Is Brixton really that bad?

A friend of mine was mugged at knife point right at her front door a few years ago in Brixton. The area does have a high crime rate... but you'll probably be okay.
 
MacRS4 said:
It has a bad rep from all the crap that went on there in the 80s.

It's quite a cool area now, albeit still very much inner-city London. Keep your normal wits about you and like I say, it's quite a cool area.
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This. I wouldn't think twice about living there, its really not any worse than a lot of other areas these days.
 
SideWinder said:
Anyone live near/in Brixton? Is it actually that bad? Viewing a flat in Goldharbour Lane tomorrow. A former housemate of mine is moving to Brixton and his girlfriend lived there last year with zero problems.

So, opinions?
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I used to live near there. In fact as a teenager used to spend all my nights clubbing and going out there. Never had any issues. In fact it's an awesome place. In the 7+ years I went out there was incident free. Even when I go back there now I don't have problems. IT's got a bad rep from the past, it's nothing like it used to be.

If you're streetwise and don't do silly things like go down dark alleys or go to the less salubrious areas there should be no reasons why you can't enjoy your time there.

Lots of life, lots of things to do, lots of cool places to see. Fruit and fish market is amazing, and the street market is wonderful too. So much character.

Coldharbour lane isn't that bad either.

Loughborough Junction isn't nice however.

There's more crime in NE London and West London, though parts of SE London aren't nice, Brixton isn't one of those areas, bar as I said the Loughborough Junction area and estates around there. Catford, Deptford, Peckham and Streatham aren't particularly nice, and I'd rather live in Brixton than those areas.
 
Lol, I just remembered when we went out on NYE in 1999 on the turn of the millenium, we were on foot walking towards the brixton acadamy and there was some dude dressed as a priest with a mega phone, shouting out some sort of end of the world rubbish.

"Tonight is the night, when comes midnight, you will see, the end is near, all that is will end, tonight is the night" and just kept repeating that over and over.
 
I imagine it depends on where you've been brought up. I was brought up in a quiet middle class village, so I imagine I would find it quite rough. Plus, I wouldn't like anywhere in London at all, too much going on, not enough chilling (unless you use drugs).
 
blackapache said:
People think places like hammersmith and wandsworth are really nice but both have seriously dodgy areas (notting hill too has got some v. dodgy council estates would you believe!!)
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Agree entirely, like any major City.

Hammersmith Broadway and Kings Street west of it is horrid. However, walk for 10-15 minutes down Kings Street and you're in Chiswick, known to be a very nice area.
Similarly, the Hammersmith Road east out of Hammersmith Broadway - you end up in Brook Green - some of the most expensive properties in London exist here. Keep walking and you get to Kensington.

All you need to do in any major City is walk round a corner and you can end up in some pretty awful area's (and vice versa) and so to label Brixton undesirable is mis-informed and most likely said by someone who has never been to a city any larger than Leeds and reads the Daily Mail.

I, for instance, would never ever live in some of the suburbs I driven through in Paris – I have never been so scared in all my life.
 
I think nearby Clapham is a better option, but Brixton is a lot cheaper. I know quite a few people who recommend it for young professionals but not quite willing to take the dive myself...
 
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