Rather Superb Tour of Brixton - London History and Culture

In this rather excellent walking tour of Brixton Joolz shows how the area has changed from fields and farm land in the 19th century to a multicultural bustling hub of activity.

Brixton was home to David Bowie, John Major and many of the people who arrived from the Caribbean on the Windrush in 1948. Since then Brixton has been the heart of the Afro-Caribbean community in London where you can find the Black Cultural Archive and Brixton Market with culturally diverse shops and food.
Also home to the famous Blacker Dread record store and Pop Brixton, a market made of shipping containers.
We meet poet Naturalie Wright and poet and community activist Michael Groce who recalls the Brixton riots and how they started as well as how the place has changed over the years.
Brixton Academy has one of London's largest stages and has hosted most of the famous bands you can name over the years.
Visit the house where David Bowie was born and also his mural which has become a shrine.
Brixton also was home to the UK's first department store and Electric Avenue, the first market street to be lit by electricity.
There's even an underground river which had a coffin floating down it, the Ambrose Chapel from Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much and a functioning windmill!

Thanks to Matt Fletcher for all your work.

Also, check out Michael Groce's Website ➜

And his poetry event "Doing The Lambeth Walk Open Mic"

Date: Fri 13 Mar, 19:00

Location: Brixton People's Kitchen Cafe

[Joolzguides]

Or visit joolzguides.com to buy tasteful merchandise!

[deborahbarnes]

Well done Joolz. I’m second generation
British Jamaican. My grandparents and parents were part of the Windrush generation and I was born and grew up in Brixton. Happy memories.
Thank you for highlighting old and new Brixton

[moldie]

Superb production - the guests, the music, Brixton history.

[oldproji]

Just a few memories when I was a kid: nicking apples and oranges from the market stalls along electric avenue, always great fun. Watching the eels being cooked at the back of Woolworths and going to the Pie & Mash shop for double pie and mash. Hopping the Wag from school and spending the day at Brockwell Park. The Ritzy was called The Pullman in my day and KFC was once an estate agents. Opposite Tulse Hill School grounds was land that once had grand three story Victorian Villas built on it. They were abandoned during the war and later demolished. We called this waste ground The Chinese Tower. Also further down from there was land we called Bird's Paradise - a great place for scrumping thanks to all manner of fruit trees in abundance. There are well established Council Estates on both areas of land now. Brixton was a great place to grow up. We were poor but never felt as though we went without anything. Summer holidays were spent outdoors from 8am till it was time for tea. We made our own fun, making go-carts from old pram wheels and scraps of wood, selling old newspapers to "The Black Prince" scrap yard and collecting old lemonade bottles to get the threepence deposit back on the bottles. Urchins we were, of that there is no doubt, and Brixton treated us unfairly at times; but overall those days were full of sunshine, roller skating rink, Saturday Morning Minors club, and a clip round the ear from the local bobby now and then, and another one from our parents for luck. I hope the generation growing up there today get as much joy from it as I and my family did.

[jimkobe]

"I miss Peckham." "Don't be stupid Rodney, even the Luftwaffe didn't miss Peckham."

[maggiesamuels]

My mum was born in Brixton in 1925, and i moved to Brixton from Brighton 7 years ago. Great video thank you. Xx

[steveallen]

I've visited London a dozen or so times, I'd class myself as a tourist, but with every new JoolZ guide I want to go again, there's just so many reasons to be there! The nostalgia is just, amazing!

[oldproji]

I grew up here from 1943 -1969, when I married and moved away. My memories are vivid, but many of the places I loved as a child are just not there anymore. I went to Effra Parade infant and Junior school, then on to Santley Street until Tulse Hill School was built and I moved there. I became Cinema Projectionist, working at the Regal Streatham for a good few years as well as other cinemas both on the ABC circuit and Odeon circuit. They were great days. I'm 76 now and still remember those days as though they were yesterday. Long live Brixton.

[BarryJack]

Joolz, I started watching your videos during Covid lock-down in South Africa, and subsequently bought your book. I recently had the pleasure of following my first walk from the book; and, as I was in the area for a day, I chose the one in Brixton. I found it thoroughly enjoyable, and your guidebook really enhanced the experience. Now I've come across this particular video, which I hadn't seen before, and I've been able to relive my enjoyable day in Brixton all over again. (If anything, I'd say that Brixton looks lightly smarter and neater than it did 3 years ago. It's nice to see that not everything goes to seed.) Thanks again.

[lavenderfae]

It's utterly beyond me how anyone could ever give these guides a thumb down. Very informative and highly amusing. I guess there's no accounting for some folk 🤷 🤔 🤦‍♀️

[alrightwithms]

I’m a Croydon gal that now lives in Perth Western Australia. Thanks for this video. I have very vivid memories of Brixton that I will always cherish. 🤗

[SparrowsaFarthing]

You all are in my age range and the references you make to songs and things from the 80’s warms the cockles of my heart ❤️ God bless you for the little spark of joy you bring to this cold Nebraskans heart. 😘

[slimblu]

My parents moved to Brixton from Ireland in the early 60's and still live here, in the same house my brothers and I were raised in. This was a fascinating video.

[chipbhi]

We were in London for Christmas. Thank you for all of your wonderful guides. They helped us immensely.

[dawndriscoll]

The Brixton Academy was a cinema called the Brixton Astoria in the 60s. I used to go there every Saturday for 'Saturday Morning Pictures' with loads of other kids. When I first went back there, a few years ago for a concert, I was amazed at how little it had changed!

[paulg]

I think I'm addicted to this channel superb should be on the school history curriculem. 👍

[stefan-anamericaninrussiaa]

These just keep getting better and better..

[gigteevee]

Thanks for keeping things South 😁 Please come to Tooting, plenty of history (and markets).

[frevilo]

I was born and raised in Brixton, just before the '81 riots. Myatts field, then moved to Tulse hill estate and cressingham gardens estate. I loved those years. I moved from South to Hackney when I was 18.

[sallybethstories.voiceartist]

I love these videos. They are addictive, you do them so well! Thank you.