Coldharbour Lane is a road in South London that leads south-westwards from Camberwell to Brixton. 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 contains shops, bars and restaurants. The junction of Coldharbour Lane and Denmark Hill in Camberwell SE5 marks part of the boundary between Lambeth and Southwark boroughs. The other end of Coldharbour Lane meets Acre Lane in central Brixton to form the A2217. The road and its surrounding area has a reputation for drug dealing and gang violence, earning it the nickname "Crackharbour Lane".
The Loughborough Junction area, surrounding the railway station, marks the approximate centre point of Coldharbour Lane and the change in postcode from SE5 to SW9.
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Coldharbour Lane was formerly known as Camberwell Lane.
Former British Prime Minister John Major lived in a flat in Coldharbour Lane when a child in the mid 1950s[1].
In 1981 the Brixton riots occurred in roads near Coldharbour Lane and some windows were broken on the street itself.[2]. 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. [3]
A "cold harbour" was an uninhabited shelter for travellers, often along a well-known route, and similar to a modern bothy. 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.[4]
"Coldharbour" also survives as the name of a village in Surrey and Bristol has both a 'Coldharbour Road' and a 'Cold Harbour Lane'.
There are several pubs and bars on Coldharbour Lane.
Starting in Brixton the Prince of Wales [5] has been on the same site since 1800 [6]; The Prince Albert[7] has occasional live music and quiz nights [8] Then Living; then Dogstar [9] is a "three-floor DJ bar"[10].
Other pubs and bars on the road are The Green Man[11], The Angel[12], Living[13], and Club 414[14]. The Green Man, The Angel, The Enterprise and The Hero (latterly the Junction) all ceased trading between 2000 and 2007 and the Plough.
Near the Camberwell end of Coldharbour Lane in SE5 is The Sun and Doves. This pub first traded in the mid 18th century and was substantially remodelled in the nineteenth to give its current apparently Victorian facade. Since current owners took over the lease in 1995 the pub has held art exhibitions by local and international artists and has been heavily involved with Camberwell Arts Festival [15] when it hosts occasional fashion shows, performance art, poetry and live music events. The pub continues its exhibition programme, shows films, quizzes, has a wine club and showcases live music on Sundays; Jamie Cullum being the best known player to have appeared there.
With a nod to the The Rolling Stones, Brixton-based band Alabama 3 named their debut album Exile on Coldharbour Lane after the road. Although Woke Up This Morning 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's 2001 This Is Rock'n'Roll release.
The rare migrant butterfly, the Camberwell Beauty Nymphalis antiopa, was so named after the discovery of two specimens in Coldharbour Lane in 1748 [16] [17]. The butterflies had almost certainly arrived as stowaways on ships delivering timber from Scandinavia to the Camberwell docks.