# Brixton tube station back in the day - and latest news and discussion



## editor (Feb 2, 2012)

I've just posted up a feature about how the tube station looked a decade ago.







http://www.urban75.org/blog/brixton...ravelcard-hustlers-drinkers-and-shouty-types/

Couple of questions. What used to be next to the 7 Eleven store, and what was the name of the little arcade that ran alongside the tstation through to Electric Lane?


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

editor said:


> I've just posted up a feature about how the tube station looked a decade ago.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Wasn't it that Robill's place?


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## madolesance (Feb 2, 2012)

Try the flower seller. Spoke to them once about the foot bridge which
they recalled.


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## Crispy (Feb 2, 2012)

madolesance said:


> Try the flower seller. Spoke to them once about the foot bridge which
> they recalled.


The route of Brixton road was laid out in the 1500s to accommodate that flower seller.


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## quimcunx (Feb 2, 2012)

He looks good on it.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

I remember some of the shops down that alley.  Think there was a cobbler/key cutter, cafe, that Chinese shop and the candle/incense shop.  Can't remember what else was there


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## Rushy (Feb 2, 2012)

Crispy said:


> The route of Brixton road was laid out in the 1500s to accommodate that flower seller.



Those flower seller*s. *It took me years of somewhat confusing conversations to realise they were not one man but two twins who take turns to operate it.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

Other than the flower seller, you could also ask the newsagents in the tube station


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

editor said:


> and what was the name of the little arcade that ran alongside the tstation through to Electric Lane?



Station Arcade

Found this:

http://www.checksure.biz/company/KOWLOON CHINESE EMPORIUM-nl16631024.htm

You've even mentioned it before

http://www.urban75.org/brixton/info/market.html

eta:  oh, that's the mainline station isn't it?


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

Oh, it is/was Station Arcade. See page 3 (map) of these works to the tube station

http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/do...est&checksum=89124A471A6A7F540D4668E16769DCBB


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

So has it been established what was there yet?


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## Structaural (Feb 2, 2012)

There was a men's outfitters at one point, Dunns and a Colliers, they both went in the second riot (1985) though I think, also Burton's was around there, but I think that was on the corner. I remember a pound shop either where 7-eleven is or next to it.
fuck, brain is fail
you seem to have the best shots


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

Structaural said:


> There was a men's outfitters at one point, Dunns and a Colliers, they both went in the second riot (1985) though I think, also Burton's was around there, but I think that was on the corner. I remember a pound shop either where 7-eleven is or next to it.
> fuck, brain is fail
> you seem to have the best shots



They were further on (by the bridge)

I think the pound shop you're thinking of is Robill's which wasn't a £1 shop but sold some good cheap stuff


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## Structaural (Feb 2, 2012)

That was it, was there for years. Was my xmas present shop  Wasn't there a sticky outy bit between the tube and Atlantic road, that's not there anymore?


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

Structaural said:


> That was it, was there for years. Was my xmas present shop  Wasn't there a sticky outy bit between the tube and Atlantic road, that's not there anymore?



Yes, Dunne's I think.  The jacket potato shop was there as well


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## Structaural (Feb 2, 2012)

That's it. Jackets!


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

Structaural said:


> That's it. Jackets!



Still serving spuds whilst Dunnes was burning down next door I heard


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## Pickman's model (Feb 2, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Yes, Dunne's I think. The jacket potato shop was there as well


yeh they did lovely ratatouille in there 

always made a point of going there when i went to the law centre, bradys or the 121


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## Structaural (Feb 2, 2012)

and proper Baldwin's rootbeer


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

Pickman's model said:


> yeh they did lovely ratatouille in there
> 
> always made a point of going there when i went to the law centre, bradys or the 121



I *never *went in there.  Kept meaning to, but just never got round to it.  In fact, didn't they move to near the tube station?   I know a jacket spud place opened up somewhere else but can't remember exactly where.  Maybe where the Vodafone shop is?  Or was it on the next block?

argh, this is bugging me now


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## Pickman's model (Feb 2, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> argh, this is bugging me now


haha


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## editor (Feb 2, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I *never *went in there. Kept meaning to, but just never got round to it. In fact, didn't they move to near the tube station? I know a jacket spud place opened up somewhere else but can't remember exactly where. Maybe where the Vodafone shop is? Or was it on the next block?
> 
> argh, this is bugging me now


A jacket potato place opened up on the corner of Atlantic Road and Brixton Road, a shop or two down from the deli. T'was all chromey.


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## Crispy (Feb 2, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Still serving spuds whilst Dunnes was burning down next door I heard



I have lost count of the number of times I have read that anecdote on here


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

Crispy said:


> I have lost count of the number of times I have read that anecdote on here



Probably always by me and I don't even know if it's true so that's why I still post it, in the hope someone's going to tell me the truth


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

editor said:


> A jacket potato place opened up on the corner of Atlantic Road and Brixton Road, a shop or two down from the deli. T'was all chromey.



Chromey?  I have a vision of a green frontage or was that the old place?


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## editor (Feb 2, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Chromey? I have a vision of a green frontage or was that the old place?


I've got a picture of some old bloke fast asleep in there somewhere.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

editor said:


> I've got a picture of some old bloke fast asleep in there.



Let's be having it then  

Anyway, have your original questions been answered or not?


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## Structaural (Feb 2, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Chromey? I have a vision of a green frontage or was that the old place?



That was Jackets, which if I remember rightly (unlikely) either got replaced by 7-eleven or was next to it.
I used to burn my mouth in there almost weekly...


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

Structaural said:


> That was Jackets, which if I remember rightly (unlikely) either got replaced by 7-eleven or was next to it.
> I used to burn my mouth in there almost weekly...



Replaced but further down and all chromey according to Editor in post no. 22


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## editor (Feb 2, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Replaced but further down and all chromey according to Editor in post no. 22


Well, I don't know if it was the same business, but I'm (fairly) sure there was a chromey spud place on the corner.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

editor said:


> Well, I don't know if it was the same business, but I'm (fairly) sure there was a chromey spud place on the corner.



Yeah, I always wondered if it was the same business considering the original one had a rather tatty (maybe not tatty, but just not fancy) facade compared to the one that opened later.

Although I can't remember the chrome in the new one, I do remember it was much larger and had large windows


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## Paulie (Feb 3, 2012)

Anyone got a pic of the record shop that was down on the tube station concourse?  Solar Records I think...


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 3, 2012)

Paulie said:


> Anyone got a pic of the record shop that was down on the tube station concourse? Solar Records I think...


 
I miss that place, really added character and some good music on exiting the station


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## wemakeyousoundb (Feb 4, 2012)

jackets
spudulike
?
newsagent in the arcade was very nice and friendly.


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## lang rabbie (Feb 4, 2012)

I was hoping that after the board upgrade there would now be an option to install a *"ROBILLS' NOSTALGIA KLAXON"* in my alerts but unfortunately that seems to beyond the capabilities of Xenforo 1.1.1


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 4, 2012)

and there's still no acknowledgement from Editor whether he's happy with Station Arcade.  Ungrateful sod


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## Brixton Hatter (Feb 5, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Wasn't it that Robill's place?


Robill's was on the left side of the tube station, roughly where Footlocker is now IIRC


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 5, 2012)

Brixton Hatter said:


> Robill's was on the left side of the tube station, roughly where Footlocker is now IIRC


 
Really?  I thought it was nearer the tube station


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## Brixton Hatter (Feb 5, 2012)

i said "roughly" ......!!!


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## boohoo (Feb 5, 2012)

It was nearer the tube.

We use to get christmas pressies from the Chinese shop in the arcade. We got my mum a glass bell wind chime thing which she still has hung up. And we'd get her lots of incense (an easy win with my mum!)


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 5, 2012)

Brixton Hatter said:


> Robill's was on the left side of the tube station, roughly where Footlocker is now IIRC


 
Searching for Robill's shows it up as being 429-431 Brixton Road.  WH Smiths is 427.  Sainsbury's location seems right to me.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 5, 2012)

boohoo said:


> It was nearer the tube.
> 
> We use to get christmas pressies from the Chinese shop in the arcade. We got my mum a glass bell wind chime thing which she still has hung up. And we'd get her lots of incense (an easy win with my mum!)


 
I got my sister a silk kimono one Christmas. Obviously it wasn't real silk but I was too young to know that 

I always wanted one of those little wooden/cork carvings in glass but never got one


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## Brixton Hatter (Feb 5, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Searching for Robill's shows it up as being 429-431 Brixton Road. WH Smiths is 427. Sainsbury's location seems right to me.


i stand corrected.

Robills was ace, it was the sort of place you could get a wicked pair of slipper socks for £1 and some 20p coloured light bulbs


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## boohoo (Feb 5, 2012)

Brixton Hatter said:


> Robills was ace, it was the sort of place you could get a wicked pair of slipper socks for £1 and some 20p coloured light bulbs


 
I think I remember buying my first proper make up from there (I don't really do make up and neither does my mum) so I went in rather clueless but bought some nice pale blue eyeshadow (well it was the 80s). Probably ridiculously cheap!


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 5, 2012)

Brixton Hatter said:


> i stand corrected.
> 
> Robills was ace, it was the sort of place you could get a wicked pair of slipper socks for £1 and some 20p coloured light bulbs


 
and cushions, big cushions (before I had the cash to buy a cheap sofa!)

and lots of kitchen stuff for the 18-year-old who had just got a flat and didn't have money to buy the more decent stuff in Morleys


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 5, 2012)

boohoo said:


> I think I remember buying my first proper make up from there (I don't really do make up and neither does my mum) so I went in rather clueless but bought some nice pale blue eyeshadow (well it was the 80s). Probably ridiculously cheap!


 
The make-up crimes of the 70s/80s eh?


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## Onket (Feb 10, 2012)

I bought a used zone 1-6 travelcard off a bloke in Brixton station last month, so they're still about!


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## quimcunx (Feb 10, 2012)

lang rabbie said:


> I was hoping that after the board upgrade there would now be an option to install a *"ROBILLS' NOSTALGIA KLAXON"* in my alerts but unfortunately that seems to beyond the capabilities of Xenforo 1.1.1


 
Ah, I miss Robills.   *sighs*


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## editor (Apr 6, 2012)

I've added a little feature to my blog:
Brixton tube: then and now
http://www.urban75.org/blog/brixton-tube-station-then-and-now/


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## oryx (Apr 6, 2012)

lang rabbie said:


> I was hoping that after the board upgrade there would now be an option to install a *"ROBILLS' NOSTALGIA KLAXON"* in my alerts but unfortunately that seems to beyond the capabilities of Xenforo 1.1.1


 
I missed this thread back in February but despite never living in Brixton, I loved loved loved Robills.

I lived quite near Clapham Old Town for many years and with Brixton centre being a bit hard to park in would trek down on the bus/on foot to buy paper globe lampshades, matchstick blinds and fake plants. 

I think a huge number of the furnishings in my old house came from Robills.

There was also one in Hammersmith, where I worked for a while - you could truly say I was a worshipper at the Temple of Robill.

Great old photo on the blog, BTW.


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## editor (Aug 26, 2014)

I don't think we ever actually established the name of the arcade that ran right by the tube station - I don't think it was station arcade. 







What's also troubling me is that I can't actually see it in the photo above. I thought it was to the left of the main tube entrance (or was it around a corner?)


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 26, 2014)

Never heard of Electric Arcade 

http://www.spacehijackers.org/html/projects/brixton.html

and can't find any mention of it anywhere but there


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 26, 2014)

Station Arcade mentioned again



> The accommodation comprises four units fronting
> Brixton Road and another facing Atlantic Road, totalling
> some 26,619 sq ft.
> 
> ...



http://www.smithprice.co.uk/pdf/372.pdf


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 26, 2014)

and listed as Station Arcade on this map


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## editor (Aug 26, 2014)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> and listed as Station Arcade on this map
> 
> View attachment 60085


Good work!


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 26, 2014)

editor said:


> Good work!



Thank you, I'd just about given up when I came across that


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## thatguyhex (Sep 24, 2014)

The other day I noticed that the covering above this door in Electric Lane had started peeling off (duct tape... classy work) to reveal a sign saying BRIXTON STATION. Somehow until then I'd never put two and two together and worked out what the door was.

 

Then late last night I noticed the lights were on inside:


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## Crispy (Sep 24, 2014)

The finishes are all specced for public access. Wish it was open!


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## madolesance (Sep 24, 2014)

thatguyhex said:


> The other day I noticed that the covering above this door in Electric Lane had started peeling off (duct tape... classy work) to reveal a sign saying BRIXTON STATION. Somehow until then I'd never put two and two together and worked out what the door was.
> 
> View attachment 61530
> 
> ...



Short cut to Wahaca?


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## editor (Sep 24, 2014)

madolesance said:


> Short cut to Wahaca?


Community groups entrance.


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## boohoo (Sep 24, 2014)

editor said:


> Community groups entrance.



Community group rooms!


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## editor (Nov 26, 2018)

Love this pic.


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## editor (May 7, 2021)

Roundel rulers of London!















						Look at the roundel on that! Brixton boasts London Underground’s biggest sign
					

When it comes to big tube station signs, Brixtonites can stand proud, as we’ve got the King Dong of roundels above the entrance to Brixton tube. Revealed in 2006 after an inordinately long re…



					www.brixtonbuzz.com


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