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Brixton is an area of South London , England , part of the London Borough Of Lambeth . It is bordered by Stockwell , Clapham Common , Streatham , Camberwell , Tulse Hill and Herne Hill . HISTORY Brixton appears in Domesday Book as ''Brixiestan''. Brixton was a Hundred (these are not marked on the Surrey map, which shows only Domesday Manor s) , an administrative area, where local leaders met about once a month. Brixistan meant 'at the stone of Brihtsige'. Surrey Domesday Book Brixton remained mostly waste land until the beginning of the 19th century, the main settlements being near Stockwell , Brixton Hill and Coldharbour Lane . With the opening of Vauxhall Bridge in 1816, improved access to Central London led to a process of suburban development. The largest single development, and one of the last in suburban character, was Angell Town , laid out in the 1850s on the east side of Brixton Road , and so named after a family which owned land in Lambeth from the late 17th century until well into the 20th. It was part of Surrey until the creation of the County Of London in 1889. BRIXTON TODAY Brixton is an inner London suburb 3.3 miles (5.3 km) south of Charing Cross and is the unofficial capital of the Jamaica n, British African and Caribbean community of London. Windrush Square between Lambeth Town Hall and the Tate Library was created to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the modern Afro-Caribbean Community on the Empire Windrush . Modern day Brixton is home to six big housing estates: Myatts Field off Vassall Road; Angell Town off Brixton Road on the boundary with Camberwell; Loughborough in the centre of Brixton; Moorlands Estate, situated off Coldharbour Lane; St Matthew's, located in the fork between Brixton Hill and Effra Road; Tulse Hill a little further South of St. Matthews. People come from miles around to shop in the busy Brixton market, which features Halal meats and fresh West-Indian vegetables and fruits. Brixton's "connectivity" has made it an attraction for middle-class families and 'City' commuters alike. Brixton's central location, good transport links (i.e. the Victoria Line and multiple bus and rail connections), and attractive Victorian houses have been contributing factors in the gentrification of the area. However, despite the influx of "City" and "Media" commuters, the gentrification is partial, and Brixton remains a diverse community; a mixture of different classes, cultures, and fruits (e.g. apple to mango). Brixton is the heart of one of the most deprived boroughs in the U.K.(Lambeth) along with other areas of London such as Hackney and Southwark (to which Peckham belongs). Brixton is host to one of Europe's great social experiments, the Loughborough Estate (home to more than 3000 families). The Estate is a mixture of 1940s low-rise buildings and 1960's-70's tower blocks and houses. The West Indian, British, Latin American and African population of the Estate makes for an enriching daily existence. ENTERTAINMENT There is a significant Clubbing and live music scene. Large venues include the Carling Brixton Academy (changed from Brixton Academy in 2004), The Fridge and Mass . A range of smaller venues such as The Prince Albert , The Windmill , The Dogstar, Jamm , The Telegraph , Plan B , The 414 , The Effra Tavern , and The Grosvenor are a major part of London's live music scene, drawing performers with international reputations. BRIXTON RIOTS Brixton was the scene of disorder in initiatives, the continued death of young black men in police custody (and in one case the death of a man holding a gun-shaped cigarette lighter) coupled with general distrust of the police led to smaller scale protests through the 1990s (see Brixton Riot (1995) ) BRIXTON IN SONG References to Brixton in song started with the release of 'Whoppi King' by Laurel Aitken in 1968 and 'Brixton Cat' by Dice the Boss in 1969. This was followed in August 1975 by a song written and sung by Geraint Hughes and Jeff Calvert (who billed themselves as "Typically Tropical"): two white men who told the story of a Brixton bus-driver "going' to Barbados" with Coconut Airways to escape the rain in London. There was also a song titled " Rumble in Brixton " written by "Brian Setzer" and fellow "Stray Cats" band member "Slim Jim Phantom". The song was written by the two with the inspiration from a news paper aticle about a riot between the Skin heads and the Rockabillys. It is a wonderful song and gives a good idea of life in Brixton in the 1980's The 1979 song " The Guns Of Brixton " by The Clash deals with law enforcement violence in Brixton. Written by Paul Simonon , who grew up in Brixton, it had a reggae influence and showed the reggae roots of both Brixton and Paul Simonon's musical background. Before a 'Jamm' gig, well-known punk band The Misfits were involved in a fight and thrown into Brixton Prison, which led them to write their famous song 'London Dungeon'. Ian Hunter's 1981 album 'Short Back 'n' Sides' contains a track called 'Theatre of the Absurd' which refers to the Brixton law enforcement problem. "Play me some, play me some, play me Brixton power," is the chorus line, and the issue of race is opened with the first lines, "My tea turns seven shades darker as I sit and write these words. And London's gettin' paler, in my Theatre of the Absurd." The production of the record was overseen by Mick Jones of The Clash . Eddy Grant 's 1982 album 'Killer on the Rampage' contains the smash " Electric Avenue ", a reference to a shopping street in central Brixton, one of the first in the UK to have electric street lighting installed (when Brixton's character was very different). The song evokes images of poverty, violence and misery while also celebrating the vibe of the area. The song " Waiting For The Worms " from Pink Floyd 's " The Wall " has a rally leader speaking into a megaphone to a racist rally mob, which acts as some of the lyrics to separate verses of the song. The very first lyrics heard from the megaphone are, "We have been ordered to convene outside Brixton town hall..." The album was released in 1979, two years before the start of the Riots Of 1981 . In 1999 the U.S. Bombs album "The World" was released with the song entitled "Joe's Tune", which referenced Brixton and the plight of the poor. The town also featured in the underground UK grime smash 'Southside' By Various Artists and in the song "Has It Come To This?" by UK rapper The Streets . Amy Winehouse references Brixton in the song "Me and Mr. Jones" off her 2006 album ''Back to Black''. The song is about a tumultuous relationship with a man that is nevertheless indestructible: "Rulers one thing, / But come Brixton / Nobody stand in between me and my man / Cuz it's me and Mr. Jones (me and Mr. Jones." BRIXTON IN FILM Director Richard Parry shot a film here (released in 2001) called '' South West Nine '' (SW9), referring to the postcode covering much of central Brixton. Confusingly, this postcode is officially that of Stockwell - although the northern part of Brixton falls within the boundary - whereas SW2 (the Brixton Hill sorting office) also covers Tulse Hill A204 Road , Streatham Hill and Brixton Hill . 'Reg Llama of Brixton' was mentioned in the (farcical) opening credits of the seminal 1975 comedy film Monty Python And The Holy Grail . Brixton was also mentioned in the film "V for Vendetta" as being the location where the first riots against Chancellor Adam Sutler 's authoritarian British government broke out, which resulted in Sutler calling out the army to try and stop growing public support for "V". The film '' Johnny Was '', with the exception of a number of flashback sequences, is set entirely in Brixton. Ross Kemp filmed in Brixton on two occasions for his programme "Ross Kemp on Gangs" The Prince and the Showgirl In the 1957 film The Prince And The Showgirl starring Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe , Olivier's character ( Charles, the Prince Regent ) asks Elsie Marina (played by Monroe) where she lives, to which Monroe replies "Brixton Water Lane". NELSON MANDELA Brixton's symbolic role as the "soul of Black Britain" led to a 1996 visit by Nelson Mandela . This included a brief visit to Mandela Street, part of a modern housing development constructed in the mid 80s and named after the former South African president. Mr. Mandela also visited the Brixton Recreation Centre during his visit. BRIXTON BOMBING On 17 April 1999 Neo-nazi bomber David Copeland planted a nail Bomb in Electric Avenue , which exploded on market day by the Iceland Supermarket at the junction with Brixton High Street. Around 50 people were injured, including a toddler, who had a nail driven through his skull. Copeland was sentenced to six life sentences in June 2000 after also bombing Brick Lane , the heart of East London's Bangladeshi community, and a gay pub in Soho . BRIXTON GUN CRIME AND STREET GANGS Brixton is notorious for its gun crime, which is linked largely to local gangs and its growing crack problem. A number of shootings were reported in Brixton last year, including the shooting of two teenagers in the local McDonalds, in front of many innocent bystanders. The main shooting hotspots are found around Coldharbour Lane, with Angell Town, Loughborough Junction, Tulse Hill and Myatts Fields being among the worst affected. The Metropolitan Police's "Operation Trident" has made some attempt to decrease the amount of gun crime in the area, with armed police and riot van response units now patrolling areas of Brixton, after a number of fatal shootings occurred in South London over the recent months. Lambeth holds the highest percentage of homicides and gun enabled crime in London, which is largely focused around Brixton, with 15 deaths and 239 shootings in 2006 alone. The last few years has seen problems escalating amongst some youths from Brixton and nearby Peckham in the adjacent borough. This is the result of a long-lasting feud between the two areas (the predominating reason behind the various shootings and murders in Brixton and Peckham). Many Gang members in PDC Driven Children) and The Muslim Boys are located in the Brixton area as well as various other gangs including some members from the Stockwell crew. [2 Brixton is home to many of the main operating gangs in the UK all of which have particular hotspots in which they inhabit and also carry social status symbols such as specific-colored bandanas to express their allegiance to their gang. PDC (Poverty Driven Children) is said to be the largest gang in the UK and is based in and around the Angell Town area of Brixton, and also in some of the estates in Stockwell. PDC have many sub-gangs inside it which all work under "PDC" but carry different names such as the gang Roadside g's who are mainly responsible for the high level of drive-by shootings in and around Brixton, and Pif-Pif who are also another sub-group of PDC. They are all seen to wear purple bandanas. Bloodset & Cripset are two other large gangs operating mainly in the centre of Brixton. Cripset is in collaboration with a smaller, local gang called MZ (Murder Zone). These gangs are seen to wear red/blue bandanas based on the bloods and crips of America. OTray is a gang that inhabits the areas connecting Loughborough Estate to Angell Town,they are also linked to a stockwell gang called "g-street" who wear red bandanas and inhabit the Lansdowne way, gaskwel street and Wandsworth road area. O.C. (Organised Criminals) are a gang that often works in collaboration with PDC, operating in the Myatts field estate of Brixton and also in some of the estate blocks in Kennington, a neighbouring area. They are infamous in South London for their apparent "uncaring" attitude. They are seen to sport green bandanas. L.S. (Loughborough Soldiers) are a large gang that inhabit the whole of the Loughborough estates and Coldharbour Lane next to Loughborough Junction railway station. This gang is seen to wear brown bandanas. A.L.C. (Acre Lane Campaign), as the name suggests, is based in Acre Lane in Brixton and is another gang that seems to have a strong allegiance to Cripset also known as Acre Lane Crips and A Lifetime Commitment. BRIXTON MARKET The heart of Brixton is the Market , open every day selling produce from all over the world. The song " Electric Avenue ", written and sung by Eddy Grant in 1982, refers to part of the market so named because it was the first streets in Britain to be lit with electric lamps, in 1888 (Brixton itself is mentioned in the lyrics at the very end of the song). The market sells a huge range of Afro-Caribbean products as well as reflecting the many other communities in the local area with Indian and Vietnamese supermarkets and South American butchers amongst the shops and stalls. Brixton is also home to a 1970s purpose built Skatepark , named Stockwell Skatepark . Brixton also has a Windmill built in 1816, and surrounded by houses built soon after, as London expanded. The Windmill pub (see above) is named after it. TRANSPORT Roads Brixton sits on several main roads. The A23 London to Brighton road runs North-South through the area. There is also the A203 which links to Vauxhall Bridge along with the A204 and A2217 . Brixton was due to be a major interchange of the South Cross Route , part of the London Ringways plan, which was cancelled in the 1970s. Rail and Underground Trains operate from Brixton Railway Station between London Victoria and Kent . Brixton Tube Station is the southern terminus of the Victoria Line of the London Underground , which has trains operating to Central London . Buses Brixton is a main meeting point for many , 3 , 35 , 37 , 45 , 59 , 109 , 118 , 133 , 159 , 196 , 250 , 322 , 333 , 345 , 355 , 432 , P4 and P5 . Trams Transport For London has proposed building the Cross River Tram from Camden Town to Brixton via central London. FAMOUS PEOPLE FROM BRIXTON Three people who have lived in Brixton have Blue Plaque s marking their former homes:
Other notable people with Brixton connections include:
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