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This SW2 area is one of the 35 Greater London major centers in the London Plan. There are 2.7 miles between the geographic center of London and Brixton. The name derives from Brixtane which means “the stone of Brixi”. Brixi was a Saxon lord who supposedly raised a stone that served as a meeting place for the Hundred of Brixton. The stone was most likely at the top of the Brixton Hill. The area was mostly rural until the early 19th century. The building of the Vauxhall Bridge in 1816 kick-started the urban development. Angell Town formed in 1850. It carries the name of an important 17th-century family.
This South West London area has one of the few surviving windmills in the UK’s capital. The mill dates from 1816 and is located on nearby Brixton Hill together with several Victorian houses. Chatham Main Line connected the area with the center of London. Electric Avenue is London’s first electrically illuminated street. Eddy Grant borrowed the name of this street for his popular 1983 music hit. Electric Avenue partially includes the Brixton Market. This market was originally established in 1870. Brixton is an entertainment center with many venues for live music shows and clubbing. The Brixton Splash is a community street party that is held once a year since 2006.
Musician David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne’s wife Sharon, and two members of The Clash band were born in the area. Other notable Brixton residents include political activist Dan Leno, the singer of punk rock band X-Ray Spex Poly Styrene, singer of rock band Skunk Anansie Skin, Olympic athlete Iwan Thomas, novelist Alex Wheatle, actor Clive Dunn, former NBA player Luol Deng, heavyweight boxer Danny Williams, and environmentalist James Lovelock. Brixton is featured in the video game Watch Dogs 2 as the possible location of the sequel. Urban75 is an Internet forum based in the area. It has been online since 1995.