Catford

This article is about a district in London. For the Scottish linguist and phonetician, see Ian Catford.
Catford
Street with row of shops one of which has a black cat sculpture above its entrance
The Catford Cat, a giant fibreglass sculpture of a black cat above the entrance to the Catford Centre, with the Village Green and Water Pump shown in the foreground
Catford
 Catford shown within Greater London
OS grid referenceTQ385735
London borough Lewisham
Ceremonial county Greater London
RegionLondon
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town LONDON
Postcode district SE6
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
EU Parliament London
UK ParliamentLewisham East
London Assembly Greenwich and Lewisham
List of places
UK
England
London

Coordinates: 51°26′43″N 0°01′15″W / 51.4452°N 0.0207°W

The Broadway Theatre.
The town centre, with the 'village green' including water pump just visible to the right

Catford is a district of south east London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is located south west of Lewisham. The area is the civic administrative center for the local authority, and comprises both the Town Hall & Civic Suite. The majority of Catford is located in the Rushey Green and Catford South wards within the Borough.

The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.[1]

Regeneration

Catford town centre

Catford is a priority area for regeneration in the London Borough of Lewisham.[2] Several key sites around the town centre have been identified for redevelopment - Milford Towers, Catford Dog Track, Catford Island, The Civic Centre, Lewisham Town Hall & The "Wickes" site have all been highlighted for significant change in the proposed Catford Plan.[3]

Previous attempts to regenerate Catford have been hampered by various complex issues such as the number of different landowners in and around the town centre. However, in 2010, as a sign of commitment to ensuring a regeneration of the area, the Council seized upon the opportunity to buy Catford Shopping Centre, thereby giving it greater influence over future plans.

The Council’s aspiration is for the complete redevelopment of the Catford Centre and Milford Towers, which would require demolition of both plus the car parks and associated buildings along Thomas Lane. Lewisham Council are currently working towards a target vacant possession date for the site of late 2015, although this is subject to many factors, including identifying a deliverable scheme, and agreeing commercial terms with the key parties who are, or will be, involved in the redevelopment of the site.

In the meantime, £1.5 million has been secured from the Mayor of London's Outer London Fund to make improvements to Catford Broadway which would benefit businesses, residents and shoppers and help to maintain the vitality of the town centre during any future redevelopment works.

Catford Broadway

Catford Broadway and Catford Market already play a significant role in terms of the local economy. However, in a few years’ time both may become even more important.

The Council hopes to make substantial changes to the town centre as a whole and, in order to facilitate this, Catford Shopping Centre might need to close for between 1–2 years. If that were to happen, Catford Broadway and Catford Market would have even greater prominence as places to shop and socialise.

In 2011, the Council successfully obtained £125,000 from Round 1 of the Mayor of London's Outer London Fund to develop designs and carry out feasibility surveys to explore how Catford Broadway could provide a better environment for businesses, residents and shoppers. The results of this work formed part of a bid for further Outer London Fund money, and in January 2012 it was announced that just under £1.5 million has been allocated to carry out a series of improvements. The Council is providing approximately £600,000 in match funding.

Specific projects include:

The refurbishment of the street began in June 2013 and is expected to take until early 2014. Work is being carried out in phases, so the shops can remain open throughout. The market is also continuing to operate as usual, although stalls are likely to be temporarily relocated while their usual location is being worked upon.

Access and commuter links

Current transport links

Rail

Catford is served by two rail stations. Catford station, with services to Blackfriars, St Pancras, Bromley South, Kentish Town (London Victoria on Sundays) and Sevenoaks via Swanley. Also Catford Bridge station with services to London Charing Cross, London Cannon Street, London Bridge, Waterloo East and Hayes.

Catford Bridge station

Catford Bridge railway station is on the Mid-Kent Line, serving Hayes line trains from Charing Cross to Hayes. It lies between Ladywell and Lower Sydenham stations, in Travelcard Zone 3. During peak hours trains run fast from Ladywell into London (either London Bridge or Waterloo East) and can take less than 8 minutes to undertake the journey from Catford.

Services
Preceding station National Rail Following station
Ladywell   Southeastern
Hayes Line		   Lower Sydenham

The typical peak train service is:

The typical off-peak train service per hour is:

Catford station

Catford railway station is one of two stations serving the London suburb of Catford. Mainly used by commuters, it is in Travelcard Zone 3 and is on the Catford Loop Line, between Crofton Park and Bellingham. It is served mainly by Thameslink trains between Kentish Town, London Blackfriars and Sevenoaks. Connections to London Victoria are available at Peckham Rye.

Services

The typical off-peak service is:

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Crofton Park   Thameslink
Sevenoaks Line Limited service		   Bellingham
Crofton Park   Southeastern
Catford Loop		   Bellingham

Buses

Catford is served by many Transport for London bus routes. TFL Bus Route Map from Catford

Bus Route Towards Towards Bus Route Towards Towards
47 Shoreditch Catford Bus Garage 181 Grove Park Lewisham
54 Elmers End Woolwich 185 Victoria Lewisham
75 Croydon Lewisham 199 Canada Water Catford Bus Garage
124 Eltham St. Dunstan's College 202 Blackheath Cystal Palace
136 Grove Park Elephant & Castle 208 Orpington Lewisham
160 Sidcup Catford 284 Grove Park Cemetery Lewisham
171 Holborn Catford Bus Garage 320 Biggin Hill Valley Catford
336 Locksbottom Catford
Night buses
Bus Route Towards Towards Bus Route Towards Towards
N47 Trafalgar Square St Mary's Cray N136 Oxford Circus Chislehurst
N171 Tottenham Court Road Catford Bus Garage

Road

Catford's main road is the A205 South Circular which crosses South London, running from Woolwich in the east to the junction of the A406 (North Circular Road), the M4 and the A4 at Gunnersbury in the west. From Catford Centre it take less than 20 minutes to get to the M25 to the south, and the same time again to get to central London.

Proposed transport links

Bakerloo line extension

It has been highlighted in the Rail Utilisation Strategy, that there should be a capital infrastructure development in the medium term of developing the Bakerloo line from Elephant and Castle through to Catford. This programme of work is known as the Bakerloo line extension and could start as early as 2020.

Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension

TfL are currently considering the extension of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) from Lewisham to Bromley, with the first phase being from Lewisham to Catford. So far, TfL have not expressed a preferred route, provided detailed plans or indicated costs and funding. Lewisham Council has suggested that any route should be tunnelled to reduce physical and visual impact.

Schools & education

Local Authority maintained schools

School Type Status Rating Inspection Date
Athelney Primary School Primary Community School Good Nov 2011
Conisborough College Secondary Community School Good Feb 2012
Elfrida Primary School Primary Community School Good Sept 2012
Greenvale School Secondary & 16+ Special School Good Feb 2012
Holbeach Primary School Primary Community School Good Apr 2012
Holy Cross Roman Catholic Primary School Primary Voluntary Aided School Good Dec 2011
Rathfern Primary School Primary Community School Good Mar 2011
Rushey Green Primary School Primary Community School Good Sept 2011
Sandhurst Infant & Nursery School Primary Community School Good May 2010
Sandhurst Junior School Primary Community School Good Jun 2013
St Augustine's Catholic Primary School & Nursery Primary Voluntary Aided School Outstanding Jun 2007
Torridon Infant School Primary Community School Good Apr 2012
Watergate School Primary Foundation Special School Good Mar 2009

Independent schools

Catford boasts two independent schools/public schools within its district, a small faith school Springfield Christian School and St Dunstan's College, which has produced a wide range of significant achievers including; MPs/Peers, Noble Peace Prize recipients, and professional rugby/sports players.

Architecture and environment

Early developments

Broadway Theatre, Catford, which is a fine art deco building, adjoins the town hall. This is a curved stone structure decorated with shields and heraldic emblems and topped with an attractive copper-green spire. It was opened in 1932 as the Concert Hall and is now a Grade II listed building. The interior is in art deco style. The last cinema in the borough stood opposite the theatre until its closure in 2002. Catford also boasts a large Gothic police station. In 2006, a large blue pipe sculpture was unveiled outside Eros House.

The 1960s and 70s had a considerable impact on the architecture of Catford. The old Town Hall, 'the Catford Cathedral' of 1875, was replaced by the current Civic Suite in 1968, soon after the merger of the metropolitan boroughs of Lewisham and Deptford. Laurence House, where many of the Lewisham Council offices are housed, is on the site of old St Laurence's Church (aka the Catford Cathedral). The original gothic C of E St. Laurence church was located where Laurence House is today (known as the Catford Cathedral), but as part of the urban renewal of Catford in the 1960s, the church is now housed in a more modern style building 200 metres down Bromley Road.

In Rushey Green the old village hand-pump from the 1850s survives.

At the end of World War II, the 188-bungalow Excalibur Estate was laid out in Catford, and by 2011 this was the largest surviving prefab estate in Britain. However, it is now planned that all but six of the prefabs will be demolished and replaced by new housing, although many residents voiced their opposition to demolition.[4]

Brutalist architecture

Some strong examples of brutalist architecture survive in the area, which include Eros House located on the Catford Gyratory, and Milford Towers & Catford Shopping Centre.

Architecture critic Ian Nairn praised Eros House, which is now Grade II listed as:

A monster sat down in Catford and just what the place needed. No offence meant: this southward extension of Lewisham High Street badly wanted stiffening. Now there is a punchy concrete focus (`you know, that funny new building') both close to and at a distance, from the desolate heights of the Downham Estate, where it stands straight to the afternoon sun. Rough concrete is put through all its paces, front convex eaves on Sainsbury's to a staircase tower which is either afflicted with an astounding set of visual distortions or is actually leaning. Again, no offence meant. Unlike many other avant-garde buildings, particularly in the universities, this one is done from real conviction, not from a desire for self-advertisement. The gaunt honesty of those projecting concrete frames carrying boxed-out bow windows persists. It is not done at you and it transforms the surroundings instead of despising them. This most craggy and uncompromising of London buildings turns out to be full of firm gentleness.[5]

In 1974 the Catford shopping centre and Milford Towers was built by the brutalist architect Owen Luder. The design was to make it "the Barbican of the south". Current plans put forward by Lewisham Council are to demolish Milford Towers, as the estate has fallen into disrepair and the land can be better used to meet the needs of local residents.[6]

Parks and greenspaces

Riverpool Linear Park

The walk follows the River Pool downstream from the Ravensbourne River. The banking has been planted with native trees and shrubs, herbaceous planting, wild flower grassland and wetland marginal planting. The park forms part of the Waterlink Way which forms a significant section of the river from Sydenham to the Thames.

Unlike many of London’s rivers, the Pool remains above ground for most of its length. The section of river flows through a very attractive linear park from Southend Lane to Catford Hill.

Riverside habitats include woodland and some of the best neutral grassland in the borough. The adjacent railsides provide additional habitat, and are included within the site.

It is a good place for birdwatching at any time of year, and one of very few sites in Lewisham where five species of warblers can be seen or heard on a summer stroll.

Mountsfield Park

Mountsfield Park has a wide range of recreational pursuits for the more energetic, including basketball, football and tennis.

There is also a children's playground for the younger visitor. For those who enjoy more passive pursuits the park has ornamental gardens and a bandstand.

With its central location and car parking facilities, the park is often used for large events. The Council holds its annual People's Day event here each July, which attracts crowds of over 30,000.

Although lower than Hilly Fields the park affords excellent views west over Catford to Crystal Palace in the distance.

The park has a park users group called Friends of Mountsfield Park that steward the green-space and oversee its management and development.

Ladywell Fields

The parks consists of three fields with a river running through them. The park underwent enhancements in 2007/8 to the northern Field to divert the river into main area of the field creating a wonderful natural space where river dipping and paddling is popular in the Summer months.

In 2010/11 more enhancements were carried out to the middle and southern fields to open the river up to use and as a result children and adults alike can now access various sections to enjoy the environment that has a fabulous countryside feel. If you're lucky you might even see the Kingfishers and the Heron!

The Middle field - contains one of the last established rare Dutch Elm trees in London.

The park is a key cycling and walking route and popular with joggers and dog walkers.

Elements in the park include:

Facilities include:

Iona Close Orchard

Iona Close Orchard is a fascinating relic of a Victorian garden creating an undisturbed wildlife habitat in the heart of Catford. It remains quite overgrown, but retains some fine old fruit trees. In common with most old orchards, the site is of high nature conservation value. The houses to which it originally belonged date to about 1825. Hidden away behind a few mature ash and Norway maple trees are several fine old fruit trees, apples, pears, plums and a mulberry. Although it has become overgrown, it has remained largely undisturbed, and is therefore a haven for wildlife. Old orchards are generally of high nature conservation value and there is concern that they may disappear. There are a number of uncommon invertebrates which specialise in feeding on dead wood or sap runs on fruit trees. Fruit and nectar also provide food for other foraging insects and birds.

Culture and identity

The name derives from the place where cattle crossed the River Ravensbourne in Saxon times. It is also said that the name originates from all black cats, associated with witchcraft, being thrown into the ford to drown during the witch hunts.

Catford's most prominent landmark is the Catford Cat, a giant fibreglass sculpture of a black cat above the entrance to the Catford Centre. This is a small shopping centre, housing Tesco and Iceland supermarkets as well as some independent shops in the punningly-named Catford Mews. There is a street market on Catford Broadway. Catford has several pubs and a variety of non-chain restaurants and cafes. Catford's oldest pub is the Black Horse and Harrow (now called the Goose on the Green) and Karl Marx is reputed to have been an occasional patron. The pub has existed since at least 1700 though the present building dates from 1897. Between 1932 and 2003, Catford Stadium was a successful greyhound racing track, but was closed and then destroyed by fire in 2005[7] and ultimately demolished to make way for a new housing development. As of April 2009, the site of Catford Greyhound Stadium remains vacant and overgrown.

Catford was historically part of Kent until 1889, when it was absorbed into the new London County Council, along with the majority of the present day London Borough of Lewisham. Catford covers most of SE6 postcode district. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.[1]

Other than the shows at the Broadway Theatre the main cultural events are Lewisham Peoples day held in Mountsfield Park. The yearly beer festival organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), was held at the theatre until 2008. The Catford Beer Festival was one of the largest in southern England.

The area was once home to the Catford Studios, producing films during the silent era. Catford also use to have a cinema diametric to the theatre and a Sega arcade on Rushey Green in the 90's.

In recent years Catford has been satirised in The Chap magazine series called 'A year in Catford' after Peter Mayle's bestseller A Year in Provence. The magazine poked fun at Catford's mundanity.

The Catford Mews which was open for many years has now shut down to make way for a poundland.

Community and voluntary sector

Lewisham voluntary sector is large and developed, with many significant community and voluntary organisations based within the Catford area.

Catford Society

The Catford Society was established in 2014, as a result of residents wanting to come together and advocate for their community and locality, after the successful establishment of the Catford Canteen, a pop up weekly restaurant with visiting chefs.

The Catford Society promotes the area as a great place to live, work and study.

Rushey Green Community

The Rushey Green Community Project is a four year programme levering money into the Catford locality from central government funds. The area was selected for additional funding as it was identified amongst the 30% most deprived Lower Super Output Areas in the 2011 Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). The programme creates more social capital by match funding both in-kind donations and volunteering time from the local community put back into the area, up to a value of £2,500 per project.

Voluntary Action Lewisham

Formed in 1967 Voluntary Action Lewisham (The Lewisham Council for Voluntary Service) is an independent charitable organisation that supports the voluntary and community sector in the London borough of Lewisham. Its role is to oversee and grow the many voluntary groups and organisations across the borough.

Rushey Green Time Bank

Rushey Green Time Bank was the first time bank in the UK to be based in a health-care setting. It is the largest time bank in South East London and it has established a reputation for pioneering work in this field for 12 years.

Sport

Facilities

The previously named Private Banks Sports Ground, situated at the heart of Catford has been renamed the Jubilee Ground in honour of the HM Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, and is now operated by St Dunstan's College the independent school in the locality. It is a 20 acre site and is for benefit not only to the pupils of St Dunstans but also to local authority maintained schools, groups and individuals in the local community.

Catford Stadium was one of the most famous greyhound racing venues in the UK until its closure in 2005. It also hosted boxing and several other sporting events. The stadium has now been demolished and there are plans to build 500 apartments and community facilities including new shops and a doctors surgery on the site.

Local sports teams

Kent Athletics Club is an old and established athletics club based within Catford at the Ladywell Arena. They are one of South London's top athletics and running clubs and regularly compete on road, cross-country and track.

Catford has a Non-League football club Lewisham Borough F.C. who play at the Ladywell Arena.

The most prominent Sunday League side now in Catford is Catford Strollers F.C. Catford also boast a large 5-a-side center with many teams.

Cricket, bowls and tennis are represented in Catford in the form of Catford Wanderers and Catford and Cyphers sports clubs. Catford also has a skating club. Kent County Cricket Club have played at Catford several times in the past.

Catford Saints were a professional baseball side playing in the London Major Baseball League in the early 20th century.

The Catford Cycling Club[8] was founded in 1886 and rose to European prominence. In 1894 they built their own track south of Brownhill Road complete with a magnificent Pagoda grandstand. However, by the 1950s the majority of the track had been built over yet the club still flourishes to this day.[9]

Places of worship

Catford has both Protestant and Roman Catholic churches. Non-conformist churches include Plymouth Brethren, Baptists, Methodist, The Salvation Army various Pentecostals as well as Seventh-day Adventists and a Unitarian meeting house.

The southern, more residential part of Catford is also home to a large Jewish community, many who worship at the Catford & Bromley Synagogue which is affiliated to the United Synagogue organisation.

Atheists are also known to be active in the area, and the South East London (formerly Lewisham) Humanist Group meet on the 3rd Thursday each month in Catford.[10]

Lewisham is a multi-cultural, multi-faith community and all main religious groups are represented in the community with their own places of worship nearby to Catford and primarily in the Lewisham Central ward such as the Islamic Centre that serves the needs of the established Muslim community in Lewisham and across South London.

Notable locals

Geography

Districts closest to Catford
Honor Oak Ladywell Hither Green
Forest Hill Lee
   Catford  
Sydenham Bellingham Southend

Other nearby areas

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mayor of London (February 2008). "London Plan (Consolidated with Alterations since 2004)" (PDF). Greater London Authority.
  2. ↑ London Borough of Lewisham (Spring 2014). "Catford Regeneration". London Borough of Lewisham.
  3. ↑ London Borough of Lewisham. "Catford Town Centre Plan". London Borough of Lewisham. Retrieved Spring 2014. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ↑ Storr, Will (19 August 2011). "Bulldozers home in on historic prefab estate". The Daily Telegraph (London).
  5. ↑ "More readers' books of the year". London: The Guardian. 31 December 2005. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  6. ↑ http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/inmyarea/regeneration/Catford-regeneration/Pages/Milford-Towers.aspx
  7. ↑ "Stadium is destroyed". News Shopper. 25 May 2005.
  8. ↑ "Catford Cycling Club". Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  9. ↑ "History of Catford Cycling Club". Archived from the original on 9 February 2007.
  10. ↑ "South East London Humanist Group".
  11. ↑ Wilkes, Roger (30 January 2002). "Inside story: last refuge for a killer's mistress". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  12. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (26 April 2008). "Catford: a tribute (yes, really)". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2010-04-28.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Catford.