Now lost beneath the Moorlands Estate development of the 1970s, Geneva Road once ran south from Coldharbour Lane, and consisted of an unbroken terrace of solid three-storey Victorian buildings with basements.
The former junction with Coldharbour Lane is now buried under Southwyck House (aka the Barrier Block), and while no trace of the original road remains, the name lives on in the nearby Geneva Drive.
Built around the 1870s, Geneva Road fell into a slow decline after the war, and by the fifties were housing a large West Indian community.
A contemporary report observed life in the area:
About 3,000 West Indians are living in the Borough of Lambeth, in South London. Most have taken homes in Brixton, packing themselves into Geneva Road and Somerleyton Road, where the houses are large and high and dowdy.
To judge from the number of windows which at night are lit up, with the shadow of a dressing-table mirror thrown onto faded, pinned curtains, a lot of the houses have been divided into flats and bed-sitting rooms. ‘For Sale–8 Lots Without Reserve’ reads a notice outside one dusty looking residence. Is this, one wonders, the work of some rogue landlord
On a wall in one these roads someone has whitewashed the slogan ‘Keep Brixton White’ The whitewash has been partly covered by brown paint and the weather has taken off some of the remainder.
But the cool, menacing words are still just discernible and it is faintly sickening to read them in the lamplight. Yet from the evidence of a number of visits to Brixton, one would say that on the whole the Jamaicans are quite unobjectionable; as sober and as responsible in their behaviour and as modest in their bearing as anyone could wish.
Here’s an 1870 Ordnance Survey map of the area, showing large parts of Brixton still undeveloped.
Read more about Geneva Road and see more photos and maps here.
Related posts:
A walk around the snowy streets of Brixton, south London, Feb 2012
A walk around the snowy streets of Brixton, January 2013
Lost scenes of Brixton – the coal depot at Pope’s Road
A look around the big Coldharbour Lane development, central Brixton
The Angel pub, Coldharbour Lane, Brixton and its Edwardian music hall connections
Lost Brixton: Brixton Station Road market and John’s Cafe
Brixton’s lost Eel And Pie House, Coldharbour Lane SW9
Massive Brixton police chase: Coldharbour Lane/Moorlands Road
There’s some interesting unconscious prejudice in that quote about West Indians ‘packing themselves’ into houses – as if they had the option of nice uncrowded housing but voluntarily chose to live in overcrowded houses.
It reminds me quite a lot of the anti Asian prejudice that was very prominent when I was growing up in London in the late 1970s / 1980s.
Great article by the way.
Where can we find pictures of the former Lambeth location: Renfrew rd, which is the site of the post 1871 ‘Lambeth New Workhouse’?
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Lambeth/Lambeth.shtml
The former 18C workhouse of the Lambeth Board of Guardians appears to have existed on Princes (later Black Prince) Road. I lived in Lambeth in a Housing Coop near the underground for 5 years at the turn of the 80′s. However, I didn’t have an active interest in history of any kind at the time.
Charlie Chaplin spent some time in a Lambeth Workhouse, probably ‘The New …’ according to the Wikipedia after his mother was taken seriously ill. They certainly lived in Lambeth.
I’d like to see pictures of Princes road and this location if available in the same way as Geneva rd is presented here.
i was born in geneva rd 1949 it was a fantastic rd i was 1 of 8 born there the kelly family no 81 we had a big basement and large garden we grew our own food and had 30 aprox chickens that rd could have been saved from demolition just look at the eyesore they replaced it with it was a crime that john major did to the great brixton that was
amonkelly new member to this site looking at the pic of geneva rd the house i lived in is on the left 3/4 of the way up oppisite us live the waglands a very wealthy family they had there own night club on the second floor at the front 2 windows it was so exciting growing up there it was never a run down erea it was lambeths policy to let it go down just so that they could call in the bulldozers when i returned to brixton to see my old rd i had tears in my eyes when i saw what they had done
dear graeme have you tried urban 75 jon at lambeth archives found 4 pictures of geneva rd for me that had never been seen before there is a pic of the house that chaplin lived in in kennington ? you could try emailing jon he may have what your looking for check out his web site good luck
Hi this a message for amon kelly I was really interested in your own memories of Geneva Road. My great grandfather lived in Geneva Road. He passed away in 1930, some time before you were born and at some stage he had a Picture Gallery there. We have struggled tracing our family tree back further than him as he was Russian and sadly it has come to a halt. Thank you for giving an insight into the area he once lived in.
hi jane thank you for your comment i have loads to tell about geneva rd some of the things are very spooky funny & some sad i am writing a book about the history of brixton for example the lady polish/// architect commited suicide re the barrier block or as it is now known as brixton prison
Hi My my name is Kenny Impey I to lived in Geneva road when I was a kid. I was a no. 39 on a picture that a lady posted on my facebook site I was a bit stunned, I enlarged it and I can see a woman leaning out of the window. I think it is my mum, she died many years ago sadly.
I remember a few names, karen Lewis with a couple of sister lived opposite us. Next door 3 brothers richard is the only name in my head, Peter Butler whos dad had a nice car and we used to go swimming to the place in Holborn somewhere on Sundays. I was very sad when we had to leave.
I could just go on and on all day.
Kenny
hi kenny nice to hear from someone who lived in geneva rd you lived on the same side as us we lived in no 81 the kelly family you would have been nearer coldharbour lane than us we were near the top end close to geneva terrace you dont say what year you left we left in 1969 i was born there in 1949 along with 9 brothers & 2 sisters did you have the whole house to your selfs as we did your garden would have been bigger than ours sa the further up the street you went they got slightly smaller bloody great days as a kid growing up in the late great geneva rd the basements were bigger than some of the flats today that people now call home amon
does anyone remember a family by the name of lacey . arther and mary
hi jackie can you say what year and do you know the house no ? and what was the occupation of the bread winner and up untill what year did they live there i might be able to help
I was born on geneva road at no 66 in the basement to pasty and mark horsley. mums name was Lacey. arther and mary , they lived at no 54. Dont no what my granfathers occupation was. I think we all moved at about the same time 1967 ish. The waglands , and the jefferys where all from my mums family. my nan ( mary lacey) had 3sisters that lived on the street. I look forward to what ever you can tell me
hi jackie i have looked through my records all i can find is that someone living at no 54 had a fruit& veg stall in electric avenue in 1950 the waglands lived on the same side as you near the top close to geneva terrace sally the wife was a loverly lady they was the wealthiest folk in geneva rd and were good friends with the crays who would visit now and again you knew when they were there as a big black american car would be outside cheers amon
Hi Eamonn, we used to knock about together sometimes. Peter from No 93 Geneva Road! Went to Sussex Road School then transferredto Effra. I remember your family, we lived next door to the Vaseys’ who had a fruit and veg stall in Brixton Market. I still remember the stink when they used to boil beetroot at home!
Great times as a kid, mass football and cricket games in the street with hardly any cars to worry about, exploring bombsites in Loughborough Park and Shakespeare Road. Front door permanently open and the old dears hanging out of the windows.
Knew the Waglands, always loud music being played which we used to dance to in the street haha.
hi peter i cant say that i rember you but it has been many years yes the beetroots cant foreget that and the hours i spent makeing wax flowers for them when did you leave geneva rd ? do you know who demolished it john major ordered its destruction and the ajoining streets and look what replaced it no wonder the architect topped herself we lived at no81 you would have been nearer geneva terrace now i think of it did you live in the basement ?? john at lambeth archives has found some pics of our street search this site for them if you havent allready amon
@amonkelly
The architect is alive and well, and the block is actually a very nice place to live!
dear editor i am sure it is i was only reffering to urban 75 ie the guardian brixton barrier block updated july 2010 it makes interesting reading i am pleased that this architect is alive and well
Hi Amon, you seem to be a font of all knowledge relating to Geneva Road. I notice you mentioned you lived in number 81. My grandmother and great grand parents lived at 85 Geneva Road. I know my great grandfather died in 1930 but believe my great grandmother continued to live there until circa 1939 with my grandmother. There surname was Alexandroff and believe there was some scandal relating to them.
hi jane thank you for asking sadly this is long before i was born i have one contact who is 93 and she has no recolection of these folk only that they may have been russian or polish you might like to know that at no 85 in around 1955 a boy lived there called jhony oflarty he bacame famous he was a double for sir cliff richard doing his dangerous stunts he was the spitting image of him so at least your families house has history did you know that tommy steel a singer grew up in the great late geneva rd cheers amon
Thanks Amon they were Russian but my Mum will be inpressed being a fan of both Cliff and Tommy Steel.
re/ lost streets of brixton geneva road sw9 a contemporay report it states that the west indians packed them selfs into geneva rd 1950/1970 thiis is incorrect yes somerleyton rd did have mass overcrowding 95% of the street was west indian but geneva rd up untill its destruction was only 25% west indian & 2% nigerian i know because most of the folk had businesses in brixton arcade & brixton market some of the children of these folk carried on with the business long after geneva rd was demolished amon
HI MY NAME IS JOHN EDWARDS IN TORONTO CANADA
I WAS BORN ON GENEVA ROAD IN MAY OF 1934.
I THINK IS WAS IN NUMBER 20.
MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS DONDUCK49@HOTMAIL.COM .
JUST IN CASE SOME ONE CAME FROM THR SAME TIME.
LOVED TO EAT AT THE EEL AND PIE SHOP ON COLDHARBOUR LANE.
dear editor so sad that another great pub is going to be lost to the folk of brixton lets pray that they dont pull it down the planners need to put a stop to this destruction of brixton