The Catford House

Previously a well-loved local pub, the club closed its doors in 2019. Its origins trace back to a Georgian farmhouse built in 1736, making it the oldest surviving building in Catford, with additions from the mid-19th and 20th centuries expanding the structure. After years of neglect, the building had fallen into such disrepair that many areas required substantial renovation before they could be safely accessed. Collaborating with Hayatsu Architects and a multi-disciplinary team led by Turner Works, our team is delivering multi-disciplinary engineering solutions to revitalise the space as a pub and community kitchen for Lewisham Council.

The designs for the refurbishment showcase the repair process as part of the building’s ongoing story. Rather than concealing evidence of restoration, features like stitched brickwork and patchwork repairs in stone and plaster are left visible, expressing the process of repair as a trace of human intervention embedded in the existing fabric.

In the Georgian section, a new internal timber frame has been added, designed as a permanent scaffolding that braces the walls and ties the structure together, creating a triple-height central space lit from above, with galleries, a platform lift, and a network of walkways, making the building fully accessible and forming a central hall that connects all existing rooms.

Modern amenities, including new restrooms and upgraded mechanical systems, have been integrated to bring the building up to modern standards. The main hall leads to a newly landscaped garden on the site’s northern edge, connecting the building to the future Thomas Lane Yard development. The pub operator, Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency, will also manage a community kitchen, offering cooking and educational programs focused on promoting healthy food culture for local businesses and communities.

The project sits within Lewisham Council’s long-term ambitions for Catford town centre and is funded by Lewisham Council with support from the Greater London Authority’s Good Growth Fund. It forms an early and visible part of a wider regeneration programme that also delivers new public realm, commercial space, and affordable housing nearby.