Brixton

We spent the last couple days exploring our host London borough Lambeth, location of the notorious Brixton. Brixton has a somewhat sketchy past. It claims the dubious honour of being the home of the largest race riots ever in the UK when, 30 years ago, the largely black population of Brixton rioted while protesting the English law that allowed racial profiling. The profiling had resulted in some 90% of all searches of people on suspicion happening to black people.

Sketchy parts of town are a specialty for naval people. When ships must be berthed in the various ports around the world, they are not normally hosted in the finest parts of town. Typically the port is in the old town and is full of people on the fringes of society. You don't have to look very far from home to see examples; Esquimalt (our home on the other side of the blue bridge) enjoys a somewhat notorious reputation itself. Just think about the other port cities, Vancouver, Halifax, and Montreal. The ports are not exactly the upscale parts of town, although many are undergoing a renaissance. We felt very comfortable in Brixton.

Similarly, Brixton, but is being reborn as an eclectic area with a very unique pulse. Walking the streets reveals a very mixed blend of cultures from around the world, arguably more cosmopolitan than the square mile of London itself.

 Guyanese Roti in the Brixton Market.

A Pennsylvania State police car???

There are many places to eat with a wide variety of choice. Of course there is a great selection of Caribbean and African style foods available in the market, at small stalls, and at local restaurants.

Our favourite pub was the Duke of Edinburgh pub just outside the complex where we rented our flat. The pub had Wifi, good beer, and good food. We used the Duke for a nightly beer while checking our email and uploading our blog notes. One night we played trivia with the locals. It involved the usual trivia questions (heavily English sport and television based) and was broken up with interesting activities between the rounds of trivia. During one break, the teams had to build a structure out of newspaper and “cello” tape. The team with the tallest structure wins. One team was limited by the ceiling (at 8 feet or so) and won the competition. Another game they played involved picking up an empty cereal box off the floor with your teeth, without kneeling or putting your hands on the floor. Each round a layer was torn off the box so it wasn't as tall, and picking the box up got more challenging. Nancy lasted three rounds, but the local girls were able to pick the bottom of the box up of the floor when all the sides had been ripped off. I was in tears laughing. We came dead last! The winner walked away with 40 pounds sterling!

 Building a newspaper tower at The Duke's.

After the trivia game, the manager introduced himself and asked us what we were doing in Brixton. He told us that we were the first tourists they had ever had in the pub.

We also enjoyed a feast of jerk chicken at the Duke. It is a spicy dish of chicken pieces, that originates in Jamaica, served with the ubiquitous chips (french fries) that seem to accompany everything (in England) from curry to fried eggs.

The Brixton market is a fascinating collection of food and goods, being sold out of carts and off the back of trucks, and is full of colourful characters. It is a gold mine of opportunities for the street photographer. We saw everything imaginable for sale. Huge snails were offered at the bargain price of £3.50 each. Dried barracuda, fish heads, and pigtails (I had to look twice) at bargain prices I'm sure. We would have had a good feed of pigtails and mega snails, but, well, you know... (It's not the sort of thing you just fry up.)

 The Fish Stall (one of many).

DIY Toast and a friendly Brixtoner.

 Giant Snails.

 Dried fish heads.

 Salted pig tails.