A giant fibreglass cat climbs over the entrance to the Catford Centre, and it's been the town's unofficial mascot since the 1970s. Across the road, the Broadway Theatre, an Art Deco gem from 1932, hosts comedy, music, drama and a Christmas pantomime. Catford is the civic centre of Lewisham borough, with the town hall here, and it's surrounded by streets of family homes. Minibus hire Catford customers book is mostly theatre nights, weddings and church events, family celebrations and airport runs, all planned around the South Circular.
Catford sits in the middle of Lewisham, between Lewisham town centre, Forest Hill, Bellingham and Hither Green, where the South Circular crosses the A21. From our base in SE1, it's about thirty to forty minutes outside the rush hour, down through New Cross and Lewisham.
Minibus hire Catford for Broadway Theatre nights
The Broadway Theatre's main house holds several hundred people under its Art Deco ceiling, and the studio theatre stages smaller shows. The Christmas pantomime is a big event for families and schools across south-east London, and comedy nights, tribute bands and touring shows run through the year.
School groups, care homes and family parties book us for matinees, and groups of friends book us for evening shows. The theatre sits right on the gyratory, so the driver will drop on a side road nearby and collect from the same point after the show. Tell us the performance and the finish time, and we'll plan the pickup. Pantomime season runs from late November into January, with school performances on weekdays, and group seats go early.
Minibus hire Catford for weddings
Couples marry at churches across Catford and Lewisham, at Pentecostal and African churches, and at the borough's register office. Receptions are often at halls and function rooms in Catford, Lewisham and Eltham, or at venues in Kent.
The minibus collects guests from homes or hotels, takes them to the ceremony, on to the reception and back at the end of the night. Caribbean and West African weddings in Catford often bring big guest lists and long receptions, and we'll plan the driver's hours to match. For larger weddings, we can add vehicles. Some families also hold a thanksgiving service or a family lunch the day after the wedding, and we can book that run too.
Congregations and lunch clubs
Catford has many churches, from Anglican and Catholic parishes to large Pentecostal congregations, along with mosques, a Tamil temple and community centres. Congregations book us for conventions, services at sister churches across the country and outings to the coast.
For community trips, the driver collects from the church or a meeting point and drops at the destination. Senior groups and lunch clubs book shorter trips with an early return, such as a garden visit or a seaside lunch in Whitstable, and we'll keep the walking to a minimum.
Parks, the river and school trips
Ladywell Fields, along the River Ravensbourne, has a restored river with shallow channels where children can paddle and study wildlife, and Mountsfield Park hosts the summer People's Day festival, when groups are dropped on the edge of the park. Blythe Hill Fields, a short drive west, has one of the best views over London, with the City and Canary Wharf laid out below.
Catford's primary and secondary schools book us for museum visits, swimming, sports fixtures and residential trips. The Horniman Museum is about ten minutes away and the Greenwich museums about fifteen.
City Airport and Gatwick from Catford
London City Airport is about twenty-five to thirty-five minutes from Catford outside the rush hour, through the Blackwall or Silvertown tunnel. Gatwick is about forty-five minutes to an hour, via the A21, the A232 and the M25 or the A23. Heathrow is about an hour and a quarter, and Stansted about an hour or more.
For families flying out with children and luggage, a minibus from the door is easier than the train to London Bridge and a change. When relatives arrive, share the flight number and the driver will be there as they come through. Any tunnel charge goes on the quote.
The South Circular and the gyratory
The South Circular, the A205, runs straight through Catford and meets the A21 at the Catford gyratory, one of the slowest junctions in south London at peak times. The town centre is being redeveloped, and the road layout around it has been changing, with some roads realigned. Minibus hire Catford families book for an early flight or a wedding start time is planned with a margin for the South Circular, and pickups happen on side roads rather than on the gyratory. The regeneration plans will move parts of the South Circular, so routes through Catford will change over the next few years.
For minibus hire in Catford, call 020 7183 0567.