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Walk 25 - From Brixton Tube Station, at the Southern End of the Victoria Line to Herne Hill via Brixton Windmill and Brockwell Park

What to Expect From This Walk  Tube lines in south london do not extend to open countryside.  So, this is a deeply urban walk but it has some enjoyable features, not least,  a surprising windmill and a lovely open stretch of land in the form of Brockwell Park.  Some of the connnecting roads are quiet and leafy, The park has lots of interesting features including gardens & lakes and a cafe where you can have refreshments.  On a sunny day it is full of people doing recreational things like cycling, playing football and even taking part in a a sack race.

Route Directions

1. Turn left when you come out of Brixton Station. Go straight over the major road junction with Coldharbour Lane (A2217) and arrive at Windrush Square. Turn right and cross Effra Road to reach St Matthew’s Gardens, a triangle of land formed by the junction of Effra Road and  Brixton Hill (the A23). Walk along the left-hand footway of Brixton Hill, keeping to the right of St Matthew’s church.

2. Pass Brixton Orchard and carry on walking through Rush Common, a green area which runs parallel to the road, separating you from the traffic for a few hundred metres. Where this green stretch finishes at Brixton Water Lane, you need to rejoin the footway on Brixton Hill. At the next set of pedestrian lights, cross to the other side of Brixton Hill. Continue in the same direction and then turn right into Blenheim Gardens. Walk to the end of this short road, past the Windmill music venue and pub, and enter Windmill Gardens to see Brixton Windmill. 

3. After your visit to the windmill, retrace your steps to Brixton Hill. Cross to the opposite side, turn right and walk up the left-hand foot-way. Turn left into Elm Park, the fourth road on the left, and walk down this quiet street for 400m. At the junction with Claverdale Road, turn left and go on to reach Tulse Hill (the A204). Cross over and enter the pathway between houses to the right of a petrol station. The path turns left, right, and then left and right again to reach Brockwell Park. You can follow almost any route to explore the park (see the plan on p.92). What follows here is therefore only one of the options.

4.  Go ahead across a grassy path and turn left around a hedge. Enjoy a visit to the walled garden ahead on your right and then walk past the pond on your left. Go right at the community greenhouses, pass between tennis courts and turn right again to reach an area of grass. Walk across the grass towards Brockwell Hall, which has a café with indoor and outdoor seating at the back of the building. To continue the walk, go back to the front of Brockwell Hall. With the imposing pillars of the  front entrance behind you, turn right and make your way downhill. You are aiming for the Herne Hill exit of the park. From here you can either get a bus back to Brixton or take a train to London from Herne Hill Station in Railton Road.

Information on Things You Will See

Brixton is a district of London, within the Borough of Lambeth. It is mainly residential with a substantial retail sector. It is a multiethnic community, with a large part of its population being of Caribbean descent. Brixton has a vibrant atmosphere with a busy street market and a thriving art scene.  The area is slowly moving up-market with many middle class families moving in to take advantage of its central location and good communications.   

Brixton Windmill is a Grade II listed building and is a significant reminder of Lambeth’s rural past. It is the only remaining windmill in central London.  It was built in 1816 on part of Stockwell Manor. Until the middle of the 19th century Brixton remained largely undeveloped and was agricultural in character.  The windmill is constructed from brick and wood but has been paint.ed with black tar, a traditional method of weather-proofing. It is 15 metres tall and at the top, there is a wooden cap which can be turned so that the sails always face the wind.The sails originally turned a series of cogs which powered a millstone on the second floor.  There is a record of a John Ashby of Brixton Hill obtaining a 99-year lease  in 1817 for two acres of land to the south of a new road to be called Cornwall Road (now Blenheim Gardens), together with a ‘brick corn mill’ and other buildings. The windmill was soon surrounded by outbuildings, which included a mill cottage and a bakehouse, where bread was baked and sold to local people. In 1957, the London County Council (LCC) bought the land, the windmill and the associated buildings and decided to turn the 2.5 acres of land into a public open space - Windmill Gardens. 

Brockwell Park consists of 125 acres of open land and commands views of the skyline of Central London. Brockwell Lido is a Grade II listed art deco building. It is an open air swimming pool with an attached café/restaurant. Other amenities in the park include gardens,  tennis courts, a bowling green, a BMX track and a miniature railway. The park is home to the Lambeth Country Show which usually takes place in July. Also, an annual fireworks display takes place around November 5.