In a fascinating talk, Jon introduced us to Archibald Corbett (1856-1933), the son of a wealthy Scottish merchant who transformed Catford and Hither Green with the development of 3 – 4,000 homes. Corbett was a philanthropist and was later to enter politics and have a long career as a Liberal MP before entering the House of Lords. He campaigned for promoted the temperance movement, votes for women, free trade and supported early closing on one day a week for shop workers. Building for the newly emerging middle classes, his estates were characterised by wide streets, many named after Scottish locations, and easy access to the rail network for commuting to London. Corbett houses had large gardens, bay windows, lime trees, iron railings and mascarons clearly influenced by his European travels. Corbett was a pioneer in empowering people to buy their own homes, selling at cost price and offering a fair mortgage deal. You can find out more about Corbett and his developments on the Corbett Society website here. And don’t forget to visit the two local architectural gems also highlighted by Jon: the Corbett Community library and the church of St Andrew the Apostle, both in Torridon Road, Catford.
An architectural historian by training Jon has a particular specialism in twentieth century architecture and has worked on a range of important London buildings including the National Gallery, Battersea Power Station and the Houses of Parliament. Jon lives in Catford (in a Corbett house) and is chair of the Archibald Corbett Society.
In 2024, along with Ben Honeybone, the secretary of the Archibald Corbett Society, Jon presented a film ‘Another Catford’ which was shown locally and can be watched advert free, here.