25 brilliant black and white pictures which show Brixton life over the past 120 years

Go back in time with our pictures of a south London neighbourhood in the making
1/25

Brixton is one of London's most rapidly changing areas. Each week a new artisan fried chicken bar, cocktail den or smart estate agent seems to open as gentrification sweeps over the south London district.

When 'Brixton Boy' David Bowie died in January this year, Brixton was thrust into the limelight further with various street parties held and murals painted in his honour.

But it seems the regeneration of Brixton is not just a recent thing. This collection of photographs shows how the area has undergone a number of changes over the years, constantly evolving in character and social stucture.

From a middle class suburb in the 1890s, the south London neighbourhood flourished in the Victorian era but turned to urban decay as a result of the Second World War bombings. In the 1940s and 1950s, recently arrived Caribbean communities settled in the newly built council houses in the area, establishing Brixton as the centre of a nascent multi-cultural Britain.

A photograph from the early 1900s depicts the days when trams connected Brixton to Kennington and Elephant and Castle, while a picture from 1923 shows a more exotic mode of transport vying for attention - a zebra and trap.

Others show young boys delighting in the snow as their toboggan turns over, and a 1930s snapshot of Brixton market - one of London's top attractions today.

From the Christmas Lights in the 1920s to the extension of the Victoria line in 1971, these photographs will take you on a journey of Brixton life through the years.

One thing's clear from the pictures, Brixton has always been a good place for good night out - perhaps less so for Mick Jagger, who is pictured being driven to prison.

Click through our gallery above to take a tour of this ever-evolving south London district.

Follow us on Twitter @eslifeandstyle

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in