This
is a route of contrasts. It combines the
south eastern section, "Effra", of
Brixton's town with Brixton's Brockwell Park
countryside and includes a lovely old walled
garden.
Please
click on the map for a higher resolution
version
WHAT
IS "EFFRA"?
Centuries
ago the area between what are now Atlantic
and Railton Roads on the east, and Effra and
Dulwich Roads on the west, was the old Manor
of Heathrow. In those times this name was
pronounced something like "Hethraw"
with the accent on "heth". In local
speech "h"s were often dropped and
"th"s often became "f"s.
It
was Alan Piper, Secretary of the Brixton
Society and author of the History of Brixton,
who recognised in Heathrow and Effra two ways
of saying the same name. The Heathrow area
was known as Effra Farm by 1800, shortly
before it began to be built on. The little
river flowing from the Norwood hills to the
Thames at Vauxhall ran the whole length of
Effra Farm and this is probably where
Brixton's river got its name.
RUNNING
IN
This
trail begins at Brixton Underground station.
From the tube station, turn left and walk up
to the traffic lights. Cross the road to the
Ritzy and turn left down Coldharbour Lane.
At
the first turning on the right (Rushcroft
Road) you can see on one corner over the
stores a good example of what was once a
"temperance" billiard hall, dating
from the beginning of the century. The new
brick building on the other corner is part of
a complex providing rented accommodation for
young people.
This
neighbourhood is alive with sound and colour
and typical of Brixton town centre. At the
lights turn right into Atlantic Road and walk
on the right hand side of the road.
ATLANTIC
ROAD
Passing
the Dogstar pub look at the two or three
shops between the pub and the next street
corner. In the white tiled floors outside the
doors is the name "David Greig",
with his logo on the brown tiled walls under
the shop windows. In 1888 at the age of 23
David opened his first food shop at no. 58,
later acquiring nos. 54 and 56. This was the
start of what became one of the biggest
grocery chains in the country. He lived over
the shop and later moved with his family to
Josephine Avenue and later still to Brixton
Hill.
SALTOUN ROAD
The
second street to the right, Saltoun Road,
which runs down to the one way system at the
town centre, has good specimens of unbroken
Victorian terraces. As you walk towards Herne
Hill Station look down each of the streets on
the right. In this way you can see a good
slice of residential Brixton. The first few
streets are fairly uniform, being part of a
single estate built in the 1870s. Further on
there is greater variety.
RAILTON
ROAD
Just
past Saltoun Road, Atlantic Road becomes
Railton Road. Cross at the zebra to the left
side of Railton Road and walk on. There is a
good view down Kellett Road on the right.
The
small human-scale housing estate built by
Lambeth Council on the left replaced a
congested triangle of dilapidated houses and
shops which was Brixton's notorious Front
Line in the 1970s. This section of Railton
Road was the focus of a major riot in April
1981 but only a few of the vacant or rebuilt
sites reflect riot damage; the rest result
from neglect of the original buildings or
wartime destruction only now being made good.
Behind the wooden fencing on the right is a
good long landscaped play area for children.
ST.
GEORGE'S RESIDENCES
Notice,
immediately before the Mingles pub on the
right, St. George's Residences - an early (1878)
example of a purpose-built block of flats.
Cross at the zebra and go a few steps along
Effra Parade as far as the railings. On the
right is the length of the Residences, with a
mural. Further along the same side is the big
Effra Primary School of the 1930s. On the
left side of Effra Parade is its original
line of small houses.
Turn
back and continue along the right hand side
of Railton Road. As in many parts of Brixton
and Stockwell, houses in and around Railton
Road have been largely rehabilitated. Look
down Chaucer Road on the right. This and the
next roads lead into Dulwich Road beyond
which is Brockwell Park. At the end of the
short bit of Chaucer Road on the left of
Railton Road you can see two or three good
examples of restored houses in Mayall Road.
POETS
CORNER
This
section represents the eastern half of Effra
Farm, laid out by Westminster Freehold
Company in 1855. It is commonly known as Poet’s
Corner after the street names.
PARISH
SCHOOL
After
passing the end of Mayall Road on your left
notice St. Jude's Hall (with inscription on
the gable); adjoining this is the two-storey
former St. Jude's School extension of 1894.
Next to that is a single-storey grey brick
building with narrow lancet windows, which
was the original school, built in 1834 as the
school for the "Infant Poor" of the
parish of St. Paul, Herne Hill. The central
porch is a modern addition. A new St. Jude's
School is in Regent Road, opposite.
A
few doors past the school building are houses
dating from about 1830 (nos. 229 to 237). It
is hard to imagine that the detached house
with the front steps (no.233) was once the
Britannia pub. In the middle of the 19th
century these houses, plus two more pairs
replaced later by the present nos. 215 to 227,
plus the single storey school building,
constituted "West's Place". This
was a short piece of road connected by Regent
Road (or Row as it was) and Herne Place to
what is now Dulwich Road. Railton Road and
the railway were not yet born; only a
footpath linked West's Place with Atlantic
Road.
HERNE
HILL STATION
Where
Railton Road bends sharply to the right you
will notice a footpath which continues
straight on. This was possibly created by the
railway company in the 1860s to provide a
short cut to the station from West's Place
before Railton Road was completed. It is
still in use. Follow Railton Road as it winds
round past Herne Hill Station, constructed in
1862 for the London, Chatham and Dover
Railway Company and cleaned and restored to
its Venetian Gothic glory.
BROCKWELL
PARK
At
the main road junction cross over into
Brockwell Park. Follow the path up the slope
to the mansion at the top. Brockwell Hall was
built between 1811 and 1813 for John Blades,
a glass manufacturer in the City, who had
bought most of the land which is now
Brockwell Park. When one of his descendants
wished to sell the estate the London County
Council acquired it, in 1891, for a public
park; other land was added later. So today we
have a Georgian country house standing in 124
acres of parkland in the middle of South
London.
At
present (2001) the mansion has been carefully
restored after a fire. It contains a tea shop.
Notice a fine maple tree on your left. As you
pass two paths to left and right look round
to see good views of Brixton and Herne Hill
with glimpses of Dulwich and Forest Hill.
On
coming to the mansion turn left to follow the
path round it. Within a few feet of the path,
by the north east (Herne Hill) side of the
mansion are three kinds of cedar tree - a
young blue atlas on the left, a deodar in the
centre and a cedar of Lebanon on the right.
Continuing along the path you pass on your
left a holm oak; about 40 yards down the
grass slope behind this are two very old
English oaks. Follow the path round the back
of the mansion noting on your right the old
stable block with a weather vane on the roof.
TRITTON'S
CLOCK
The
path brings you to the turret clock presented
in 1897 by Sir Ernest Tritton, MP for Norwood.
If you think you have seen it somewhere
before, you could be right. It is a copy of
the clock at the Victoria end of Vauxhall
Bridge Road.
OLD
WALLED GARDEN
At
the clock turn left for a few paces then
right towards a white porticoed shelter. The
small chamber with the pointed windows behind
the shelter was originally a private chapel
for Brockwell Hall. Just to the left of the
shelter is an iron gate leading into an old
walled garden. Don't miss this delight.
WELL
Immediately
on your left as you enter the garden is an
old deep well covered by a grating. The
flowers and shrubs in the garden will vary of
course with the seasons but there is always a
good display worth seeing. Some permanent
features are the pond in the centre, the old
black mulberry tree and the pattern of box
and yew hedges.
SUNDIAL
One
intriguing little feature is not often
spotted as it is liable to be hidden by
wisteria. It is a sundial attached to a pier
of the brick wall near the corner diagonally
opposite to the entrance gate and only a few
steps from the wooden shelter in the corner.
It has the date 1775 and the mysterious
inscription "So Doct. Ho In D".
This might be an abbreviation of the Latin
"Sol docet horas in die" - the sun
tells the hours during the day.
PONDS
On
leaving the garden turn right. On the ground
just outside the gate are a few surviving
buildings of what was once a model Kentish
village extending along the foot of the
garden wall as far as the aviaries.
The
large duck pond (formerly a swimming pool)
and greens, on the left, attract a growing
variety of birds such as Canada geese, tufted
duck, moorhen and coot. Keep straight on past
the pond - a grass field is on your right. In
the wooded area on your left are two ponds at
different levels which support a variety of
small wildlife. The path crosses a little
stream. This is one of the tributaries of the
river Effra which it joins near Brixton Water
Lane. The Effra flows under Brixton to
discharge into the Thames at Vauxhall. This
bridge is one of the rare places where you
can see anything of the Effra above ground.
WILLOWS
In
the mixed shrubbery on your right, around the
stream, you can see a Judas tree. Over the
bridge turn left up the path marked for
cyclists, to see more of the ponds and
perhaps some families of mallard and coot. On
your left at the end of the first pond is a
large crack willow which, true to its name,
is split to the foot of the trunk. Beside the
second (higher) pond is a corkscrew willow,
with a weeping willow next to it.
Follow
the path, keeping left. After the path bears
left, with the big round duck pond on your
right, you walk past a Turkey oak and then
under a box alder. Turn left, where you
walked before, and cross the stream again,
turning right this time after the bridge. Go
down this wide path, with buildings on your
left and a children's playground on your
right, through the gates and into the
exuberant Victoriana of Arlingford Road.
Follow this road, which is slightly
staggered, into Brixton Water Lane.
WATER
LANE
The
pair of white cottages facing you as you come
out of Arlingford Road are of the 1820s. Turn
right along Water Lane as far as the road
junction where the one-way ends. All the
houses in this small conservation area form
an interesting group. Of the houses on your
right nos. 46 and 48, of the 1830s, look a
rather distinguished pair. Those with perhaps
the most charm are nos. 56 to 66, built about
1820 to house staff of Brockwell Hall.
"Water"
or "Watery" Lane was once the name
of the whole length of "road" from
Brixton Hill to where are now the main gates
of Brockwell Park at Herne Hill. The gravelly
beds of small rivers were often used as cart
tracks and it is possible that a part at
least of the original "Water Lane"
was the Effra itself. This part would have
been roughly what is now Dulwich Road. At the
junction turn back again along Water Lane and
turn right at the lights into Effra Road.
EFFRA
ROAD
This
was one of the new roads planned by the
Inclosure Commissioners in 1810 when Rush
Common was enclosed. The wide green verges on
the left and the front gardens on the right
reflect building restrictions placed on Rush
Common land, explained in Trail No.1.
There
is variety in the buildings on the right hand
side. The George Canning (Hobgoblin) speaks
for itself. The big 3-storey house next door
(no.91) was one of the first houses in the
road and dates from about 1820. It has
recently been restored. The villa next door,
no. 89, was built about 1845 and is the Effra
Conservative Club.
At
the north corner of Trelawn Road is an old
brick pier with a length of wall along
Trelawn Road. These are relics of a large
Victorian house with big grounds. After it
was demolished the terraces in Effra Road and
some way up Trelawn Road were built between
the two world wars. The Effra Day Centre
which, like its neighbour the Brixton
Unitarian Church, has an attractive frontage
with some new planting. The red brick
development is sheltered housing built by
Lambeth Council - to the rear is a Remploy
factory.
SYNAGOGUE
Of
the Brixton Synagogue, a little further on (no.
49), only the front remains to remind us of
the big contribution the Jewish community has
made to Brixton life. The Orthodox
congregation who worshipped here joined with
others to form the new South London Synagogue
in Leigham Court Road. The detached villa no.
47 is of around 1845/50. Nos.45 and 43 are (except
for no.91) the only survivors of the original
houses in Effra Road and date from about 1825.
The 5-storey terrace between no.43 and Mervan
Road represents a denser stage of development
of the 1870s like Kellett and Saltoun Roads
further on.
PILLAR
BOX
Looking
up Mervan Road you can see quite a rare thing
- a six-sided Penfold pillar box of 1872.
Penfold pillar boxes are so called because
they were designed by the architect and
surveyor, J.W.Penfold. He took his design
from the "Tower of the Winds", a 1st
century B.C. water clock which is still to be
seen in Athens. Perhaps the pillar box will
survive as long: it is a listed building!
There
are two more short Victorian terraces on your
right. A lot of thought was given by the
Council to the frontage of the second terrace
when it was restored in the 1980s. Some of
the results can be seen in the communal
frontage (which has mature trees) and an
interesting arrangement of railings. You may
notice that this terrace is "staggered";
going from right to left each house is set
back a little from its neighbour, the last
two houses much more so. This was done to
comply with the building restrictions
mentioned above.
RALEIGH
HALL
The
last place of interest on this walk is
Raleigh Hall. This is just behind Windrush
Square and is the first building on the left
side of Saltoun Road, conspicuous by its semi-circular
bays. Originally a private house called Effra
House, built about 1840, it flourished as the
Brixton Liberal Club a hundred years ago. At
the rear, the red brick building fronting
Saltoun Road was added by the Liberal Club in
the late 19th century as a public meeting
hall; sometimes called the Raleigh Public
Hall, it was let out for concerts and dances.
Both buildings have been used for business
purposes for many years. Today the two
buildings are maintained as one unit usually
known as "Raleigh Hall".
Windrush
Square was laid out on what had been the
front garden of Effra House. It was named to
commemorate the arrival of West Indian
immigrants on the Empire Windrush in 1948,
one of the first ships to bring West Indian
people to England, many of whom settled in
the Brixton area.
Congratulations
to anyone who has survived all six trails.
The Brixton Society hope you have enjoyed
them and that it has been a useful learning
experience. We hope you have discovered some
new and interesting things about Brixton and
Stockwell.
NOTES:
Please record comments, additional points of
interest you have noted, or changes which
have recently taken place. Please forward any
comments to the Brixton Society Secretary: Alan
Piper
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