Brixton Market: The Whole World Can Be Found In London

Brixton Market: The Whole World Can Be Found In London
Rossella
Rossella 
Published
| 3 min read

Brixton is an area in southern London known for the cultural blend that characterizes the atmosphere of its streets. Only a few underground stops from London’s Victoria Station separates you from a musical and colourful market.

The history of the market

Brixton Village

In the second half of the 19th century, Brixton was a middle class suburb that, using its proximity to central London and an efficient public transport system, soon became the most important commercial centre in the south. The market began to develop in the 1870s on Atlantic Road, where it still exists. In the years between the 1920s and 1930s a covered market was built, which today is called Brixton Village and includes the historical Reliance Arcade, Market Row and Granville Arcade. Brixton has overtime undergone many changes and gentrification has continuously transformed the local community. It has changed from a rich residential neighbourhood to a slum after World War II, when a deep housing crisis led to urban decay. A large Afro-Caribbean community began from 1948 a migration that still identifies Brixton. ‘The soul of black Britain’, as it was symbolically called, has today become the soul of every migrant community that has contributed to enrich what for all these years has never disappeared, the market.

Getting lost is not a problem!

Brixton market

Brixton market consists of an outer part that extends along the streets behind the underground station and the covered market. The structure of this system of internal and external spaces has become so consolidated over time, which makes it impossible to distinguish the edges of each. Getting lost is part of the game between you and the market! Take several turns, find yourself in a place already seen, go through the crowd, and explore this intricate tangle of roads and paths. Let curiosity guide you and new fascinating discoveries will feed your eyes. Enjoy the journey; a way out of the maze is always to be found!

Food, vintage, music and graffiti

Shutter Graffiti, Brixton

There is nothing better than walking in Brixton Market and following the wave of smells coming from the food served by restaurants and cafes. You will experience countless delicacies, just choose the place in the world that you like best and certainly you will find a table to taste the typical cuisine of that country. There is often a bit of a wait for seating, as Brixton Village is very busy, especially on Thursday and Friday evenings. If food is not your priority, there is still much more to see. The narrow streets that make up this puzzle market conceal many tiny vintage shops, so you will be surrounded by fabrics, carpets, furniture, fruits, vegetables, fish and chickens without feathers hung upside down as trophies in butcher stalls. Music is a must in Brixton; the hometown of big stars like David Bowie can only be a place for those who want to have the pleasure of listening to different kinds of music just walking down the street. Street art is a creative exercise and a way of life that Brixton communicates through its artists but also on its walls. There is graffiti hidden on every corner, some are so large that they cannot go unnoticed, others need to be discovered, but once you have seen one you cannot help but noticing another, and suddenly the road will speak to you in a colorful language. A good way to learn the slang!

A wall to remember David Bowie

David Bowie Wall Memorial

Close to the Brixton underground station is the house where David Bowie was born. Ziggy Stardust has been remembered with graffiti in the heart of south London and it has become a memorial of this eclectic artist who recently died.

Identity and multiculturalism

If you like uncovering the different cultures that populate the world, and if you are fond of places where the mix of ethnic groups becomes the identity of an area, you will not be disappointed by the charisma of Brixton.

Brixton Village is open daily from 8 am-11.30 pm, except on Mondays when the closing time is 6 pm.

Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

History


Get Trip101 in your inbox

Unsubscribe in one click. See our Privacy Policy for more information on how we use your data

Rossella Scalia is a London-based architecture critic and independent researcher. She received her M.Arch from Reggio Calabria University (Italy) and her M.A. in Architectural History, Theory and...Read more

 Want to contribute as a Local Expert?
Explore Brixton
x
Good things are meant to be shared!
Back to top