We live in the shadow of a ‘celebrity’ prison – tourists swarm our street & people say we’re mad but we LOVE it here
LOCALS living in the shadow of what’s been dubbed the UK’s celebrity prison say tourists are constantly swarming their streets to snap photos.
The notorious Kray Twins spent time locked up there and now Stephen Bear stays inside its tall brick walls.
But to residents living near the London jail, which was once known as one of the worst places to be thrown behind bars, it’s just another building.
Except for the fact they have Instagrammers being brought around by tour guides to snap photos and swarming the plaque that reads H.M. Prison Brixton.
Some of the residents living on the streets surrounding the gates say their pals think their made for living so close to a jail, but they claim they feel safer than ever before.
Cabbie Levi, 62, has been a neighbour to the prison for seven years and says he loves living nearby.
He said he forgets it’s there – until he sees swarms of people outside his home.
Levi told The Sun: “I see tourists up here taking photos next to the plaque.
“You look out and think what are they doing? And they’re taking pictures.”
But, the cabbie says all-in-all he loves his street – and the community it houses.
Levi said: “It was never a problem for me, I’ve always been in Brixton.
“I like it. When we first moved in there was more noise. But now there’s not.
“But you can hear them singing at Christmas.”
One of his neighbours, who also looks out at the plaque from her home, said she often seens the tourists flocking, too.
The woman, who did not want to be named but had lived on the street for 30 years, said: “I see tourists all the time.
“There’s a tour group that takes them through.”
The prison was originally built in 1820 and opened as the Surrey House of Correction.
And since then it has been known to hold celebrities in the criminal world.
On top of Bear, who was jailed in March for sharing a secret sex tape of his ex, convicted killer Pearse McAuley and Hitler sympathiser Oswald Mosley spent their time locked up at Brixton, too.
Outside of the tourists, the locals said they rarely hear a peep from the jail unless a football match is on – or it’s Christmas.
They also say they feel safer than ever living next to the prison, because it’s constantly under watch.
And while the residents are more than aware they live next to a jail, you wouldn’t know it’s there – and some say their pals are shocked when they find out.
But, it doesn’t bother them.
John Cruickshank, 71, has been living nearby for 30 years.
He said: “I have no problem living next to a prison.
“My father was a prison officer, I’ve always lived near prisons.”
One of his neighbours, a mum-of-one, added: “It’s very safe when you’re going through at night because you’re being watched.”