Then and Now: Telegraph, Brixton Hill
Photographic comparisons of old and modern views of Lambeth



c 1934 A cyclist puffs his way to the top of the long hill out of central Brixton. Around 1815, an experimental telegraph apparatus was set up here, a fact recalled by the large pub in the centre of the picture, 'The Telegraph'. The hill was too steep for horse drawn trams so the route up the hill was originally operated by cable traction, before being electrified in 1904.
(pic: Lambeth Archives)



July 2003 Modern buses have long since replaced the trams, but the Telegraph pub is still doing good business. A modern housing development has swept away some of the shops nearest the camera.

Update Aug 2009 - the Telegraph pub has been closed since January 2009.



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