Catford

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Location
Catford


OS grid reference:	TQ385735
Latitude:	51.443482°
Longitude:	0.006154°
Administration
London borough:	Lewisham
County level:	Greater London
Region:	London
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Greater London
Historic county:	Kent
Services
Police force:	Metropolitan Police
Fire brigade:	London Fire Brigade
Ambulance service:	London Ambulance
Post office and telephone
Post town:	LONDON
Postal district:	SE6
Dialling code:	020
Politics
UK Parliament:	Lewisham East
London Assembly:	Greenwich and Lewisham
European Parliament:	London
London \| List of places in London

Catford[1] is an area in the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is located 6.3 miles (10.1 km) south east of Charing Cross.

The name may either derive from wildcats at a crossing of the River Ravensbourne or, as is more likely, from a cattle ford across the same river. Catford's most prominent landmark is the Catford Cat[2], 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 which existed at least as early as 1700, though the present building dates from 1897. Between 1932 and 2003, Catford Stadium was a successful greyhound racing track, but it is now closed.

The 1960's and 70's had a considerable impact on the architecture of Catford[3]. The old Town Hall[4], 'the Catford Cathedral' of 1875 was replaced by the current Civic Suite[town hall] in 1968, soon after the merger of the metropolitan boroughs of Lewisham and Deptford. Laurence House where many of the borough's offices are housed is on the site of St Laurence's Church. The brutalist Eros House, which replaced the Lewisham Hippodrome[5] (Catford's music hall designed by the famous theatre architect Frank Matcham) in 1960, is now Grade II listed. Ian Nairn,however, thought Eros House to be worthy of note, he wrote:

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 gentlenes

Nairn's London 1966

In Rushey Green[6] outside Eros House, the old village hand-pump from the 1850s survives. In 1974 the Catford shopping centre was built by the brutalist architect Owen Luder.

Broadway Theatre, Catford [7] which is a fine art deco [8] 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 only cinema in the borough stood opposite the theatre until its closure in 2002.

Other than the shows at the Broadway Theatre the main cultural events are Lewisham Peoples day held in Mountsfield Park and the yearly beer festival organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), which is held at the theatre.

In recent years it 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.

1 Famous Catfordians
2 Transport Links
3 Nearest towns
4 External links

[edit] Famous Catfordians

Spike Milligan (1918-2002) the comedian and writer went to school at Catford's Brownhill Boys School and often visited the suburb where his aunt and uncle lived. He claimed to have lived in Catford and wrote about the area in many of his books and sketches. In reality he lived in nearby Honor Oak which is nearer Forest Hill than Catford. Catford was probably thought to have been funnier.
Ben Elton the comedian and writer was born in Catford in 1959.
Ernest Christopher Dowson Poet and decadant lived and died in Catford. Dowson introduced the phrases 'Days of wine and roses' and 'Gone with the wind'.
Anthony Jones the art photographer lives in the area.
Andy McNab Former S.A.S serviceman and writer was born in Catford
Maxwell Confait, Colin Lattimore, Ronal Leighton and Ahmet Salih. See The Murder of Maxwell Confait.

[edit] Transport Links

Catford is well connected for public transport, with two adjacent stations where railway lines cross (but do not interchange). Catford railway station is on the route between Blackfriars station and Sevenoaks via Bromley South, while Catford Bridge railway station is on the Mid-Kent line to Hayes from Charing Cross and Cannon Street stations. As well as the railway stations there is Catford bus garage[9], providing many routes towards Central London and out towards Bromley.

Nearest railway stations

Bus Routes

47 Catford Garage - Shoreditch
54 Elmer's End - Woolwich via Beckenham
75 (24hr) West Croydon - Lewisham via Sydenham
124 Eltham - Catford via Mottingham, Grove Park and Torridon Road
136 Grove Park - Peckham via Goldsmith's College
138 Coney Hall - Catford via Bromley South and Downham
160 Catford Garage - Sidcup via Brownhill Road and Eltham.
171 Catford Garage - Aldwych via Brockley, Peckham and Waterloo
181 Grove Park - Lewisham via Downham (no longer terminates at Downham)
185 Lewisham - Victoria via Peckham
199 Catford Garage - Canada Water/Surrey Quays via Greenwich
202 Crystal Palace - Blackheath
208 Lewisham - Orpington via Catford and Bromley (at peak times half the bus fleet run Lewisham-Catford-Bromley whilst the other half of the fleet run Catford-Bromley-Orpington so at peak times Lewisham-Orpington would require a change of buses)
284 Lewisham - Grove park via Crofton Park and Verdant Lane
N36 Queen's Park - Grove Park via Paddington, Trafalgar Square, Victoria, Vauxhall, Kennington, Peckham, Lewisham, Catford and Downham
N47 Trafalgar Square - St Mary Cray via Aldwych, Ludgate Circus, Bank, Cannon Street, Monument, London Bridge, Surrey Quays, Deptford, Lewisham, Catford, Downham, Bromley, Petts Wood and Orpington
N171 Tottenham Court Road - Catford Town Hall (some services to Catford Bus Garage) via Aldwych, Peckham, Brockley and Crofton Park (no longer serves Sandhurst Road or Hither Green)