RAILTONROAD TIMELINE
RAILTONROAD TIMELINE 1891
Door 241 Railton Road was inhabited by John Lancaster (cab drivers groom), married to Sarah, their children Annie(domestic servant), Elizabeth(dressmaker), and George Gissing (Licensed pub owner).
1878
Door 78-80 St. George’s Residences is an example of an early purpose-built block of flats with a water tank where a number of activist and anarchist of Railton Road lived.
Door 324 Railton Road was inhabited by residents John Gooch (carpenter), married to Hannah, their children John(porter), Alice(apprentice), Lydia Rogers (Hannah’s sister, washer).
1888
1881
Door 100 Charles Adolphus Renouf applied for a patent for his design of a Salt Spoon Spreader from 100 Railton Road. This is a page from a book of useful design patents held by the National Archives in which Renouf’s design patent is stored.
Door 143-145 Railton Road Methodist Church was established in 1888, and operated until 1976. During the time it operated as a church, it also hosted several organisations, including the Railton Road Youth and Community Centre.
1901
Door 165 C.L.R James wa in Tunapuna, & Tobago in 19 moved to London the 1930s and lived Railton Road from his death in 1989.
1913
Door 222 The Hern opened. A Coles re-d facade fo which the December Grand Cin of the early a live orch the Cinem The Pullm cinema c and was an inde club. The in 1986.
1934
1927
Door 132 During 1927 to 1931, Roy Eaton’s grandparents ran a shop with the sign “Will’s Gold Flake”. This was shared by current resident Bernard Hart.
Door 121 Pearl Alcock know as a British outsider artist was born in Jamaica. She moved to 121 Railton Road in her 20s, around the 1950s, and opened a dress shop, and later a shebeen (underground bar) on Railton Road in the 70s. Pearl also ran a cafe called Cortitude at 105 Railton Road where she exhibited her artwork, and lived at St Georges mansion for a time.
3
1938
2 ne Hill Cinema Architect George designed a new or the building, en reopened in r 1932 as the nema. It was one y cinemas to have hestra. In 1953, ma was renamed man Cinema. The closed In 1959 s converted to pendent bingo building closed
Door 165 C.L.R James published The Blac.k Jacobins, a book on the Haitian Revolution led by Toussaint L’Ouverture. James would later become a resident of Railton Road.
1939
Drawing CarverHaggard Architects
William Jacoby, the original architect of the Hurst St Estate and the 198 building. He came to London aged 10 as part of the Kindertransport from Germany, then trained as a joiner and eventually became the Chief Architect of Lambeth.
1950
The Sunlight Soap laundry in Railton Road, Herne Hill looking south at the junction with Chaucer Road. Note the wording of the Horlicks advertisement; a claim that legally can no longer be made!
1951
Door 82a Winifred Atwell, wro letter to the British Co Secretary rega Hurricane of 17 A 1951 that struck Jam Many offered their su and services alon Atwell, one no enquirer was Oly sprinter McDonald Ba
1954
1973
Door 179 Clovis “Sam the Wheels” Salmon moved to Railton Road. He worked as a wheel thrower, and repairs person. Sam also became the UK’s first black documentary filmmaker, and in 2008, 198 digitised a portion of his work. Sam still lives and works as a filmmaker and on bike repairs on Railton Road today.
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Door 165-167 Race Today Collective began publishing articles and flyers in 1969. The collective included Darcus Howe, Farrukh Dhondy and Linton Kwesi Johnson, and published articles specific to antiracist organisations and activities. Fiction and non-fiction work by Linton Kwesi Johnson and C.L.R James was also published frequently.
1964
Door 141 The first full time youth leader of the Railton Road Youth and Community Centre was appointed, Gavton Shepherd.
1972
1956
Door 82a “The Winifred Atwell Salon” run by Winifred Atwell until it closed in 1961. Image: nickelinthemachine.com
Door 121 Olive Morris and Liz Turnbull squatted and held onto occupancy despite several police confrontations. A photo of Olive scaling the back of 121 during an eviction attempt was used as the cover for the 1979 publication of the squatters handbook.
1973
Door 64 After multiple evi from 121 Railton Olive Morris and Turnbull squatted i Railton Road during 1
1974
Door 167 The Brixton Advice Centre opened as the Family Advice Centre, offering services and counselling for young persons and families living in Brixton. Door 78 The Brixton Fairies, the South London branch of Gay Liberation Front took over a empty shop. This building was used as a Community and Meeting Centre for the Fairies from 1974-1976.
1976
Four black residents of Railton Road were violently assaulted and arrested by the Brixton Police. These assaults and arrests were a breaking point of articulating anti-black violence in the community and residents organised protests and talks to discuss and act against the continued racism of the Brixton police. “Justice for the Railton 4� was a series of community demonstrations in Brixton, and the archives below explain the stakes for the Brixton and Railton communities, as well as the heightened visibility of racist violence in other London neighbourhoods.
1980
victions Road, d Liz in 64 1973.
1978
1976
Door 155 The South London Gay Community Centre relocated to 155 Railton Road after eviction from no.78 in 1976.
Door 157 The National Gay News Defense Committee was established and operated at 157 Railton Road.
Door 64 Ros Griffiths opened Metro Shack internet cafe, which eventually expanded into an advice and career centre.
1981
Door 82 The George ran and operated as a popular pub for several years. The owner was racist, and had been reported to the Race Relations Board. The owner banned Black people as well as gay people from his pub. During the Brixton Riots of 1981 the pub was burned down, then later reopened as Mingles in 1981. Mingles, unlike its predecessor, was a mostly Afro-Caribbean bar and served as a community space as well as a pub.
1999
1985
Door 141 The Railton Youth Club Action Committee operated and published flyers concerning the riots in Brixton in 1985. Riots broke out again in 1985, provoked by the murder of Cherry Groce by the police. Searching for Cherry’s son, Michael, the police injustice resulted in further insurrection from the residents of Brixton and Railton Road against the police force.
1988
Door 198 Roots Community Limited became 198 Gallery. Roots offered an opportunity for Caribbean Elders to play dominoes and an opportunity for Black artists to exhibit their work. 198 became 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning in 2007.
1983 1981
Door 165 In 1981, CLR James moved to 165 Railton Road where he lived until his death in 1989.
Door 151 Where artist/photographer Rotimi Fani-Kayode lived until his death in 1989. Rotimi’s career was an exploration of politics of desire, diaspora, displacement, spirituality and the black male body. The original site of Autgraph ABP (Association of Black Photographers), a photography gallery/ organisation founded by Rotimi, and of which he was the first Chair.
Door 121 From the time Morris and Li from 121 Rai the property wa by many organisational groups-women groups, black and other based groups home in Ra alongside gay groups, notabl Women’s Gro women’s mag Attitude, AnarQ Squatters Aid prisoner suppo
2000
me of Olive iz’s eviction ailton Road, as inhabited different / activist n’s liberation k feminists community s found a ailton Road and lesbian ly, the Black oup, radical gazine Bad Quist, Brixton d, and a ort group.
Article by Linton Kwesi Johnson - 15th anniversary of the Brixton Academy “The front line began at the junction of Atlantic Road and stretched up Railton Road. It consisted of a row of derelict two-storey houses and shop fronts with damp basements. The (mostly) black residents were augmented by worker, the unemployed, hustlers, pimps and prostitutes, rude boys, rebels, Rastas, con artists and police informers.
2010
198 set up HustleBucks, a social enterprise, led by local young people.
2017
198 begins exploring the history of Railton Road through Voices From the Front Line project.
2014
1999
Door 198 Lucy Davies Joins 198 Gallery. “I came in 1999. The first project I was involved in at 198 was The Elders, which took place at South London Gallery but was a 198 project, curated by Godfried Donkor. Myself and Anil Iltas did all the education work for the project in schools. I believe Rita’s ’exhibition was on in the gallery spaces at that time. Seems like yesterday!”
2004
Door 222 For a short period of time in 2004, the Cinema building, was owned and run as a Caribbean shop, “Tantalizer”.
An apology was given by the police for the wrongful shooting of Cherry Groce. An inquest concluded that eight separate police failures had contributed to Cherry’s death. Commissioner of Metropolitan Police Sir Bernard Hogan - Howe apologised “unreservedly for our failings” to the family.
VOICES FROM THE FRONT LINE - RAILTION ROAD TIMELINE The timeline accompanies the Voices From the Front Line publication. It has been created from various sources found by 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning Youth participants, who gathered material they considered interesting with the support of Bozeana Scheidel. For more information on the project please visit www.frontline198.com
198 Contemporary Arts and Learning 198 Railton Road SE24 OJT tel: +44(0)207 978 8309 fax: +44(0)207 737 5315 www.198.org.uk