The London district of Brixton lies to the south of the River Thames, near the district of Dulwich. Unfortunately the name Brixton is most famous for the race riots that occurred here in the 1980s, but the history of the district goes back much further.

In the 11th century the area was known as Brixistane which means ‘the stone of Brihtsige’, which over time became shortened to Brixton. For the next 800 years or so the area remained relatively undeveloped.

Then in the 19th century, industrialisation reached Brixton and it soon became a huge working class residential area, an association that remains to this day. In the 1940s and 1950s many of the immigrants who came to Britain from the West Indies settled in Brixton and so the area also has a very colourful, multicultural feel to it.

For many the memory of the riots in the 1980s keeps them from venturing into Brixton. But today the area is again peaceful and respectful and so tourists shouldn’t be put off from visiting. The main tourist attraction in the district is the huge Brixton Market.