Loughborough Junction is an area in South London situated between Brixton, Camberwell and Herne Hill. Its centre is at a cross on the Coldharbour Lane from where six of its nine bridges can be seen at once. "Junction" relates to the railway junction immediately to the north of the station of the same name, where spurs diverge from the north–south line that forms the Wimbledon Loop part of the Thameslink network, to connect with the east–west South London Line. The section of the South London Line which passes through Loughborough Junction is one of the major cross-London rail freight routes , carrying traffic from the Channel Tunnel and the ports of the Thames Estuary to destinations west and north of London.
The name 'Loughborough Junction' came about because the area was once the location of Loughborough House, the residence of Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough, which was previously the Manor House of Lambeth Wick. The area has seen a steady decline through the years up to the late noughties, due partly to planning blight related to transport schemes that were never realised and to the neglect of its housing stock by both private and council landlords. Because of its densely populated council estates and its reputation of gang-related crime, the area has long been neglected by local authorities. Nevertheless because of its cheap rents and many arch spaces available, the area has always attracted a good number of artists and small businesses alike. Legendary theatre impresario Fred Karno -among the music hall comedians who worked for him were Charlie Chaplin and his understudy, Arthur Jefferson, who later adopted the name of Stan Laurel- had his headquarters at 38 Southwell Road, which is now home of the Clockwork Studios which, together with the Harbour Studios and Warrior Studios, are a big creative hub in the area. In 2008, following a tragic murder in the area, the Loughborough Junction Action Group (LJAG) was formed, a volunteer-run association with a view to regenerate the area. LJAG has since incessantly worked with the council on various initiatives, chiefly to form a masterplan for the area with consultation events held with local residents to ascertain how they would like the area to be improved.