LONDON ON FOOT - PART 1

There's no better way to see this fab city that walking, and for our first foray into the city's hidden delights we head to the cultural hotpot that is Brixton.

It's a place that has a varied reputation, vibrant and yet violent. It developed as an affordable suburb to the south of the city in the early 19th century (the first commuters?) and up until WWII was actually a prosperous middle class suburb.

The Lambeth Town Hall is a beautiful red brick and Portland stone building erected in 1908.

Across from the town hall is London's second oldest picture house, the Ritzy Cinema built in 1911 and originally called the Electric Pavilion Cinema.

Right next door is the Tate Library, built in 1892 and named after Sir Henry Tate, the philanthropist and sugar merchant. Sir Henry was some fella, starting the public library system in the UK (he built three in Brixton alone) and donating his vast art collection to the nation (no prizes for guessing where it's stored!), but he is most famous for inventing the SUGAR CUBE (ever heard of Tate & Lyle?).

In 1948, due to a labour shortage the first Jamaican immigrants arrived on the SS Empire Windrush, which gives it's name to the square where the cinema and library stand. In the 50's and 60's the white middle class moved out and henceforth Brixton became synonymous as the British Afro-Caribbean community; race has been an issue ever since.

We pass by Electric Brixton (formerly The Fridge), one of London's most famous nightclubs and as the epicenter of the New Romantic movement in the 1980's brought Boy George, Pet Shop Boys and Frankie Goes To Hollywood to prominence.

We walk past Corpus Christi Catholic Church; built in 1887 it was John Francis Bentley's first church commission whose next commission was slightly more grandiose - Westminster Cathedral!

Up Brixton Hill and we pass the old post office, still in use since 1890. Next door is the notorious Blenheim Gardens Estate, one of numerous estates that have given rise to the area's violent reputation.

Across from the estate is the Brixton Windmill, dating from 1816 and providing power to local flour mills right up until 1934. Behind it lies Brixton Prison, its brutal reputation enhanced by supplying prisoners to walk the windmill's treadmill. Amongst its more famous inmates it numbers Bertrand Russell and Sir Mick Jagger!

We've walked a couple of miles so it's time for a break, and Stir Coffee is a perfect stopover. Crikey, the barista didn't even second guess my strong skinny latte request, and he proceeded to produce one of the best coffees I've had in London, even if it did come in china and not glass (Note: he was an Australian!!).

Just down the road we stumble across an artists street market including several spray can artists creating their works of art on the spot. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but there's no doubting the skill involved, and all done with cans of spray paint.

Buzzy grabbed a slice of culturally diverse rainbow cake

Beneath Brixton Water Lane flows one of London's numerous 'lost' or covered rivers, the Effra.

The cottage at #44 is the location of the notorious unsolved murder of Kate Wakenell that made global headlines, found with 27 stab wounds from a pair of scissors.

Looks a peaceful enough little cottage

Nearby is the 125 acre Brockwell Park, with lovely views towards the city and home to the Brockwell Lido, aka Brixton Beach - a superb Grade II listed art deco swimming pool built in 1937.

We leave the park and walk past Herne Hill Station which opened in 1862,

and then proceed up Railton Road, the 'front line' of the 1980's riots and now a clear signpost of the area's gentrification. Activists, anarchists, militants and feminists all converged around here and #78 was the Gay Community Centre where activists squatted for over 2 years from 1974.

The Dogstar Bar is today a popular bar but in 1995 it was gutted during the riots as it had previously been a popular Afro-Caribbean pub (The Atlantic) - a sign of gentrification affecting the marginalized community.

We walk up Coldharbour Lane, a particularly unattractive locale where former prime minister John Major grew up (his father was a struggling vaudeville entertainer who could only afford to live in Brixton - anything's possible kids!).

The wall mural (Nuclear Dawn) painted by Brian Barnes and Dale McCrea was commissioned by the council in 1981as a protest against Britain storing cruise missiles.

Next door is Southwyck House, the most brutal estate (even today) in Brixton. Frankly, it even looks like a prison, almost like a self fulfilling prophesy.

The Walton Lodge Sanitary Steam Laundry had survived since 1895 but after 120 years of operation has recently been shut down for redevelopment - the tentacles of gentrification.

We then enter Brixton Village the first of three indoor arcade-style markets created in the 1920s and 30s. It's a hive of activity abounding with culinary food and cultural stalls. These wonderful markets were almost demolished by developers, but after local protests the government overturned the development approval - the constant battle between gentrification and tradition continues!

Depends on your definition of "normal" really!

Astutely studying the second hand bins

The market area even has its own currency (the Brixton Pound) as a means of encouraging people to spend in Brixton, and Brixton Village recently was voted the UK's Best Private Market.

The Reliance Arcade (1925) next door was Britain's first indoor market, and is also the location of Franco Manca, recently voted London's best pizzeria (sorry folks, it wasn't Dominos!!).

The very spot where Michael Caine stood in "Alfie"

We come to Electric Avenue, made famous by local reggae singer Eddy Grant's global hit song of the same name. Constructed in the 1880s, it was the first London street to be lit with electricity, and is now full of fruit'n'veg and market stalls.

At the end of Electric Avenue lies Pop Brixton, a brilliant concept that turns shipping containers into a shopping and eating hotspot for locals and visitors alike (the idea has taken off and three others are under 'construction' in hip London locales).

We walk back to Brixton Road to see the Bon Marche building, opened in 1877 and Britain's first purpose built department store.

We finally end up back at the tube station, but not before we take a look at the impressive mural of Brixton's favourite son, born here in 1947; although painted in 2013 to coincide with a V&A exhibition, the David Bowie mural is poignant - and painted by Australian artist James Cochran.

Brixton is a really cool place to visit; it's fighting with itself over which way to develop, it's edgy and it's fun. Whilst The Clash may have sung " You can crush us, You can bruise us, But you'll have to answer to, Oh, the guns of Brixton", you can take it from the LegsyBoys that's a safe and invigorating place to wander around and enjoy the sound of steel drums and the aromas of delicious Caribbean cooking.