Brixton Village
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Brixton Market comprises a street market in the centre of
Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...
, south
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, and the adjacent covered market areas in nearby arcades Reliance Arcade, Market Row and Granville Arcade (rebranded as 'Brixton Village' in 2009). The market sells a wide range of foods and goods but is best known for its African and Caribbean produce, which reflect the diverse community of Brixton and surrounding areas of
Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...
. The Street Market is managed by the
London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London is at Frazi ...
. The covered arcades have always been in private ownership, although substantial public funding was provided for their refurbishment under the Brixton Challenge grant scheme. The market was severely damaged by fire on 16 July 2022.


History

The Market began on Atlantic Road in the 1870s and subsequently spread to Brixton Road which had a very wide footway. Brixton then was a rapidly expanding London railway suburb with newly opening shops, including the first London branch of David Greig at 54-58 Atlantic Road in 1870, and London's first purpose-built department store, Bon Marché, on Brixton Road in 1877. The market was a popular attraction, with shoppers being entertained by street musicians.
Electric Avenue Electric Avenue is a street in Brixton, London built in 1888. It was the first market street to be lit by electric lights. Today, Electric Avenue contains national retail chains (Boots, Greggs, and Iceland), as well as various local food and ...
which is now part of the street market was built in the 1880s and was one of the first streets to have electric light. Glazed iron canopies covered the footpath, but these were significantly damaged by WW2 bombs, and finally removed in the 1980s. The song "
Electric Avenue Electric Avenue is a street in Brixton, London built in 1888. It was the first market street to be lit by electric lights. Today, Electric Avenue contains national retail chains (Boots, Greggs, and Iceland), as well as various local food and ...
" was written by
Eddy Grant Edmond Montague Grant (born 5 March 1948) is a Guyanese in the United Kingdom, Guyanese-British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for his genre-blending sound and socially conscious lyrics; his music has blended elements of p ...
referring to this area of the market. In 2016, Electric Avenue was refurbished with funding from the Mayor of London's High Street Fund, Lambeth Council, Transport for London and the Heritage Lottery fund to include an illuminated sign celebrating the area's history.


The covered market arcades

The market arcades were built in the 1920s and 1930s when road widening on Brixton Road forced traders from their established pitches. Reliance Arcade, 455 Brixton Road (c1924) provides a narrow pedestrian route from Brixton Road to Electric Lane. It incorporates the original Georgian house and has a beautiful Egyptian tomb facade to Electric Lane; it was extended forward by Ernest J Thomas in 1931. Inside there are small shops no larger than market stalls and a glazed roof provide the light. Reliance Arcade is Grade II listed, and was added to English Heritage's Heritage At Risk Register in October 2014. Market Row, 40–44 Atlantic Road was designed by Andrews and Peascod in 1928. It was built in the back yards of existing premises and links Atlantic Road, Coldharbour Lane and Electric Lane. The interior is double-height and windows in the roof provide light. Brixton Village, Coldharbour Lane was built as Granville Arcade in 1937 to designs of Alfred and Vincent Burr; the developer was Philip Granville-Grossman. It was opened by actor
Carl Brisson Carl Brisson (24 December 1893 – 25 September 1958), born Carl Frederik Ejnar Pedersen, was a Danish film actor and singer. He appeared in 13 films between 1918 and 1935, including two silent films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In the 1934 ...
on 6 May 1937. It has an interior of narrow covered streets called 'Avenues', and is double-height, similar to Market Row. There are over 100 shops. It links Coldharbour Lane, Atlantic Road and Popes Road. The three market arcades in close proximity, forming an extensive network of stalls, are rare survivals and their special character is what marks out Brixton as distinctive from other suburban shopping centres: a mixture of history, interesting architecture, the variety of goods on sale and the cultural mix of Brixton, known as the symbolic 'soul of black Britain'. Since 2011, the shops in Brixton Village and, more recently, Market Row and Reliance Arcade have been increasingly converted into cafes and restaurants, serving a wide range of different cuisines. As a result, they are now open 8:00 am – 11.30 pm every day except Monday, when they shut at 6:00 pm.


Proposed redevelopment of covered market arcades (2008–2009)

In 2007, Market Row and Brixton Village were sold along with the other London market interests of APL Ocean Ltd to London & Associated Properties. In 2008, the new owners released proposals to redevelop the Brixton Village covered market. The proposal included the removal of the existing building and the building of a 10-storey privately owned residential tower block and private park, above a new market building. In January 2009, London and Associated Properties employed communications company Four Communications to undertake a survey of local opinion. Concerns were raised on the Brixton Community website
Urban 75 Urban75, also known as U75 or simply Urban, is a website and internet forum based in Brixton, London, and online since 1995. History Urban75 originated from a football comic ''Bluebird Jones'' - an e-zine formed around football fans opposition ...
that the survey was one sided, only available in English. Friends of Brixton Market, traders and residents ran a successful campaign against the proposals. Paul Bakalite's proposal for Listing was strongly supported by the
Twentieth Century Society The Twentieth Century Society (abbreviated to C20), founded in 1979 as The Thirties Society, is a British charity that campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onwards. It is formally recognised as one of the National ...
. In April 2010 the Secretary of State of the Department of Culture (DCMS) announced that the government had overturned its previous decision not award heritage protection to these three arcades and declared all three Grade II
listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
. They were listed by virtue of their cultural importance and contribution to the social and economic history of Brixton, particularly since the 1950s as one of the principal hearts of the Afro-Caribbean community in London, as well as for their architectural importance since such arcades, once more common, are now rare.


Controversial redevelopment plans for Brixton Arches (2016–2017)

In 2015,
Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and railway infrastructure manager, infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. ...
contacted the merchants trading from the commercial premises located under the railway arches on Atlantic Road indicating plans to close those premises for a year for refurbishment as part of the Brixton Central masterplan for redevelopment of the area. This led to a public outcry from traders, many of whom had been occupying their retail space for decades, claiming that this closure was an excuse to increase rents as they would be able to return to occupy the same space, but with a 350% increase of their rents. The traders and community launched the Save Brixton Arches campaign, which fed into the anti-gentrification movement already underway within the Brixton community and culminated in a protest at the local council meeting where community activists declared the "death of Brixton" after the plans were approved. In 2017, the majority of the arches traders ceased trading and hoardings were installed over the empty premises, but development has stalled due to complications involving the leases of two of the tenants. During the same decade a series of properties comprising most of Brixton Market were purchased by Hondo a company controlled by Taylor McWilliams an American investor. McWilliams has since proposed building an office tower twenty stories tall on Electric Avenue.


Individuals

*
David Copeland The 1999 London nail bombings were a series of bomb explosions in London, England. Over three successive weekends between 17 and 30 April 1999, homemade nail bombs were detonated in Brixton in South London; at Brick Lane, Spitalfields, in the ...
*
Eddy Grant Edmond Montague Grant (born 5 March 1948) is a Guyanese in the United Kingdom, Guyanese-British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for his genre-blending sound and socially conscious lyrics; his music has blended elements of p ...
*Sir
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...
* Taylor McWilliams


Market Roads in Brixton

*Pope's Road *
Electric Avenue Electric Avenue is a street in Brixton, London built in 1888. It was the first market street to be lit by electric lights. Today, Electric Avenue contains national retail chains (Boots, Greggs, and Iceland), as well as various local food and ...
* Brixton Station Road


See also

*
New Covent Garden Market New Covent Garden Market in Nine Elms, London, is the largest wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower market in the United Kingdom. It covers a site of and is home to about 200 fruit, vegetable and flower companies. The market serves 40% of the f ...
*
Brixton railway station Brixton railway station is a commuter railway Railway station, station in Brixton, South London, United Kingdom, UK. It is on the Chatham Main Line, down the line from . Trains are operated by Southeastern (train operating company), Southeaste ...
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References


External links


Brixton Street Market websiteBrixton Village website
Streets in the London Borough of Lambeth Retail markets in London Brixton