On Thursday 30th April, members of the ACS attended a fascinating talk about the history of Prefabs, by local expert Jane Hearn. Jane explained that around 156,000 prefabs were built in in Britain between 1945 and 1948, at a cost of about £150 million. They were designed as a temporary answer to the acute housing…
Guided by Museum Trustee and ACS member Nick Hervey, members of the Committee explored the excellent Museum of the Mind near Beckenham on Saturday 21st February. There were some fascinating stories about how the hospital developed, and how treatments for mental health issues have evolved. There’s also some amazing artwork produced by people undergoing treatment.…
ACS Chair Jon Wright and Secretary Ben Honeybone were interviewed by Robert Elms on Saturday 26th July. They were promoting Another Catford, the documentary film that’s been seen by hundreds of people locally. Here’s a link to the show: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002g0v9. The interview is at about 2 hours 8 minutes in from the start. The film…
As part of this year’s Corbfest, St Andrew’s Church Hall hosted two screenings of Another Catford on Saturday 12th July. Around 150 people saw the documentary, which traces Catford’s history and asks pertinent questions about its future. Presenter Jon Wright and Director Ben Honeybone took part in a Q&A after the screenings, compered by Richard…
ACS Secretary Ben Honeybone and Chair Jon Wright launched their film about the history and architecture of Catford on 24th January 2025 at The Fellowship cinema in Bellingham. The premiere featured a Q&A hosted by the BBC’s Claudia Hammond, and was followed by four further performances, all sold out. Over four hundred people have now…
ACS Secretary Ben Honeybone led a walk around the Eltham Park Estate on Sunday 7th July 2024. It featured the site of the original Eltham Park mansion; a contender for ‘last ever Corbett house to be built’; the transition from more classical designs with gothic architectural features to the Arts and Crafts styles of Glenesk…
On Sunday 28th April, members of the ACS made the short trip to Eltham where the local orchestra (http://www.psaorchestra.uk/) had themed a concert especially for us, featuring music from Corbett’s era. ACS secretary Ben Honeybone made a speech extending the hand of Corbettian friendship from one Estate to another, and after the concert local historian…
The church of St Andrew of the Apostle is the jewel in the crown of the Catford Corbett Estate, and took its rightful place as a building worthy of inclusion in London’s Open House Festival yesterday. Building commenced in 1904, and in the 1970’s it received Grade II* listing. Here’s what the listing committee said…
The ACS is based in the Catford and Hither Green Corbett estate, but of course there are a number of other Corbett Estates in London. The very first one was started by Archibald’s father Thomas in 1877 in Forest Gate, east London, and it was to there that a five-strong group of ACS Committee members…
Many people on the Estate in Catford knew Kitty, who was a pillar of the local community. We filmed an interview with her earlier this year, and were very sad to hear of her passing, at the age of 96, a few months later. Click here to see her story.
The Society met in the Library on 26th July for its Annual General Meeting. The officers of Chair, Treasurer and Secretary were re-elected, and there was a fascinating talk from Connor McNeil of the Victorian Society, which the ACS has now affiliated to. We also got an update on the HMO issue in Lewisham. The…
On Sunday 26th June, ACS member Jon Wright led a walking tour of some of Catford’s most notable buildings, including the Broadway Theatre, currently undergoing a renovation. We were allowed in to see how the work is going. Click here for the full story
Last Tuesday 12th October, local MP Janet Daby hosted a public meeting in St Andrews Church Hall about the increasingly problematic issue of HMO development on the Estate. Several council officials and local Councillors attended, as well as around 150 members of the public. The venue was facilitated by the ACS and the Church Hall…
The Corbett Estate now has its very own heritage sign, which explains the background to why it was built and who did the building. The sign stands outside the Corbett Community Library on Torridon Road, and was officially unveiled on 12th September 2021 by Janet Daby (MP for Lewisham East) and Damien Egan (Mayor of…
Local resident Kevin Loughnane has researched the backgrounds of all the men listed on the War Memorials at St Andrew’s Church. It’s a poignant reminder of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.