Telling us where you are in the centre
Catford has landmarks to spare. Say you are by the giant black cat above the Catford Centre entrance, at the Broadway Theatre (an art deco, Grade II listed building next to the old town hall), at Eros House, the concrete block from 1962 that Ian Nairn called a southward extension of Lewisham High Street, or on the gyratory where the South Circular (A205) meets the A21. There are two stations, Catford and Catford Bridge, so say which one. A street market runs along Catford Broadway.
What the homes are like, and what that means for the lock
Around the centre and along Rushey Green there are flats above shops and older terraced streets, and many front doors have been replaced with uPVC or composite ones. Two common faults are a worn mortice lock on an older timber door, and a gearbox failing inside a uPVC door, where the handle will not lift or the key turns freely. uPVC door lock problems shows how to tell before anyone arrives.
South of the centre, in Bellingham, the Excalibur Estate was laid out after the Second World War. By 2011 it was the largest surviving prefab estate in Britain; six of its houses were given Grade II listing and the rest were demolished in a redevelopment. Doors there are mostly modern.
Planning rules on front doors
Lewisham Council has an Article 4 direction on Eros House, so changes to the outside there, doors included, need planning permission. That affects very few people. The useful general point is that a listing or conservation area can change what you may do to a front door, so check with the council before you order a new one.
Common jobs
- Flats above the shops on Rushey Green and the Broadway, locked out or after a lost key.
- uPVC and composite doors with a failed gearbox.
- Worn mortice locks and cylinders on older doors, including anti snap cylinders.
- Window locks and handles.
Questions people ask
My uPVC key turns and nothing happens. Is it the lock? It is often the gearbox, not the cylinder. The guide above explains the test.
I live above a shop. Who has the shared door key? Usually the landlord or the shop. Ask them first, and we can help if nobody can be reached.
Is Catford cheaper or dearer than elsewhere? No. The price is set by the job, not the postcode, and you have it before anyone sets off.
Nearby
We also cover Lewisham, Hither Green and Brockley.
All areas