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Angell Town is an area in Brixton, in the London Borough of Lambeth, south London. The area is dominated by the Angell Town Estate, a housing estate known for its poverty, deprivation and gang subculture.

The Angell Town Estate was originally built in the 1970s as a set of blocks linked by a deck-access system. Following the efforts of local resident and community leader Dora Boatemah, the estate was extensively redeveloped in the early 2000s in an attempt to remove the architectural problems that had exacerbated the estate's social problems.

The neighbourhood, which predates the estate, was named after John Angell, and first developed in the mid 19th century. The local parish is St John, Angell Town, Brixton, in the Diocese of Southwark, and the local church is St John the Evangelist Church, Angell Town, originally constructed in 1852–3. The area has a small park, Angell Town Park, at the centre of the estate. The local school is St John's Angell Town Church of England Primary School.

Nearby railway stations are Brixton railway station and Loughborough Junction railway station. Max Roach Park lies to the south, and Myatt's Fields Park to the north-east.

History

The area was owned by John Angell, also known as "John the Testator", or "John of Stockwell". John Angell lived in Stockwell, London and was buried at the Angell family seat of Crowhurst in Surrey. He owned land and property in many counties and seems to have been somewhat of an eccentric. He died in 1784.

The properties on Angell Park Gardens and Angell Road, S.W.9 had once been elegant town houses. There is also a pub called the 'Angell Arms'. John died without issue and bequeathed money for housing, a church and a school, both called "St John's".

There is a will dated 21 September 1774, of which the original copy is held at the P.R.O - Ref: L.PROB10/2997 1C/409. It was written by John Angell himself in 1774 and is somewhat difficult to read.

The John Angell that wrote the will is the son of John and Caroline Angell and the grandson of Justinian (John) Angell and the great great grandson of William Angell from whom the will bereaves his fortune too. This William was the original purchaser of Crowhurst and fishmonger to Elizabeth I. Justinian (also known as John) had acquired much of the land in the area through his marriage to Elizabeth Scaldwell.

References

1. "Investigation into life on Brixton's notorious Angell Town estate". Evening Standard. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
2. "A day with undercover police fighting to rid the Angell Town estate of knives". Evening Standard. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
3. McGuirk, Justin; McGuirk, Justin (24 January 2003). "Brixton Belle". Building. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
4. Fraser, Ross (6 February 2001). "Obituary: Dora Boatemah". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
5. "What went wrong in Angell Town?". Evening Standard. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
6. "Angell Town". Hidden London. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
7. "Angell Ward, Lambeth, 1918". www.ideal-homes.org.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
8. "Angell Town: St John the Evangelist - The Diocese of Southwark". southwark.anglican.org. Retrieved 3 October 2020.

See also

• Rosemarie Mallett

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