Coldharbour Lane
Encyclopedia
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
that leads south-westwards from Camberwell
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
to 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....
. In total the road is over 1 mile long with a mixture of residential, business and retail buildings - the stretch of Coldharbour Lane near Brixton Market
Brixton Market
Brixton Market comprises a street market in the centre of Brixton, south London, England, and the adjacent covered market areas in nearby arcades Reliance Arcade, Market Row and Granville Arcade ....
contains shops, bars and restaurants. The junction of Coldharbour Lane and Denmark Hill
Denmark Hill
Denmark Hill is an area and road in the London Borough of Southwark. The road forms part of the A215; north of Camberwell Green it becomes Camberwell Road; south of Red Post Hill it becomes Herne Hill. Its postcode is SE5. Nearby streets whose names refer to different aspects of the same...
in Camberwell
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
SE5
SE postcode area
The SE postcode area, also known as the London SE postcode area, is the part of the London post town covering part of south east London, England...
marks part of the boundary between 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:...
and Southwark
London Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
boroughs. The other end of Coldharbour Lane meets Acre Lane in central Brixton to form the A2217
A2217 road
The A2217 is an A road in London, England. It connects Clapham Common with Camberwell via Brixton.It is made up of two streets, Acre Lane and Coldharbour Lane.-Acre Lane:...
.
The Loughborough Junction
Loughborough Junction
Loughborough Junction is an area of South London, in the Borough of Lambeth, which lies on the borderline of Brixton and Camberwell. It is centred at a junction which consists of 6 railway bridges which can all be seen at once from the centre of the junction. Loughborough Junction can be found...
area, surrounding the railway station
Loughborough Junction railway station
Loughborough Junction railway station is in Brixton in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is between Elephant & Castle and Herne Hill stations and is served by First Capital Connect and at peak hours by Southeastern.-History:...
, marks the approximate centre point of Coldharbour Lane and the change in postcode from SE5 to SW9.
History
Coldharbour Lane was formerly known as Camberwell Lane.Former British Prime Minister John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
lived in a flat in Coldharbour Lane when a child in the mid 1950s.
In 1981 the Brixton riots occurred in roads near Coldharbour Lane and some windows were broken on the street itself.. With the support of community leaders and shop owners, there are plans to set up a mini-police station on Coldharbour Lane in the former premises of a drug dealer.
Origins of the name
A "cold harbour" was an uninhabited shelter for travellers, often along a well-known route, and similar to a modern bothyBothy
A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are to be found in remote, mountainous areas of Scotland, northern England, Ireland, and Wales....
. Unlike an inn, there was no staff, food or drink to be had. There would be a roof, door and quite possibly a simple hearth, although it was the traveller's responsibility to gather fuel. They were (generally) a little more than open-faced barns or animal shelters.
"Coldharbour" also survives as the name of a village in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
has both a 'Coldharbour Road' and a 'Cold Harbour Lane'.
Coldharbour Lane also gives its name to Coldharbour ward in 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....
although approximately one third of Coldharbour Lane is located in Herne Hill ward
Herne Hill ward
Herne Hill ward is an administrative division of the London Borough of Lambeth, United Kingdom. It is located in Herne Hill and contains Brockwell park, Ruskin park, and Kings College Hospital....
.
Pubs and bars
There are several pubs and bars on Coldharbour Lane.Starting in Brixton the Prince of Wales has been on the same site since 1800 ; The Prince Albert has occasional live music and quiz nights Then Living; then Dogstar is a "three-floor DJ bar".
Other pubs and bars on the road are The Green Man, The Angel, Living, and Club 414. The Green Man, The Angel, The Enterprise and The Hero (latterly the Junction) all ceased trading between 2000 and 2007 and the Plough.
Mentions in culture
With a nod to The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Brixton-based band Alabama 3
Alabama 3
Alabama 3 are a British band mixing rock, dance, blues, country, and gospel styles, founded in Brixton, London, in 1995. In the United States, they are known as A3, allegedly to avoid any possible legal conflict with the country music band Alabama...
named their debut album Exile on Coldharbour Lane
Exile on Coldharbour Lane
Exile on Coldharbour Lane is the debut album by Alabama 3, released November 11, 1997, on One Little Indian and Geffen. The name and cover are references to Exile on Main St. by The Rolling Stones and Coldharbour Lane a major street in Brixton, South London best known for containing several...
after the road. Although Woke Up This Morning
Woke Up This Morning
"Woke Up This Morning" is a song by Alabama 3 from their 1997 album Exile on Coldharbour Lane. The song is best known as the opening theme music for the HBO drama series The Sopranos .Alabama 3 frontman Rob Spragg wrote the song after hearing about the 1996 murder case of Sara Thornton,...
on this album mentions Coldharbour Lane, the mention is omitted from the "Chosen One Mix", used as the theme song for the Sopranos.
"Coldharbour Lane" — with the hook "So long / I've done my time / Coldharbour Lane / Goodbye" — is a single from The Quireboys
The Quireboys
The Quireboys are an English hard rock band formed in 1984 in London, England, with strong ties to Newcastle. When the band formed they were originally known as The Queerboys and later as the London Quireboys in the United States....
's 2001 This Is Rock'n'Roll
This Is Rock'n'Roll
This Is Rock'n'Roll is rock band The Quireboys's third studio album, it is the first album recorded after the band re-united. Their last album before this was recorded in 1993.-Track listing:# "This Is Rock'n'Roll"# "Show Me What You Got"# "Searching"...
release.
Markus Schulz named his own recording label "Coldharbour Recordings
Coldharbour Recordings
Coldharbour Recordings is a sublabel of Armada Music that was launched in 2005, and is run by DJ and producer Markus Schulz. The label is named after Coldharbour Lane, a road in South London where Schulz's studio was located....
" in honour of time when he lived in a flat in Coldharbour Lane.
The Camberwell Beauty
