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Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth.
Brixton is a vibrant inner London suburb, capital of the Jamaican community of London. Windrush Square between Lambeth Town
Hall and the Tate Library was formed to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the modern British Afro-Caribbean community on the
Empire Windrush
There is a significant clubbing and live music scene. Large venues include the
Brixton Academy, The Fridge and Mass. A range of smaller venues such
as the 414, Windmill and the Effra Tavern amongst others are a crucial part of London's live music scene, drawing performers with
international reputations.
Brixton was the scene of race riots in April 1981 and September
1985. In both cases the riots saw young black men reacting to concerns over discriminatory and heavy-handed "stop-and-search"
policing. Following the 1981 riots, the Government appointed Lord Scarman
to report (http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/25/newsid_2546000/2546233.stm).
Although the Brixton area subsequently saw pioneering community policing iniatives, the continued death in police custody of young black men led to
smaller scale protests through the 1990s.
More recently, Brixton's symbolic role at the "soul of Black Britain" led to a 1996 visit by Nelson Mandela, but also attracted the attention of neo-nazi bomber David Copeland in a 1999 blast that
injured 39 people.
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 Eddie
Grant in 1983, refers to part of the market (come out of the tube, turn left then left
again), so named because it was the first street 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 amongst others.
Director Richard Parry shot a film here (released in 2001) called
South West Nine
(SW9), referring to the post code covering much of central Brixton. Confusingly, this post code is actually for Stockwell, whereas SW2 (the Brixton Hill sorting office) also covers much of Streatham Hill
Former British Prime Minister John Major spent part of his childhood in a
two-room flat off Coldharbour Lane, and started his political career as a Lambeth Councillor while still living in the area.
Former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was born in
Brixton.
David Bowie was born in Stansfield Road, Brixton.
Drum and bass producer Dillinja is from here.
The song "Guns of Brixton" by The Clash, written by Paul Simonon, had reggae influence and showed the reggae roots of both Brixton and
Paul Simonon's musical background.
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.
Nearby places
Nearest tube station:
Nearest railway station:
Brixton is served by many bus routes.
External link
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