Brixton Hill is the name given to a 1 km section of road between Brixton

Brixton

Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....

 and Streatham Hill in south London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It slopes downhill towards central London.

Brixton Hill and Streatham Hill form part of the traditional main London to Brighton road

A23 road

The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex. It became an arterial route following the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the consequent improvement of roads leading to the bridge south of the river by the Turnpike Trusts...

 (A23). The road follows the line of a Roman Road

Roman road

The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...

, the London to Brighton Way

London to Brighton Way (Roman road)

The London to Brighton Way, sometimes called the London to Portslade Way is a Roman road between Stane Street at Kennington Park and Brighton in Sussex. The road passes through Streatham and Croydon, then through the Caterham Valley gap in the North Downs...

, which diverges from Stane Street near Kennington, and led south from the capital Londinium

Londinium

The city of London was established by the Romans around AD 43. It served as a major imperial commercial centre until its abandonment during the 5th century.-Origins and language:...

 to another port on the south coast.

History

Prior to the late 19th century, the road was known as Brixton (or Bristow) Causeway

Causeway

In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...

 On the eastern side of the road, a series of tree lined open spaces and front gardens are part of Rush Common — an area of common land which although it is subject to protection under an Act of Parliament

Act of Parliament

An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...

 of 1811, has seen some incursions for building.

The name Brixton Hill has subsequently been given to the residential areas on both sides of the road, and since 2002, it has also been the name of an electoral ward of the London Borough of Lambeth

London Borough of Lambeth

The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...

.

From 1891 until the 1950s Brixton Hill was served by a regular London tram service

Trams in London

There have been two separate generations of trams in London, from 1860 to 1952 and from 2000. Between 1952 and 2000, no trams ran at all in London.- Horse trams :...

; it was cable-drawn until 1904 when it was replaced by a conventional electric tram. The tram depot at Streatham Hill, opposite Telford Avenue, housed the tram cars, horses and the steam powered winding gear for the cable. It is now a bus depot.
Another tram depot remains intact at the top of Brixton Hill. This was designed by London County Council Tramways

London County Council Tramways

The London County Council Tramways was an extensive network of public street tramways that was operated by the council throughout the County of London, UK, from 1899 to 1933, when they were taken over by the London Passenger Transport Board....

' architect G. Topham Forest, had a capacity of 30 trams and can still be seen on the Brixton side of Christchurch Road, with tram rails flowing under the entrance gates.

The route remains one of the busiest corridors for bus transport in Greater London

Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...

.