The bricks that made us

Selhurst railway station opened in 1865, and along with the steam locomotives came a flurry of construction work. Within decades, the flowing agricultural fields had been replaced by rows of Victorian terraced houses.

Crystal Palace Football Club played their first game at their new stadium in Selhurst in 1920s, a stadium which has in many ways become symbolic with the area since then. The second half of the 20th century saw new developments again, with social housing being built and a library opening.

Although different in many ways, there is one thing that almost every building in the area has in common: they’re made of bricks.

Whether layed down 150 years ago or last month - every brick wall has a story to tell. Together, all the buildings are a testament to the history of the area, the people who were here in the past and those who live and work here now.

From the railway workers of the 1860s to the activists protesting the proposed closure of the new lbrary today, this is a documentation of how bricks have defined - and been defined by - the people of Selhurst and South Norwood.