• Tube stations: Brixton
  
• Rail stations: Brixton
  
• Location: East of Clapham, southwest of Camberwell and north of Streatham, centered around the junction of Brixton Hill, Coldharbour Lane and Acre Lane
  
• Borough: Lambeth (www.lambeth.gov.uk)
  
• Postcode: SW2, SW9

Landmarks:
Entertainment venues like the Carling Academy (www.brixton-academy.co.uk ) (although it will probably be forever referred to as the Brixton Academy) and the Ritzy Cinema. There’s also the moon crater-like surface of the Stockwell Skatepark (www.stockwellskatepark.com) and the windmill at the west end of Blenheim Gardens.

Known for:
Its music scene, its ethnic and social diversity, and its altercations with the police, the latter of which is immortalized in the Clash song “Guns of Brixton.”

Who’s there?
A mix of African, Caribbean, Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Middle Eastern poets, musicians, artists, activists, anarchists and bohemians, plus the usual posh yuppies who tend to creep in and gentrify things.

Making history:
Brixton used to be known as Brixistane and was mostly dull farmland until the Vauxhall Bridge opened in 1816. Better transportation options turned the area into a suburban paradise, with huge Victorian houses sprouting up along the main roads. These buildings were being converted into flats and boarding houses by the start of the 20th century, and the 1940s and ‘50s saw waves of immigrants from the Caribbean settling in the area. Tensions between the (mostly black) community and the (mostly white) police force grew, culminating in the notorious riots of 1981 and 1985.

Pub quiz facts:
The building that houses the post office on Ferndale Road was originally Bon Marché, one of the UK’s first department store.

Famous faces:
Brixton is famous for both its music and its politics, so the notable names of David Bowie, Paul Simonon, Mick Jones, Ken Livingstone, John Major and Harold Macmillan should come as no surprise.

When it’s hot:
Brockwell Park (www.brockwellpark.com), between Brixton and Herne Hill, is home to the Brockwell Lido, one of London’s last remaining outdoor pools. It’s currently being refurbished so that more Londoners can laze about next summer.

When it’s not:
If it’s not too cold and rainy, the Brixton Society’s web site (www.brixtonsociety.org.uk) has six different walking tours that you can take alone, without having to worry about following (and paying) a yappy guide.