My Britain: BRIXTON
Reader's Digest UK|July 2020
You'd be hard-pressed to think of many areas of London that have undergone such dramatic changes over the years as Brixton. From a bustling hub of south London shoppers in the Twenties to the home for many members of the Windrush Generation in the Forties and Fifties, who brought with them new businesses, cuisines and culture. In the Eighties and Nineties, Brixton became the backdrop for riots sparked by police brutality.
My Britain: BRIXTON

The district has swung between periods of immense wealth and immense poverty over the years. Some say the Brixton of today—which hosts a plethora of new businesses and tourist attractions—has regenerated, bouncing back from years of neglect. Others say it is becoming gentrified, and losing touch with its diverse cultural roots, as more black-owned businesses close. Here, two long-term residents offer their thoughts on the corner of Britain they call home.

Eddy Grant's hugely successful 1983 song was written in response to the horror and anger he felt during the 1981 Brixton Uprising. The song's namesake, Electric Avenue, was the first market street to be lit by electricity.

JEANNIE BLUMIRE, 70, moved to Brixton in 1959 aged nine, when her parents took over a newsagents on Acre Lane.

When my family moved to Brixton in 1959, there was a real community spirit. You didn't wait to be introduced, you were automatically a member of the community. All the shopkeepers helped each other and the community out.

Brixton then, though on the wrong side of the river, was a very friendly, happy area. You could play in the street any time of the day, and there was no difference in races getting along—we were all just friends. Of course we were interested in each others cultures' clothes and such like, but it was a very lively, happy community. We all called for each other to play—if people were going to the common or park, everyone tagged along. All ages looked out for each other.

Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA READER'S DIGEST UKSe alt
EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Reader's Digest UK

EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME

Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.

time-read
3 mins  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
May Fiction
Reader's Digest UK

May Fiction

An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month

time-read
1 min  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
Wine Not
Reader's Digest UK

Wine Not

In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food

time-read
3 mins  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
Train Booking Hacks
Reader's Digest UK

Train Booking Hacks

With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices

time-read
4 mins  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Reader's Digest UK

JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN

Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again

time-read
8 mins  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
My Britain: Cheltenham
Reader's Digest UK

My Britain: Cheltenham

A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!

time-read
6 mins  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Reader's Digest UK

GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB

Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.

time-read
6 mins  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant
Reader's Digest UK

Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant

After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”

time-read
3 mins  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World
Reader's Digest UK

Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World

Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here

time-read
3 mins  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
Stand Tall, Ladies
Reader's Digest UK

Stand Tall, Ladies

Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?

time-read
3 mins  |
Reader's Digest May 2024