When you step outside Brixton station and turn left, you might feel like you’ve journeyed back in time to the 1960s. The air is filled with the voices of greengrocers announcing apple prices, chefs conjuring delectable feasts for eager diners, and people of all ages mingling, conversing, dancing, and perusing a diverse array of goods, from vintage clothing to vinyl records. Brixton Village, a vibrant hub of culture, community, and commerce, crackles with energy. This fiercely independent market has been a cornerstone of the multicultural Brixton community for over 160 years.
The history of Market Row and Granville Arcade, now known as Brixton Village, spans epochs of world events, from world wars to economic hardship and rejuvenation.
‘South London’s Oxford Street’
As Victorian London experienced a rapid suburban expansion and industrialization, Brixton emerged as the shopping destination of South London. It wasn’t just the sprawling outdoor market, offering fresh produce and household goods, that drew shoppers in. The first department store, the Bon Marche, built in 1877, and Electric Avenue, the first shopping street illuminated with electric lighting in 1888, ensured that Brixton established itself as a haven for the middle class and creative luminaries, including Van Gogh and Charlie Chaplin.
Local historian and secretary at The Brixton Society, Alan Piper, compares the area to Oxford Street in its heyday, stating, “Brixton was probably South London’s premier shopping destination a hundred years ago.”
However, it wasn’t until 1937 that what we now know as Brixton Village became Granville Arcade, named after its developer, Mr. Granville-Grossman. Despite the enduring popularity of the market during the early 1900s, suburban areas elsewhere in London began to catch up, diverting investment away from South London’s commercial center, especially after the post-World War II reconstruction effort. The closure of the Bon Marche department store and the urban planning challenges of the post-war period significantly affected the market’s reputation.
‘The market developed its soul’
Despite the limited business investment in the market after the war, Brixton experienced a resurgence with the arrival of HMS Windrush in 1948. The National Archives report that the ship carried 1,027 passengers, with over 800 of them identifying their last place of residence as somewhere in the Caribbean.
In the following two decades, nearly half a million individuals from Commonwealth countries relocated to the UK, a significant number of them settling in Brixton, particularly those from the West Indies. This influx of residents breathed new life into the neighborhood. David Bowie lived nearby, and the vibrant Jamaican singer Alton Ellis owned a renowned record shop specializing in reggae music. The area buzzed with cultural activities, boasting theaters to rival the West End.
“It felt like the market itself had a soul,” says Alan Piper, capturing the palpable sense of community and vibrancy that permeated Brixton during this period.
