Brixton history - why did it decline after its '20s heyday?

[boohoo]

Violette deserves more recognition I think. There should be a street named after her at least

Good idea!

 

[mysterybadger]

Urban decline is a complex process and it's often well-off areas that are hit the hardest.
Brixton was full of very large houses--there are still a few left and you can see where the garden boundaries were on Brixton Hill and the Effra Road, (it's why the trees are all in straight lines). Angell Town also had some spectacular houses. After the war these gaffs were far too big for families without servants, and many were now on roads made unappealing by increased motor traffic. Most houses were rented in the past so it was very easy for an entire social class to just up sticks and move out.
So the houses went into multiple-occupation and were allowed to fall to bits by landlords making it much easier for them to be declared "slums" and cleared for council blocks. There was also a neat little bit of insanity whereby councils were compelled to create a certain amount of green space to complement any high-density housing they put up. They often did this by knocking down perfectly good old houses and creating those wierd little dog exercise patches you see round the place (eg Villa Road).

Brixton shopping also suffered from being an early pioneer as there was no provision for car-borne shoppers. When the trams went the lack of a tube was a further blow, although it's amazing how little effect the Victoria line had initially. People complain about the "gentrification" of Brixton but it's still a long way off its former heyday.

 

[honto]

This thread has been really interesting, I rarely think about the older history of Brixton and now I am doing. Are there any books on it that anyone can recommend? Or even ones on London that cover this area in any detail?

 

[davesgcr]

Brilliant thread !

Decline in urban areas is complex - apart from obsolescence and so on - the pull of all electric suburbia in the 1920s and 1930s was very strong indeed (read "Something in Lineoleum" - which describes how one lower middle class moved from Acre Lane to Raynes Park !) - the Victorian inner city was pretty jaded in this period -all flies , trams , dirt coal smoke and gaslight with a strong pull to the new areas for all classes - the middle classes got golf clubs abd the working classes got their own kitchens and bathrooms by and large. (for those left behind - there was some trading up and less pressure on housing) Inwards migration pre WW2 was Irish , Northern and Welsh - and in may old suburbs - sub letting was well established before the war - and increased after the war as a result of war damage and increasing population.Black migration only added to existing trends.

I dont think local transport had much to do with it -as overall train services in the inner suburbs held up well in the 30s and 40s (along with big increases on longer distance routes) Brixtons trams had some investment in this period and had all night services etc.

For a parallel study see "Race ,community and conflict -a study of Sparkbrook" - (where my Irish father in law moved to off the farm in the early 1950's) - good stuff.

 

[Gramsci]

Urban decline is a complex process and it's often well-off areas that are hit the hardest.

So the houses went into multiple-occupation and were allowed to fall to bits by landlords making it much easier for them to be declared "slums" and cleared for council blocks. There was also a neat little bit of insanity whereby councils were compelled to create a certain amount of green space to complement any high-density housing they put up. They often did this by knocking down perfectly good old houses and creating those wierd little dog exercise patches you see round the place (eg Villa Road).

QUOTE]

Correct.I remember taking to an old lady who lived on one of the old buildings in Somerleyton road.Despite being regarded as slums by the Labour party many people regarded them as there homes and community.It parallells my experience of growing up in the Barbican in Plymouth.An area lived in by fishermen.Regarded as "below standard" by the Council many didnt want to live on the newer estates.Despite the lack of bathrooms.There however was a good washhouse at the end of the road.Without getting nostlagic about the old days the Labour party has written to much of post war history.There was some opposition to "slum" clearance bt ordinary people.This doesnt fit the heroic post 45 Labour party mould.

Somerleyton road was bulldozed for "slum" clearance.Also the early battles between the Council and squatters was about clearance of land around Villa road for "green spaces".You are correct to say that perfectly good buildings were demolished.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

This thread has been really interesting, I rarely think about the older history of Brixton and now I am doing. Are there any books on it that anyone can recommend? Or even ones on London that cover this area in any detail?

http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/books.asp

and I'm sure I've seen a big hardback on Lambeth in WH Smith

 

[mysterybadger]

The mention of Ted Knight in another thread reminds me of a couple of other one of which is local taxation. The high rates which were supposed to fund social policies instead had the effect of causing both businesses and homeowners to relocate, with predictable effects on the local economy. That also reduced the tax base so the rates had to go up again. This all ended in tears with rate-capping and the poll tax, and authorities like Wandsworth and Westminster pursuing policies which were equally savage in the opposite direction.

There's a street which was always featured in the news about this because it was Lambeth on one side and Wandsworth on the other. Can anyone locate it?

The other was the knock-on effect of slum clearance itself which was driven by a mixture of ideologically determination and backhanders from construction firms and resulted in the loss of a lot of good housing. But it also meant people wouldn't move into an area where they feared that their home might be compulsorily purchased and demolished. So large areas became blighted, which made it even harder to argue that they weren't slums.

Yet another aspect in this complex brew is the fact that most of the houses built in the late nineteenth century were on 99-year leases, so in the period 1945-1967 you often weren't buying much--better to go to the suburbs and own outright. Leasehold reform in 1967 meant you could buy out your freehold and made the inner city Victorian houses much more attractive and worth "doing up".

 

[Passdout]

Briscoe Buildings (now Renton Close) was Lambeth's first Council Housing

I moved to Renton Close when I was about 2, and stayed for about a year before moving to Cedars Road - Clapham. Despite moving, virtually all of my extended family still lived in Brixton, so we went there either visiting or shopping almost every day.

I remember the immigrant settlers in the 60's, many of whom 'seemed' to work in Brixton market. The ones I came across as a kid all seemed really friendly and warm. There were west Indians, Sikhs and many others. Brixton even then in the 60s seemed a really nice place, but pretty grimy and dirty. It certainly seemed very safe. I dont ever recall feeling frightened or worried about anything there and remember playing with all the kids in Renton Close. There was an old lady living there that used to 'read' peoples fortunes tea-leaves.

Not sure why Brixton has declined, but it was well on its way by the time the majority of immigrants started moving in.

The housing planners of the 60s with their love of ugly concrete blocks have a lot to answer for.

 

[lang rabbie]

The mention of Ted Knight in another thread reminds me of a couple of other one of which is local taxation. The high rates which were supposed to fund social policies instead had the effect of causing both businesses and homeowners to relocate, with predictable effects on the local economy. That also reduced the tax base so the rates had to go up again. This all ended in tears with rate-capping and the poll tax, and authorities like Wandsworth and Westminster pursuing policies which were equally savage in the opposite direction.

There's a street which was always featured in the news about this because it was Lambeth on one side and Wandsworth on the other. Can anyone locate it?

I think this it is a myth that Lambeth's high domestic rates per se drove people out of Brixton. People buying houses just paid lower prices. Other factors like ILEA's secondary school places allocations policy were probably the main reason for middle class families to move to the outer suburbs in the late seventies onwards.

The aftermath of the riots also led to suburban flight by a lot of families, including a substantial number of owner-occupier black families.

The effect on businesses was more real - the toxic combination of Lambeth's business rates and upward only rent reviews did lead quite a few businesses to move out rather than renew leases.

The street that appeared in the Daily Mail and Tory party election broadcasts was Cavendish Road (Clapham South/East Balham) - the stretch between the South Circular at Poynders Road and Emmanuel Road is the borough boundary.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I moved to Renton Close when I was about 2, and stayed for about a year before moving to Cedars Road - Clapham. Despite moving, virtually all of my extended family still lived in Brixton, so we went there either visiting or shopping almost every day.

I remember the immigrant settlers in the 60's, many of whom 'seemed' to work in Brixton market. The ones I came across as a kid all seemed really friendly and warm. There were west Indians, Sikhs and many others. Brixton even then in the 60s seemed a really nice place, but pretty grimy and dirty. It certainly seemed very safe. I dont ever recall feeling frightened or worried about anything there and remember playing with all the kids in Renton Close. There was an old lady living there that used to 'read' peoples fortunes tea-leaves.

Not sure why Brixton has declined, but it was well on its way by the time the majority of immigrants started moving in.

The housing planners of the 60s with their love of ugly concrete blocks have a lot to answer for.

Did an Irish woman called Rose live there?

What happened to all the Sikhs?

 

[Mrs Magpie]

So why did Brixton decline then? Planning blight?

Brixton suffered disproportionally during the blitz. The planning blight followed that.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I'd recommend this book. It's not about Brixton per se, but I learned a lot about Brixton and the surrounding area from it. Wonderful WWII diary, not published till quite a while after the war.

www.persephonebooks.co.uk/pages/books/few_eggs_and_no_oranges.htm

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Brixton suffered disproportionally during the blitz. The planning blight followed that.

I've heard from an old resident that it was because of the munitions factories. There was one at the back of Brixton Hill apparently

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Well the worst damage was done by V1s and V2s which were a bit random.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Here's what a flying bomb did to Effra Parade..
http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/display_page.asp?section=landmark&id=124

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Well the worst damage was done by V1s and V2s which were a bit random.

so why did so many land in Brixton? They must have been targetted towards this area unless they were all meant to fall on central London and were way off target

 

[Mrs Magpie]

This isn't Effra Parade, but Beechdale Road. It gives an idea of what one flying bomb could do...

http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/display_page.asp?section=landmark&id=114

 

[Mrs Magpie]

so why did so many land in Brixton? They must have been targetted towards this area unless they were all meant to fall on central London and were way off target

They were just targeted towards London. The Government deliberately put out misinformation about where flying bombs landed in an effort to thwart any fine tuning. The V1s had an engine that sounded like a motorbike and when the fuel ran out they fell. V2s were rockets (which is why the Americans spirited Werner von Braun away after the war for his knowledge which helped the US in their missile and space projects) and they were supersonic. You couldn't hear them coming.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

This isn't Effra Parade, but Beechdale Road. It gives an idea of what one flying bomb could do...

http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/display_page.asp?section=landmark&id=114

Yeah, seen that one. There was another big one that's in the archives of Dumbarton Road

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Just did a google...this site looks very informative...

www.flyingbombsandrockets.com

 

[oryx]

There's a street which was always featured in the news about this because it was Lambeth on one side and Wandsworth on the other. Can anyone locate it?

I think you might mean Robertson Street in SW8 - made up of small terraced houses with a couple of tower blocks in the background? I can't find a pic - if I do I'll post it up.

I used to live just off it and it was often used to emphasise the 'Wandsworth/Lambeth' divide.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Oi

I've just found that.

According to him no V2s fell on Brixton, but here's a list of the V1s that did

http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/web_content_sw2.html

 

[mysterybadger]

<i>People buying houses just paid lower prices.</i>

High rates holding down property prices is the eventual effect, I agree, but it's still an incentive to move out as (low mortgage + high rates) means you pay the same money over a lifetime but end up with a less valuable property than if you pay (high mortgage + low rates).

 

[Mrs Magpie]

According to him no V2s fell on Brixton, but here's a list of the V1s that did

http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/web_content_sw2.html

I thought that was V2 damage...I know V2s were far far worse. They must have vapourised areas seeing how bad V1 damage was. I now realise how lucky my uncle and Gran were. They were out one day and my gran heard the sound of a V1 and flung my uncle in a ditch and lay on top of him. It went off just the other side of the railway and they had minor injuries (this was a few miles west of London).

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I thought that was V2 damage...I know V2s were far far worse. They must have vapourised areas seeing how bad V1 damage was. I now realise how lucky my uncle and Gran were. They were out one day and my gran heard the sound of a V1 and flung my uncle in a ditch and lay on top of him. It went off just the other side of the railway and they had minor injuries (this was a few miles west of London).

I was a bit surprised as well. I wonder if his info is correct

I have to make brekkie so I'll leave you to search for V2s and Brixton

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Well this is apparently V2 damage...
www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lambeth/lambeth-north/lambeth-baths.htm
...to be honest it seems just as bad....

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

According to that website

The SW4 and SW9 area covers Stockwell and Parts of Clapham.In total 27 V1's and 2 V2's were to strike in this part of London. Bad enough but a lower density than in some other regions,particulary those further to the South East.
about 72. died in the attacks. It is fortunate that 4 of the V1's and 1 V2 fell on Clapham Common thus minimising the risk of casualties. It is also interesting conjecture that the first 3 V1's on the Common fell over a 4 day period perhaps indicating that the Nazi's aim was better than some pundits have indicated.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Well this is apparently V2 damage...
www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lambeth/lambeth-north/lambeth-baths.htm
...to be honest it seems just as bad....

Lucky only two hit then.

Wonder what damage the V3 would have done had it been used?

 

[honto]

Thanks to both Minnie the Minx and Mrs Magpie for book suggestions - will check them out.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Thanks to both Minnie the Minx and Mrs Magpie for book suggestions - will check them out.

Also, if you go to Lambeth Country Show when it's next on, there's people (Brixton Society maybe?) selling books on Brixton and Lambeth