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 from March 1955 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.
Great days,my nickname was Boot,does any body remember me.,Us Waglands lived at number 88.
Well I remember you boot, but then I would. !!! Pasty lacey’s daughter Jackie.
Boot so glad you managed to get on this site, you will love it, must try and get our sister Sally on, thanks Jackie I love it.xx
Jackie did you get your pie and mash today lol.xx
Boot ask Amon about your old friend Tommy Kelly.xxx
hi boot & patsy & Jackie about my brother tommy he passed away aged 58 4 years ago his wife said that he was allways talking about his mate booty & and some guy named eddy sears ??
hi all on this site if given the chance to pull down the barrier block would you vote to demolish it and replace it with a park
The Barrier Block is one of the last bits of council housing left in Brixton and is very much appreciated by the families that live there.
A park would look so much better, it’s a eye sore
A park wouldn’t look so nice to the hundreds of long term residents who would have to be evicted and moist likely rehoused miles away from their community (if they get rehoused at all).
The long term residents of Geneva road , as it was , did not want to be evicted. And the street and beautiful houses looked so much better than the tower block it was replaced with.
Amon I am so sorry to hear about your brother passing at a young age, Boot will be pleased to know he was not forgotten but sad that Tommy has passed, Eddie was the son of the removal people Charlie and Dolly, they were mentioned in earlier posts, hope your well, lovely to hear from you.xx
I agree with the park replacing the barrier block, it’s an eyesore, such a shame to lose all those great homes that was once Geneva rd, I was born and brought up there as was most of my family.
patsy thank you for your kind words re eddie yes I remember now Charlie & dolly I remember that on weekends they would leave the back of the lorry open and all the kids would play inside great days great history its sad that children today are shoved into boxes to live
I saw plans for the homes to be built on the somerleyton road it looks very nice low rise with lots of space and greenery have the planners seen sense I think it would only be fair that the tenants of the barrier block be given first choice of the homes if they want to move there
re the somerleyton site prodject none of the properties should be sold all the flats & houses must be let to tenants at fair rents the council must get this one right for the folk of Brixton no matter what the cost good luck to all who are fighting this cause
dear editor there have been no hits to this site for some time very strange is there a problem
hi amon I remember most of the names mentioned here I lived at no 8 sussex grove with my mum and
dad mary and jim Anderson and brothers jimmy alan and terry really interesting reading this
regards cliff anderson
hi cliff I do recall your family the houses were smaller than ours but still had large basements like ours do you remember a lad called alex he was slightly tanned we was good mates his parents were very strict he lived about 4/5 houses from you do you remember the bomb site at the end of Geneva terrace and the bomb sites in Loughborough park great scrummping pears the size of footballs and apples etc great days
Hi my husband Reg O’Flaherty lived at 66 Geneva Road most of his early life when we married we lived there from 1963 -till they pulled it down then moved to the other side of the road for 3years Pat And Mark Horsley Pat formerly Lacey lived in the basement flat of 66 when we were there Pat had a baby Jackie and I also had a baby girl Suzanne and still very close to Jackie, sadly Patsy died 6 years ago. Recognise lots of other names on here Sears booty Waglands.
hi niolette its great to hear from a former resident of the great late Geneva rd you have told me something I never knew that one side of Geneva was pulled down the the other side was not demolished till 3 years later of course Lambeth council will hide under there desks because they know what they did to our homes was almost criminal but sadly I am unable to recall your family you say you remember the waglands what a lovely family we lived opposite them
hi all folk of the great late Geneva rd I thought you might like to hear this storey this morning I was watching homes under the hammer and a house came up that was only 5 mins walk from Geneva rd 2 bed no front garden no basement new owner refurbished it sold for 1.2 million what would our old houses fetch today if the idiots who ordered there destruction
Omg. But what lovely house’s in Geneva road. Wish I could afford one just like them.
Anyone remember Medora Road (sp)?
hi just read in the south London press about electric avenue about one million pounds to be spent bringing it back to its glory days the buildings are truly the best of its time and must be saved unlike the fate of Geneva /somerleyton /sussex rd well done Lambeth council
HI all I am still looking for folk that lived in the late Geneva road to hear there stories I recently heard that a lot of folk moved up to tulse hill a big estate of council flats I emailed Lambeth council but all they would tell me was that 52 families were resettled there into cramped flats far from there beloved Brixton market and pubs etc if any one has any info please let this site know TA