Joseph Myatt farmed where the River Effra had already done the work.
In the early 1800s, Brixton and Camberwell were still fields. The Effra ran shallow and slow from the Norwood springs, soaking the ground and leaving it dark and fertile. Myatt planted into that knowledge — vegetables where water lingered, crops fattened by winter floods before being hauled north to London’s markets.
As the city advanced, the river soured. Houses pressed close, waste replaced clean flow, and the Effra’s floods became a threat instead of a gift. Brick by brick, it was forced underground, redirected into tunnels beneath new streets.
Myatt saw the land divided and built over, but the ground never fully changed. It still dipped. Rain still pooled. Beneath Brixton, the Effra kept its course.