Brixton Hill is the name given to a section of road between

Brixton Brixton is a district in 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 ce ...

and

Streatham Hill Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surre ...

in south

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Brixton Hill and Streatham Hill form part of the traditional main London to Brighton road (A23). The road follows the line of a Roman Road, the

London to Brighton Way The London to Brighton Way, also called the London to Portslade Way, is a Roman road between Stane Street at Kennington Park and Brighton (or more specifically Portslade) in Sussex. The road passes through Streatham and Croydon, then through t ...

, which diverges from Stane Street near Kennington, and led south from the capital,

Londinium Londinium, also known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule. It was originally a settlement established on the current site of the City of London around AD 47–50. It sat at a key cross ...

, to a port on the south coast.

History

Prior to the late 19th century, the road was known as Brixton (or Bristow)

Causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...

. On the eastern side of the road, a series of tree-lined open spaces and front gardens make up

Rush Common Rush Common is a linear protected open space and former common land in Brixton, London, England. It was enclosed in 1806 with the sections fronting public highways protected from development as proscribed land. Most of this land now forms private ...

— an area of former common land that, although it is subject to a prohibition on 'erections above the surface of the earth' under an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

of 1806, has seen some incursions for building. The name Brixton Hill has subsequently been given to the residential areas on both sides of the road, and since 2002, it has also been the name of an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

of the

London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London boroughs, 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 ...

. From 1891 until the 1950s Brixton Hill was served by a regular London tram service; it was cable-drawn until 1904 when it was replaced by a conventional electric tram. The tram depot at Streatham Hill, opposite Telford Avenue, housed the tram cars, horses and the steam-powered winding gear for the cable. It is now a bus depot. Another surviving tram shed, which can still be seen near the junction of Brixton Hill with Christchurch Road, was designed by

London County Council Tramways The London County Council Tramways was an extensive network of public street tramways operated by the council throughout the County of London, UK, from 1899 to 1933, when they were taken over by the London Passenger Transport Board. Acquisit ...

' architect G. Topham Forest, and had a capacity of 30 trams.

Notable residents

Edward Petherick Edward Augustus Petherick, , (6 March 1847 – 17 September 1917) was a prominent Australian bookseller, book collector, bibliographer, publisher and archivist, whose collection became the basis of the Australiana section of the then Commonwealt ...

, Australian bookseller and bibliophile lived at ''Yarra Yarra'' 30 Brixton Hill. He maintained a library, which was particularly extensive as regards Australia. George William Rusden was a frequent visitor when writing his books ''History of Australia'' and ''History of New Zealand''. *

67 (rap group) 67 (pronounced ''six-seven'') are a British hip hop collective originally composed of rappers LD, Monkey, Dimzy, Liquez, ASAP and 67 Sj. The group has expanded since its inception, with many new members joining. They are best known for their 201 ...

Sarah Everard On the evening of 3 March 2021, 33-year-old Sarah Everard was kidnapped in South London, England, as she was walking home to the Brixton Hill area from a friend's house near Clapham Common. She was stopped by off-duty Metropolitan Police office ...

, a marketing executive was living here. She was murdered in 2021.

Lambeth Council elections

References

{{coord, 51.4535, -0.1205, type:landmark_region:GB-LBH, display=title Streets in the London Borough of Lambeth Brixton