CATLIN STREET

Yesterday & Today
How we lived then & How we live now
kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

CATLIN STREET

Postby kiwi » Fri May 12, 2017 11:34 pm

The old Southern Railway Stables, originally the horse hospital for the Bricklayers Arms Depot of the Southern Railway, is on the corner of St. James's Road and Catlin Street, Bermondsey and is still in use as stables. Also, here is a forge, a park-up for some interesting old road vehicles, and a pond with ducks. A wonderful reminder of Bermondsey in the 19th century. 2012.
Bricklayers arms stables, Catlin Street.jpg
Bricklayers arms stables, Catlin Street.
CATLIN STREET STABLES 2012.jpg
CATLIN STREET STABLES 2012

kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: CATLIN STREET

Postby kiwi » Sat Apr 10, 2021 4:41 am

Catlin Street, Bonamy Estate c.1985.  X..png
Catlin Street, Bonamy Estate c.1985.

kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: CATLIN STREET

Postby kiwi » Mon Oct 11, 2021 11:46 pm

Catlin Street, Bermondsey c1950. Bill Cain as a baby outside their in Catlin Street prefab. X..png
Nice picture of Bill Cain as a baby outside their prefab in Catlin Street,Bermondsey,c1950.

kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: CATLIN STREET

Postby kiwi » Tue Dec 14, 2021 9:28 pm

A word of thanks to BermondseyBoy for this location.
Catlin street, Stables to the left, Bonamy Estate to the right. Also is that a Morris 1100 Yuk? My dad bought one horrible thing, but it does bring back memories.
11AA.png
Catlin Street.

Post by micky2horses.
Many years ago, we had a horse called Southern who came from The Southern Railway yard stables shown on the left. He was a very laid-back horse and apparently because he regularly rode down the Old Kent Road spooked at nothing.

Chic
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Feb 10, 2020 2:57 pm

Re: CATLIN STREET

Postby Chic » Thu Sep 28, 2023 6:27 pm

Hello Kiwi
Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather. You got that image from the Prefab Museum.
My dad owned the ‘canteen’ (aka Cain Hill Café). Some people associated it with the Cane Hill Asylum. I am pleased to report, it has nothing to do with that institution. Mind you, you had to be mad to work there.
I was a pupil at the old Victoria School just beyond the roundabout at the Surrey docks end of Rotherhithe New Road near to where the tall tower block is now. Used to have my hair cut at Cadbury’s close to the 5 Star Salon.
Thanks for posting my image. Given me a chance to share a couple of memories.
All the best
Bill

kiwi
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Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: CATLIN STREET

Postby kiwi » Thu Sep 28, 2023 10:41 pm

Hi Bill, welcome to the site. Thank you for your comments and that the picture brought back some memories, for me, this is what this site is all about, memories. Seeing your dad owned the Cain Hill Café was a surprise as I went in there quite a lot, in fact I worked for the company next door (William Harbrow) from about 1956. Not sure when your dad was there but if it was 1956 onwards, then I would have known him. I remember the prefabs in Catlin Street, as my sister live in Rolls Road.
If you have any more memories Bill, please post them. All the best.
Ray (Kiwi).

Chic
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Feb 10, 2020 2:57 pm

Re: CATLIN STREET

Postby Chic » Sat Sep 30, 2023 3:08 pm

Hi Ray
Good to hear from you.
I don’t know the exact timeline but my dad, Bill, may have ‘handed over’ the café to Fred Overall and his son Brian about the time you used the café. I suspect he pulled out because he caught wind of the BRS depot directly opposite was closing down. They were big customers.
Was this the William Harbrow’s premises or the Print firm – don’t know the name.
I always thought the building added a bit of class to the surroundings.
The adjacent arch to the café was occupied by Lipton's Paper Mills Ltd. I don’t know what they did in there but it certainly had something to do with toilet paper. Dad’s mum and stepdad (Jack Hill) lived in a small terraced house at 210 Rotherhithe New Road. Opposite was the Halfway House, 229 Rotherhithe New Road. He used the pub before the war. I think the landlord was called Alf. Some other names spring to mind: Fred Livett (Slater) lived in Rotherhithe New Road, Harry Fowler Transport manager (possibly for BRS) and Harry Putt, Ilderton Road. Dad bought a sideboard radiogram off him. I’ll never forget it. It was a monster. It took up half the space of our living room. My sisters used lay on top of it listening to Elvis Presley.
All the best - Bill
1948 Maybe Printers RNR.jpg

kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: CATLIN STREET

Postby kiwi » Sun Oct 01, 2023 12:08 am

Hi Bill.
The building belonged to William Harbrow’s, who were mainly builders, and I am almost certain they built this building. They also did contract work for the government, maintaining Radar Towers all over the country, this is what I did, my first job. I think you are right about a Print Firm being in the same building.
Your dad probably got out of the Café at the right time as Bricklayers Arms Carriage Depot, which was on both sides of the road, was winding down, so the Café would have lost a lot of customers.
I’m not sure if you have located it, but there is more information in the Rotherhithe New Road Topic.
To help you with this, as the “search this topic” does not always work.
So, if you click into Buildings & Streets, then go to page or number 4, the Rotherhithe New Road Topic (fingers crossed) should be down there.
You will also see that I had a Senior moment regarding the building and William Harbrow’s, well it was 60 plus years ago, and you can’t remember everything. ;)
Anything else Bill just let me know and I will try and help.
Cheers Ray (Kiwi).

Chic
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Feb 10, 2020 2:57 pm

Re: CATLIN STREET

Postby Chic » Tue Oct 03, 2023 12:57 pm

Thanks Ray
I’ve had a look at the Rotherhithe New Road topic and found fosney’s map showing the Rotherhithe New Road School in Suffolk Grove. That was the old Victorian School I was talking about and I was a pupil there. I notice a large area on that corner has been replaced with flats and a new school. Was it demolished for redevelopment or was it a bomb site?
I checked out the History and War Years and was particularly absorbed by the Living in the Blitz topic. It absolutely captured the grit and spirit of the time. The observations written by the children were especially heart-warming.
Squatters Movement of 1946.
After the war, mum and dad and my two sisters found themselves without adequate accommodation. My dad arranged for them and 10 other families (and Fred Livett) to squat in the disused military huts in Southwark Park. Post-war homelessness and overcrowding sparked a nationwide movement of squatting. In August 1946, tens of thousands of people, mainly ex-servicemen and their families, moved into empty military camps around Britain. The Southwark Park squatters are mentioned in Pat Kingwell’s splendid history of the park.

N.B. pdf page 45: http://www.friendsofsouthwarkpark.co.uk ... rk_opt.pdf

Sadly, there are no images of the event. It turned out to be worthwhile because we were allocated a prefab. Catlin Street was adjacent to the Bricklayers Arms railway goods depot which was heavily bombed and it looks like part of Catlin Street caught some of the action. I found a 1950 map of Catlin Street showing 20 Prefabs. If your sister lived between 43 and 51 Rolls Road, she’d have been close to us at no. 4
Best regards - Bill

Chic
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Feb 10, 2020 2:57 pm

Re: CATLIN STREET

Postby Chic » Tue Oct 03, 2023 1:01 pm

Ray - I made a mess of adding the attachment. I'll try again.

1950 Catlin St 01.jpg


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