Catford

Catford is a town in Lewisham, a borough of Greater London. It is in the historic county of Kent. Catford is an area in the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is located 6.3 miles (10.1 km) south east of Charing Cross and covers most of SE6 'end' postcode.

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, 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 (at which Karl Marx was a patron). Between 1932 and 2003, Catford Stadium was a successful greyhound racing track, but it is now closed.

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 borough's offices are housed is on the site of St Laurence's Church.