Description

St Andrew’s Church was built in 1904 by P A Robson as the area to the east of Catford was rapidly developing from the mid-C19th. Hither Green was largely developed through Archibald Cameron Corbett, a Scotsman, who purchased farmland in the area from the Earl of St Germans and he built over 3,000 houses between 1897-1913. Many of the street names derive from Scottish place names, including that of Torridon Road. Hither Green Library opposite the church opened in 1907, as amenities in the new estate were added. The churchyard is now maintained under a local agreement by LB Lewisham Parks Department.

Practical Information

Site location Torridon Road/Sandhurst Road, Catford
Postcode SE6 1XD
What3Words ///swift.push.wallet
Type of Site Churchyard
Borough Lewisham
Open to Public Yes
Public Transport Rail: Hither Green, Catford Bridge then bus. Bis 124. 160, 181, 248
Research Updated 24 October 2024
Last Updated 18 October 2026

Full description

St Andrew’ the Apostle Church was built in 1903-4 designed by architect Philip Appleby Robson as part of the St Germans Estate and was consecrated on 29 October 1904 by the Bishop of Rochester. The red brick church was designed by Robson as 'an adaptation of fourteenth century English Gothic' and has a fine Arts and Crafts interior. The Hither Green area to the east of Catford had been rapidly developed from the mid-C19th onwards, largely through Archibald Cameron Corbett (later Lord Rowallan), a Scotsman, who purchased farmland in the area from the Earl of St Germans. Cameron Corbett built over 3,000 houses between 1897-1913 and many of the street names derive from Scottish place names, including that of Torridon Road. Hither Green Library opposite the church opened in 1907, as amenities in the new estate were added. The church was provided with electric light in July 1912. In 1920 the War Memorial was erected outside the west end of the church at the same time that a stained glass east window was being planned as a war memorial inside the church, for which renowned artist Martin Travers was commissioned and this was dedicated on Palm Sunday 1921. The stone cross  has a rectangular plaque inscribed 'To the Glory of God / And / In Memory of The Brave Men / Of This Parish of St Andrew / Who Died For Their Country / In The Great War /1914 - 1919' and on the centre stone 'Also The World War Of 1939 - 1945'. It was dedicated on 19 March 1921 by The Bishop of Woolwich, and later on July 15th 1947. The standing tablets either side of the cross are inscribed with names of those who died.

The church is surrounded on two sides by planting of grass and shrubs along its boundaries with Sandhurst and Torridon Roads, including at the west an area of ornamental shrubs fronting the War Memorial cross and stone tablets. The churchyard is maintained under a local agreement by LB Lewisham Parks Department. An area of grass at the side of the church along Torridon Road is now occupied by the vicarage, built between 2008 and 2012.

 

Further Information

Grid Reference TQ389732
Site Ownership LB Lewisham
Site Management Greenscene Department, Glendale Grounds Management
Dates 1904
Listed Structures LBII*: St Andrew's Church
On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens No
Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 No
Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 No
Local Authority Lewisham
In Conservation Area No
Tree Preservation Order No
Nature Conservation Area No
Green Belt No
Metropolitan Open Land Yes
Special Policy Area No

Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.

Nearby parks and gardens

  • Lewisham
  • 0.4 miles away

Hither Green Cemetery and Hither Green Crematorium

The site juxtaposes the Victorian Hither Green Cemetery and the 1950s Hither Green Crematorium, which according to Hugh Meller illustrates 'the richness of the C19th cemetery and the vacuity of its C20th counterpart'. Hither Green Cemetery opened as Lee Cemetery in 1873 on former farmland and retains the ornamental entrance gates and pair of gothic chapels although the entrance lodge was later demolished. The well-planted cemetery has meandering paths and some fine monuments. By 1948 the cemetery extended to the south but the new area is a mere grid of paths and gravestones, with few trees. Adjacent and accessible from the cemetery, separated by hedging and a row of Lombardy poplars is Hither Green Crematorium, which opened in 1956, at which time further land was used for the cemetery.
  • Lewisham
  • 0.5 miles away

Culverley Green

Culverley Road and surrounding streets were laid out as part of an Edwardian suburban development by the Forster family on their Sangley Farm Estate, which was built piecemeal between 1902-1920s. Prior to this the area was rural, with a few fine villas along Bromley Road, the main route from London to Kent. Housing development had accelerated here as both rail and horse tram networks improved in the late C19th. With its grid layout of wide tree-lined streets and spacious houses with substantial back gardens the suburb preserved a semi-rural character. Culverley Green was a provided as a triangular area of public open space and has grass, trees and shrubs.
  • Lewisham
  • 0.5 miles away

Mountsfield Park

Mountsfield House was built in 1845 for eminent entomologist Henry Tibbats Stainton, and was set in parkland to the south of the house. Following the death of Stainton's widow in 1898, part of the estate was purchased in 1904 by the LCC for a school and a public park, the latter opening as Mountsfield Park in 1905. The new park was laid out with a formal rose garden, and by 1914 there was a bandstand. Other amenities provided after WWI included a tennis court and a bowling green. Mountsfield Park was extended in 1925 by c.11ha. to the west on land that had previously been fields, one of which had been used by Charlton Athletic between 1921-24, and in ensuing years further land was added to the park. Amenities formerly included an open air theatre, an avenue from Brownshill Road, bowling green, and ponds, all of which have now disappeared although the bandstand remains as does the early C20th rose garden, albeit reconfigured. A Mayor of London/Thames Water drinking fountain is located at the Stainton Road entrance to the park.
Mountsfield Park, April 2019. Photograph courtesy of Friends of Mountsfield Park