Living in Catford

Catford is a south-east London town centre that is known, first of all, for a large fibreglass cat that climbs across the entrance to its shopping centre. It is an appropriately unpretentious symbol for a place that has long been more practical than fashionable, and where the local council has plans to overhaul a town centre dominated by the South Circular road.

The civic and cultural centre includes the Broadway Theatre, an art deco building that hosts performances and community events, alongside the town hall, markets and a mix of shops. The traffic on the South Circular, which runs straight through the centre, is the area's biggest daily nuisance.

Some of the most appealing streets are a short walk away. The Corbett Estate, towards Hither Green, is a large and uniform grid of Edwardian terraced houses originally built for clerks and skilled workers, now popular with families. Ladywell Fields runs north towards Lewisham along the River Ravensbourne, and Mountsfield Park, on the hill to the east, has one of the area's best views and a community garden.

Catford has two stations close together. Catford Bridge has Southeastern trains towards London Bridge and Cannon Street, and Catford has Thameslink services through Elephant and Castle and Blackfriars to St Pancras; neither line runs as often as a tube. Bus routes connect to Lewisham, Brockley and beyond. Rents are generally below those in Brockley, Forest Hill and Lewisham itself. The area suits families and renters seeking more space for their money, and people with reasonably flexible commutes who are happy to trade nightlife and polish for value and access to good local parks.