Not sure what to do this weekend? We have the perfect plan for you! Let us introduce you to the most vibrant part of London - Brixton! This part of south London is lively and colorful with a wonderful mix of markets and nightlife with a multicultural atmosphere. The neighborhood is bursting with culture and great music on the streets - definitely one of our favourites! Let’s get familiar with the area. Read on as we introduce some of the iconic music that was born here, fun facts you didn’t know about and a little bit of history.
Brixton is quite a new neighbourhood, as there are no traces of people living there until around 200 years ago. It was a small farm village until trains linked it to London around the 1870s, and, pretty quickly, it became a very wealthy area.
Fun fact! Did you know that the famous shopping street in central Brixton, Electric Avenue, was the first to have electric street lighting installed? Imagine how high end that was!! It was even known as the oxford street of the South.
A bar.. in a church?
Now let us introduce you to the coolest bar in the town - Gremio de Brixton! This bar is tucked away in the crypt under St Matthew’s church. It usually plays house music with a live saxophonist, with cocktails and Spanish tapas. Previously, it housed nightclubs and DMZ nights run by Mala and Coki, which laid the foundations for early dubstep music. When it was known as Mass, it held monthly fetish nights called ‘torture garden’, which as you can imagine, some of the churchgoers weren’t too happy about.
Fun fact! Britain’s ex-Prime Minister, John Major, got married in that church!
The Windrush Square
Moving on to the heart of Brixton’s community - the Windrush Square! This square was named to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Empire Windrush. But what was Windrush even, you might ask. Well, it was a boat bringing hundreds of immigrants from the West Indies, particularly Jamaica, in 1948. It kickstarted the arrival of around 500,000 people from the commonwealth, who came to be known as the Windrush generation. A lot of these people were put in temporary accommodation in Brixton and Jamaican culture became a big part of Brixton’s identity. It’s often been compared to Harlem, in New York, with a high population of immigrants, thriving artistic scenes, and a history of protests and riots.
People kept arriving until 1971 when they changed the immigration laws. They gave everyone who arrived here before 1971 the right to stay, but there’s recently been a huge scandal about this. A lot of these people are now being deported because the government didn’t keep any records of who they’d given this right to, so people can’t prove they’re here legally. Terrible! Can you imagine being a fabric of the community for 50 years and then be deported!? Ironically, they were invited to Brixton after the Second World War as the country needed more workers. Luckily, most of the people managed to get media attention and got help out, and even today you can see flyers posted to trees and fences to protest this.
The Windrush generation brought reggae, ska and dub music with them, with bass heavy sound systems, and artists like Steel Pulse, Black Slate, and Linton Kwesi Johnson, the renowned Jamaican-born poet and musician.
Pro tip! There are often street parties and festivals showcasing Brixton’s multicultural music and food at the Windrush square - make sure you don’t miss out on that!
Lambeth Town Hall
Another interesting place in Brixton is the Lambeth Town Hall. It’s an impressive building with sculptures on all 4 corners of the tower representing Justice, Art, Science and Literature. But more importantly, this was one of the first places in the UK where immigrants and white British people could dance together, at events called “no colour bar”. It was started to help ease the racial tensions in the 50s.
The Brixton pound
Let us tell you something truly unique to Brixton: the Brixton pound, the neighborhood's very own currency. Why so, you might wonder. Well, it was introduced in 2009, and it’s designed to keep money circulating in Brixton. It supports local businesses that are facing gentrification, and encourages shops to buy their products locally too, which is also better for the environment! Win-win!
In 2011 the currency went down an electric avenue, using a pay-by-text scheme, but unfortunately it was a dead end..
Psst! Find the nearest cash machine and get some physical Brixton pounds. You can spend them in over 250 places, AND you will notice that David Bowie is on the £10 notes!
The David Bowie Mural
Speaking of Bowie, we have to mention the wonderful Bowie mural. David Bowie was one of the most iconic musicians from Britain, born in Brixton. Can you spot the lightning bolt on Bowie’s face on the picture below? He said the lightning bolt represents duality of mind, or even schizophrenia, which his half brother was diagnosed with, and which led him to suicide. His brother introduced him to a lot of the music that inspired him.
The mural was painted in 2013 by an Australian artist called James Cochran, in a sort of pointillist style, made up of dots like some of Van Gogh’s stuff. Actually, Van Gogh also lived around there for a while. It’s a really colourful picture, which we believe captures Bowie’s personality well. Sadly Bowie passed away in 2016 from liver cancer. After he died it became a memorial, with people writing heartfelt messages on the wall next to Bowie, as well as leaving flowers.
Stockwell Skatepark
“Brixton Bowls” - one of the oldest skateparks in London! It was built in 1979, and some say that the skating bown was made by a WW2 bomb, some say it is built over a graveyard with some bodies still there. What to believe? No one knows. People go here to skate and BMX, but also to party, like at Stockwell jams. Others go there to chill, have BBQs and play music. Perfect for a sunny summer day!
Hall of Fame
The Stockwell hall of fame was originally built in the 50s as a children’s sport centre, but in the 90s it became a place to legally paint street art like typography or tags. It’s one of the most famous graffiti spots in the world, artists from all around go there to paint.
We hope to have inspired you to explore this vibrant cosmopolitan district of London. If you want more tips on what to do in London - check out our self-guided audio tours HERE! You will listen to interesting and funny stories in a historical context, all while exploring different neighbourhoods of London at your own pace. How perfect? Now get on the train and head to Brixton!
