View Full Version : Why do you like living in Brixton?
pyrovitae
07-03-2007, 14:44
since so many urbanites seem to be brixtonites as well, i wanted to ask why? what appeals to you about the area?
i've been to brixton a few times; for the market, for the academy and most recently to visit a friend who lives there. whilst i've always thought it's an interesting part of london i don't understand the mass appeal it has on this board.:confused: perhaps you could elaborate as to what you like best about the furthest stop south on the victoria line?
Dubversion
07-03-2007, 14:48
I don't live in Brixton - just outside - but i've lived in the surrounding area for almost 20 years.
It's lively, it's varied, there's a lot to do, i have a lot of friends here.
Mrs Magpie
07-03-2007, 14:56
I've lived here for 26 years. I came here by accident really, came with my first husband who's a Sahf London boy. I've brought up three children here, like the market etc, good people, would stay even if I had shedloads of dosh.
Mrs Magpie
07-03-2007, 14:58
Not saying it's perfect, mind. There are things about Brixton that drive me to distraction, but nowhere's going to be perfect 100% of the time.
My friends live there. The market is good. You can always get a seat on the tube. It's relatively cheap. The Ritzy Cinema. Brockwell Park.
I've never been that keen on Brixton tis okay tho', live in Streatham again at the mo' and its okay but not where I'd like to be living if I could chose anywhere in the smoke.
Love Tooting, thats my favourite area I've lived in.
As Crispy says, it's cheap, seat on Tube, not too far out from work, it's not Clapham (or similar)
aurora green
07-03-2007, 15:05
The people, mainly, and the fact that you don't really have to leave it much, everything you need is here...good transport links if you do want to though, lovely parks, plenty going on, just the feeling you get walking aroung the centre on a sunny day...
ATOMIC SUPLEX
07-03-2007, 15:05
I don't and I don't
Mrs Magpie
07-03-2007, 15:08
you don't really have to leave it much, everything you need is here...good transport links if you do want to though.Yup, forgot that bit....
teuchter
07-03-2007, 15:08
Brockwell Park.
The market.
The Victoria Line (best tube line in London)
Claphamites are close enough to throw stones at but far enough away that you don't have to run into them every day.
Brixton Academy.
The Ritzy.
All the pubs and clubs which mean you can spend the weekend without going into town if you don't want.
The Effra.
The Windmill.
The entertainment value of telling certain types of people you live in Brixton, and seeing them look alarmed.
The absence of North Londoners.
The low percentage of shoreditch twats.
The evangelical craziness on the KFC corner on Saturday mornings.
And loads of other things.
Really you have to live in Brixton for a bit to understand. It doesn't suit everyone but a lot of people find there's some sense of community, despite it's mixed-up kind of demographic, lacking in other parts of London. And I find there's a kind of laid-back atmosphere (despite its supposed edginess) that makes you feel at home somehow.
bluestreak
07-03-2007, 15:09
i've lived in ilford, leyton, tottenham, wood green, south woodford, snaresbrook, leytonstone, leyton again, and now brixton, and i can honestly say that the sense of community, the amount of fun possible the lowest distance from your house, the pleasantness of the amenities, the attitude of the locals, the general atmosphere, and the ease of transport linkage have been the best i've experienced out of all the london locations i've lived.
Minnie_the_Minx
07-03-2007, 15:31
Transport links and getting seat on tube.
Brockwell Park (even though I rarely go there)
tree-lined Brixton Hill in Summer
quimcunx
07-03-2007, 20:23
Mostly for things I rarely use. :-(
Being on the bus and the few people who are speaking english are doing it in a foreign accent. So cosmopolitan. With me being from a wee scottish village.
Mrs Magpie
08-03-2007, 09:06
How could I have left out the Lambeth Country Show?
eta link
http://www.urban75.org/brixton/features/country.html
OpalFruit
08-03-2007, 11:04
All of the above.
And the Lido.
The fact that it is not a 'ribbon development' layout but has a recognisable centre.
It has everything, and is so close to Central London, compared to other places I could ever have afforded to live in.
Plenty I don't like about it , too.
I feel agrieved when people dis it on an unfair reputation, and think that sensationalism and being seen as somewhere to be avoided hasn't helped the community to develop, but I don't feel a sense of 'them and us' with the rest of the world that doesn't live in Brixton!
I've lived here for 14 years and there's nowhere else I'd rather be. I love the fact that Brixton has everything a small town needs to survive - if you cut us off from London, we'd still get along fine. There's a town hall, cinema, library, swimming pool, park, large concert venues, small concert venues, pubs, restaurants, department store, even a skate park. All Brixton lacks is a decent theatre - a shame as there used to be grand old theatre that was turned into flats.
PacificOcean
08-03-2007, 11:18
It seems most people raving about Brixton on this thread have moved into the area from somewhere else.
I was born and raised round here and tbh I have never liked Brixton. There is always an edgy air of menace, I find the people rude and the place is often filthy.
But I can say that as it's my home and everyone is like that about where they are from.
Brixton Hatter
08-03-2007, 13:30
I was born at the Elephant & Castle but the two mile trip south was worth it!
all of the above really - the fact that you can get everything you want in Brixton is the main reason i guess. It's a real community but also seems to attract interesting people from outside.
teuchter
08-03-2007, 13:35
How could I have left out the Lambeth Country Show?
eta link
http://www.urban75.org/brixton/features/country.html
I forgot that too. Definitely the highlight of the Brixton year. It's a shame that there aren't as many festival-type things going on in the park in summer as there used to be.
Brixton Hatter
08-03-2007, 13:39
It's a shame that there aren't as many festival-type things going on in the park in summer as there used to be.Watch this space!
My wife and I seriously considered Brixton but often we come home separately after dark (in winter) and I would have had concerns. She is not a wimp or anything but I have heard of a lot of mugging incidents from people and she has twice been nearly robbed at cashpoints near the station.
I really like Brixton but we ended up in Bermondsey because of this factor. I got attacked from behind and put in hospital walking home at 19:30 here though so I guess it is a London thing :)
I really like Brixton but we ended up in Bermondsey because of this factor.
Man, I'd choose Brixton over Bermondsey any day.
This threads so dull, I remember the days when it would have turned into a 38 page ruck by now :D
This threads so dull, I remember the days when it would have turned into a 38 page ruck by now :D
Sigh. Alright then.
I moved to Brixton because I have a terrible middle class guilt complex that is assuaged by living in close proximity with black people.
Happy? :)
I moved here to buy reggae music, but most of the shops have gone now due to the rising rents in the Granville Arcade and the rise of Ebay. All Tone RIP, come back Noel!
bluestreak
08-03-2007, 14:32
Sigh. Alright then.
I moved to Brixton because I have a terrible middle class guilt complex that is assuaged by living in close proximity with black people.
Happy? :)
wanker. i bet you don't even talk to them. i talked to one only last week. he's my blud.
Man, I'd choose Brixton over Bermondsey any day.
Bermondsey is okay
We were looking at several locations and were not too fussy but were pretty fussy about the flat we rented. The one we found in Bermondsey ticked every box and more besides :)
I could write a list of good and bad things about Bermondsey but that could be said of everywhere I have lived
Yeah, I've got a thing about Bermondsey, pal of mines brother was kicked to death there :(
Yeah, I've got a thing about Bermondsey, pal of mines brother was kicked to death there :(
That would do it :(
It is hard to rationalise things like that.
Structaural
08-03-2007, 16:39
It seems most people raving about Brixton on this thread have moved into the area from somewhere else.
I was born and raised round here and tbh I have never liked Brixton. There is always an edgy air of menace, I find the people rude and the place is often filthy.
But I can say that as it's my home and everyone is like that about where they are from.
I spent my teenage years there (11 to 28, nearly grown up now). I miss me mates and Brockwell Park occasionally now I've moved a long way away. But that's about it, I wouldn't live anywhere in London now if paid. Being a teenager in Brixton wasn't that much fun...
It pisses on the surrounding areas though like Streatham, Camberwell and Clapham. I enjoy visiting my mum and my friends but I'm glad I get to leave.
Bermondsey though, now that's a shit-hole.
Mrs Magpie
08-03-2007, 20:12
I think that's normal though...kids want to break free and move away from their parents.
I love living here mainly due to the people and community. Then add to that the atmosphere, the diversity, all the things going on, the Ritzy, the park, the excellent transport links....
I was told by an English dude that it's kinda like Newtown in Sydney.
Would that be a fair comparison?
Structaural
09-03-2007, 09:08
I think that's normal though...kids want to break free and move away from their parents.
I agree, if I'd stayed in Peterborough (where I spent most of my childhood) I think I would have moved to London as an adult anyway. I used to love visiting.
I reckon London is great place to move to as an adult, I can imagine the feeling having visited New York a few times and wanting to live there. It's the feeling I got visiting Amsterdam so 16 years later I finally managed it :) I've a mate who grew up in Manhattan and while she loves to visit, she wouldn't live there either...
Mrs Magpie
09-03-2007, 09:20
I'm a Londoner and I did move out of London for a while. I got fed up of no work, no public transport to speak of, 27 miles to the nearest library etc. I landed in Brixton completely by accident really. My home burnt down while I was in hospital having a miscarriage, was pretty ill and my first husband just brought me here when I got out of hospital....he's long gone, but I have remained.
I agree, if I'd stayed in Peterborough (where I spent most of my childhood) I think I would have moved to London as an adult anyway. I used to love visiting.
Yeah, I spent my teen years in Peterborough and couldnt fucking wait to get to London.
suzee blue cheese
11-03-2007, 23:00
My wife and I seriously considered Brixton but often we come home separately after dark (in winter) and I would have had concerns. She is not a wimp or anything but I have heard of a lot of mugging incidents from people and she has twice been nearly robbed at cashpoints near the station.
I lived in Brixton for 14 years and have helped people in the aftermath of muggings but never experienced it myself. Followed by a couple of dodgy people late a night a couple of times but that was back when I first came to live in the area.
I moved out last summer because I'd had enough of the massively increased noise levels in my street, several years of trying and failing to embrace a succession of new anti-social neighbours and the decreased sense of community in my little area.
Where I live now is quiet and surrounded by green spaces. It may not have much in the way of night life but I'm still close enough to Brixton to drop in for an evening.
Result.. :cool:
bluestreak
11-03-2007, 23:21
regarding what PacificOcean said, i felt exactly the same about Ilford. when my parents moved there it was an up and coming upper working class area witha good community spirit but by the time i was in my mid teens it was rife with the sort of street violence you see in any small bored town, dirty, rundown, and just generally a grey depressed place to live. brixton has dirt and violence but it also has life and love and friendliness on a level that i have never experienced anywhere else.
to be honest i don't think anyone wants to stay where they drew up anymore, but if the price to pay for getting away from ilford to somewhere as fun as here is being slated by people on uburn for being a blow in i think i can cope :)
Structaural
12-03-2007, 09:17
Yeah, I spent my teen years in Peterborough and couldnt fucking wait to get to London.
:D
Yeah, it's pretty dire isn't it?
My brother still lives there so I still have to visit occasionally. It's was a good place as a under 10 - lots of forest and woods, but they're all Wimpey homes now probably...
Structaural
12-03-2007, 09:17
I'm a Londoner and I did move out of London for a while. I got fed up of no work, no public transport to speak of, 27 miles to the nearest library etc. I landed in Brixton completely by accident really. My home burnt down while I was in hospital having a miscarriage, was pretty ill and my first husband just brought me here when I got out of hospital....he's long gone, but I have remained.
:eek: that was a bad year Mrs Magpie.
Everything. It has it's negatives but it's positives far outweigh it for me.
I have plenty of friends that live in the area who were brought up here.
I was brought up in Stockwell and although I prefer Stockwell to Brixton ;) ....Brixton is fine.
piff diddly
14-03-2007, 11:54
oh yes, brixtin is wonderful, lived all over london, sw9 was by far worst,
oh yes, brixtin is wonderful, lived all over london, sw9 was by far worst,By Christ, your one-track endless whining/wannabe trolling is boring.
Change the fucking record.
Dubversion
14-03-2007, 12:16
oh yes, brixtin is wonderful, lived all over london, sw9 was by far worst,
you're a tiresome little cock, aren't you? :D
chin dildo
14-03-2007, 12:19
Don't bite you two
ovaltina
14-03-2007, 20:40
I've lived in the suburbs before and it was a slow death. Much, much more depressing than having to dodge the occasional drug dealer, drunk or god botherer.
passpat2
28-03-2007, 23:50
I have travelled all over the country with work.. and my 4+ years in Brixton were ,by far, the most pleasurable of my life.. great people.. fantastic shops.. brockwell Park its wonderful in summer.. thers always something to do there.. but first and foremost.. .. its the people.. even though I'm a Northerner..Brixton always will be home for me
bluestreak
28-03-2007, 23:53
aw :D
Mollymoo
30-03-2007, 13:41
I love the Albert and the Dogstar. They're dead easy places to score and much safer than Mingles or the Effra. I like the loads of chilled peeps, squatters, artists and musicians etc around here. The Ritzy is well cool and alternative, they show foreign intellectual films as well as the popular rubbish. The market is very ethnic and a bit smelly, but in a nice way. Very handy if you're a vegetarian (though I eat fish and chicken if it is cut up into little pieces) or a student watching the pennies, mind you I get most of my stuff from the mini Sainsbury or Tesco. And there is always Marks and Spencers in an emergency. It is also quite exciting watching my friends' concern when they find out where I live. Some of them are so square and have no idea about real life in Brixton at all. But I like it. I feel like I fit right in here. You have to keep your wits about you and be able to tell which locals are harmless and which ones might rip you off. It is dirt cheap too, and that is important when you're a student, Fiat Pandas don't run themselves you know. Brixton, I love it.
tarannau
30-03-2007, 13:45
You know when someone tries a little too hard...
Capers anyone?
goldenecitrone
30-03-2007, 13:55
I lived there for two years about five years ago and had a great time. Stumbled around at all hours in all states and never managed to get myself into any bother. I always feel very nostalgic when I pop back for a visit. Around every corner there's a memory of some form of debauchery or another. :)
I love the Albert and the Dogstar. They're dead easy places to score and much safer than Mingles or the Effra. I like the loads of chilled peeps, squatters, artists and musicians etc around here. The Ritzy is well cool and alternative, they show foreign intellectual films as well as the popular rubbish. The market is very ethnic and a bit smelly, but in a nice way. Very handy if you're a vegetarian (though I eat fish and chicken if it is cut up into little pieces) or a student watching the pennies, mind you I get most of my stuff from the mini Sainsbury or Tesco. And there is always Marks and Spencers in an emergency. It is also quite exciting watching my friends' concern when they find out where I live. Some of them are so square and have no idea about real life in Brixton at all. But I like it. I feel like I fit right in here. You have to keep your wits about you and be able to tell which locals are harmless and which ones might rip you off. It is dirt cheap too, and that is important when you're a student, Fiat Pandas don't run themselves you know. Brixton, I love it.
1/10
:rolleyes:
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