Catford, South East London is in the London Borough of Lewisham. I went there firstly to see Milford Towers and Eros House but on subsequent visits discovered further interesting buildings from the post war onwards and up until the early 1970s. The area is sadly somewhat run down and there are plans for a £500 million pound regeneration but it currently seems to be on hold. Meanwhile here’s my selection of highlights worth a visit that are still standing…..

Eros House: A nice surprise to be found at the back of the block is this brutal spiral staircase of rough board shuttered concrete. It’s connected with the car lift up to the car park deck. A nice detail being that the balustrade is separate to the treads with a gap between, on a practical level it’s probably for drainage but looks great. To see it you have to get past the entry phone door and up to first and walk across the car park deck .......Eros House in Catford, South East London is a building I have always been attracted to by period photos that you can find on-line, check them out, but sadly it’s a shadow of its former self. It was built as an office block in 1960. Shops on the ground level, a parking deck on first and offices above, a very nice separate vertical circulation/services tower at the front. It’s the only main bit that has not been ruined when the block was badly converted to flats in the 1990s The office facades were fully glazed in full height metal framed windows with the concrete frame exposed, now it looks like a pile of worn out portacabins! I think the concrete within the services tower was in exposed concrete but is now plastered and painted white. Mobile masts also disfigure the building. Residents have held demonstrations about problems with the block including: damp, mould, heating, leaks & security. I had no problem getting in as a resident held the door open for me! Owen Luder who designed the block with Rodney Gordon has wanted his name to be disassociated from it, stating that the conversion has destroyed the design integrity of the building. That’s for sure! The block was awarded a RIBA gold medal in 1963. Its privately owned and mostly rented out as temporary accommodation for homeless people in need. Some flats are privately rented.

Eros House

Eros House

Eros House

Eros House

Milford Towers: by Owen Luder Partnership 1969-1974. This is a fascinating complex beast of a building! Multi layered, a shopping centre at ground level, multi story parking and delivery deck over and flats on top like an estate sitting on a rooftop. You need to get in and up to the main rooftop terrace deck (4th I think it was) to experience this building. It’s very poorly maintained, I avoided using the lifts and I was advised by a resident that people get stuck in them on a regular basis! Once your up on the residential deck it’s quite an exploration, staircases, bridges, ramps and wide terraces with raised flowerbeds containing mostly earth and no plants and curious metal pergolas that look like they have been added in the 1990s. These deck areas have great potential if they were well maintained. It’s been scheduled for complete demolition as part of a £500 million “regeneration” scheme but this seems to be on hold so go have an explore! The residential blocks themselves have a claustrophobic look with small vertical and horizontal windows. The entrance decks have no windows to the flats and are lined with lock up cupboards along with the flats doors, it’s impersonal and confusing to identify the front doors. The whole centre has changed little since construction, the flats even have their original metal windows. Seems to be occupied by mostly temporary residents urgently in need of housing. Was also told by a resident that In 2005 there was an unpleasant murder by butcher living there who cut up his victim with a hacksaw and left the parts in 5 bin liners on the estate! Luder was also responsible for the notorious Tricorn Centre, Portsmouth & Trinity Square, Gateshead, now both demolished, its fair to say his buildings have been controversial and not frightfully popular…That not to say that Milford Towers could not be improved rather than just flattened.

Milford Towers

Milford Towers

Milford Towers

Milford Towers

Milford Towers

St Laurence: Is an Anglican Parish Church in the centre of Catford. From outside it look small and all weathered concrete beams but I was not prepared for the immense contrast inside! It’s like stepping into Dr Who’s Tardis. It’s so much bigger and brighter than expected. The triangulated concrete coffer ceiling is spectacular with its skylight in the middle with its concrete crown externally. A fabulous space age back illuminated halo frames an illuminated rough cast glass cross on the wall behind the altar. I was very kindly let in by a lady in the community centre. What a treat! Dates from 1968, Architect, Ralph Covell who has designed a number of churches around London, including my local church St Richards in Ham which you can see on my London Churches folder.

St Laurence

St Laurence

St Laurence

St Laurence

St Laurence

The Civic Suite:, bang in the centre of Catford a mini “international style” number clad in luxurious satin stainless steel, looking pretty much as good as the day it was built as a result! Around the side on the ground floor are some very nice abstract dark grey mosaic panels with blue highlighted lines actually so easy to miss as it faces on to a very busy main road but pause and take a look, they are rather lovely! Built from 1968 Opened in 1971 by the Queen Mother. Designed by Lewisham Borough Architects.

The Civic Suite: Around the side on the ground floor are very nice abstract dark grey mosaic panels with blue highlighted lines actually so easy to miss as it faces on to a very busy main road but pause and take a look, they are rather lovely!

The Excalibur Estate: I met Margaret who has lived in her prefab for About 38 years. She’s in her 80s and still takes pride in her garden where she is sadly now in a minority. She said her prefab did not get listed because she has secondary internal glazing and the original door has been replaced. However she said hers is apparently to be kept along with her street. While talking to her everyone passing by knew her by name so clearly there’s still a strong community on what’s left of the estate but it’s certainly heavily eroded by the “regeneration” This estate is historically interesting as it was built directly after the war as temporary prefabricated housing to help ease the then desperate need for housing. It’s one of the very few examples left. Built in 1945-1946 with the help of forced labour from German & Italian prisoners of war. Designed by the then Ministry of Works. Each one was described as having two bedrooms a private garden and an indoor toilet. Many new residents did not previously have an indoor toilet. They also came with a fitted kitchen. I noticed that each house also has its own prefabricated concrete garden shed with corrugated asbestos roof. The gardens were used to grow fruit and veg as rationing went on until 1954. They were only meant to last 10 years but have now been here for about 70 years! Most likely more due to popularity than good maintenance from the council! It’s fascinating looking at the alterations residents have made from just being painted in gentrification grey to country Cottage and Tudor style additions.. The estate is being demolished as part of a regeneration scheme, some prefabs have been listed and its possible others might be retained. The 20th Century society have been campaigning to save the estate not sure of the final outcome….

The Excalibur Estate. Washed out Mondrian.

The Excalibur Estate. Gentrification grey.

The Excalibur Estate. Tudor

The Excalibur Estate. Tudor

The Excalibur Estate. Tudor

The Excalibur Estate. Country Cottage

St Marks Church on the edge of the Excalibur Estate. built 1960.