the lead.
Does anyone else remember the shebeen that Des ran in the old piano factory, a.k.a. Lily Langtry’s Coach House, behind the police station? Now there’s a tale…………..
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
What piano facfory? - I assume there was one at "Piano Hose" (formerly Substation South). There was also one here at Clapham Park Road, before gentrification:
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
Talking of the synagogue in Effra Road, don't suppose anyone has a photo of the London Transport building that was next door?
(the one marked 'printing works' on 1950s OS map)
It was originally London County Council Tramways' ticket printing works, and got rebuilt heavily in the 50s as the building was badly bombed, and became LT's works for bus ticket machines and producing ticket rolls for them, getting closed some time in the mid 80s.
The LT Museum collection has a few photographs of the inside of the building, but not the building itself. From memory, it was a fairly standard 1950s sort of building.
Would be good to find a photo to go with the article I said ages ago that I'd write for urban / brixton buzz about that niche industry...
(the one marked 'printing works' on 1950s OS map)
It was originally London County Council Tramways' ticket printing works, and got rebuilt heavily in the 50s as the building was badly bombed, and became LT's works for bus ticket machines and producing ticket rolls for them, getting closed some time in the mid 80s.
The LT Museum collection has a few photographs of the inside of the building, but not the building itself. From memory, it was a fairly standard 1950s sort of building.
Would be good to find a photo to go with the article I said ages ago that I'd write for urban / brixton buzz about that niche industry...
Casaubon
Well-Known Member
This place, for sale in April for £1.4 million.
This characterful coach house is bigger than it looks...
Langtry Lodge boasts a cobbled courtyard, open-plan living and rustic fireplace.
They've certainly done it up since I was last there (c. 1990).
At one point, after a legal case that went to the high court IIRC, Des was granted ownership of the building, having supposedly squatted it for 13 years without contact from the owner.
But....there was a twist.
When I get time I'll write what I can remember, maybe there are other codgers out there who can contribute memories.
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
That is nearer to St John's Angell Town than to the Police Station. Even nearer to Sisulu Close - which I believe is the last council estate to be built by Lambeth Council (in 1986 approx).This place, for sale in April for £1.4 million.
This characterful coach house is bigger than it looks...
Langtry Lodge boasts a cobbled courtyard, open-plan living and rustic fireplace.www.housebeautiful.com
They've certainly done it up since I was last there (c. 1990).
At one point, after a legal case that went to the high court IIRC, Des was granted ownership of the building, having supposedly squatted it for 13 years without contact from the owner.
But....there was a twist.
When I get time I'll write what I can remember, maybe there are other codgers out there who can contribute memories.
So is Des a property millionaire through adverse possession then?
