This part of London is known for the riots that erupted here in the early 1980s.
4 min
Mostly Caribbean in the 1970s, the area has since become a multicultural center.
2 min
The nearby building with a turret, Bon Marché, was the UK’s first department store.
3 min
This junction offers a view of the Brixton Academy, one of London’s best live venues.
3 min
With a little bit of everything, this market is central to the community.
2 min
The market stalls along Pope’s Road feature fashionable clothes and electronics.
2 min
This street was the inspiration for the hit song, Electric Avenue, by Eddy Grant.
2 min
In April 1999, this section of Electric Avenue was the site of a bombing.
2 min
This alley features shops on either side and a juice bar in the corner.
1 min
This shopping street features great food markets and coffee shops.
2 min
This legendary record shop is a local institution.
3 min
The courtyard along Coldharbour Lane was once home to a famous record shack.
2 min
Called the ugliest building in Europe, the estate was made with its back to the road.
2 min
Once called the Atlantic, this was one of the area’s main black pubs.
1 min
This area of Brixton was once packed with MCs, DJs, gangsters, pimps, and more.
3 min
This area was the center of the 1981 Brixton riot.
7 min
After the riot, Brixton was in shambles - but the riot has led to positive change.
4 min
This road is named for the River Effra, which is now underground & basically a sewer.
2 min
This square represents an important part of Brixton’s Caribbean heritage.
3 min
The garden and library here were founded by Sir Henry Tate, a sugar merchant.
3 minThe bustling streets of Brixton are full of music, art, markets, poets, radicals and preachers.
Alex Wheatle, the Brixton Bard, takes you on a personal journey around the area he first discovered in the 1970s when it was vibrating with reggae baselines and the smog of uprising was in the air. Follow him through Brixton's legendary market and round its diverse and vibrant streets.
The tour features exclusive interviews, original compositions and atmospheric sound effects.
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Alex Wheatle is an awarding-winning novelist. His published works include Brixton Rock (1999), Island Songs (2005) and Brenton Brown (2011).
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