Jan

Hi everyone: Has anyone ever stayed at the Glenthurston Holiday Apartments in the Catford area? I've stayed in Hither Green before and really liked it and I guess this is around the same area. Mr. Ben Haines, do you know this property as I think it's part of your Lewisham? Thanks,<BR><BR>Jan<BR>

Ben Haines

<BR>I am afraid I do not know the building, but certainly Catford is in Lewisham: indeed Lewisham Town Hall and its suburban theatre stand there. The train connections with the West End and City are much like those from Hither Green. <BR><BR>Few tourists think of Hither Green: congratulations. If you can please say what you liked about it I shall say whether Catford has those attractions.<BR><BR>Welcome back<BR><BR>Ben Haines<BR>

Jan

Thanks Ben. I liked Hither Green because it was so close to London, yet very much like a village. I really liked it and the lady who ran the B&amp;B was wonderful to me. A great place with easy connections to London. However, I later learned that my friends thought I was crazy for staying there. One of them thought it was quite unsafe, but I didn't feel uncomfortable at all. I guess it's like a lot of places that suffer from a bad reputation, undeserved no doubt!<BR><BR>Jan

Ben Haines

Your answer delights me. You are clearly the right person to come to Lewisham. I am afraid Catford is a little more town-like and less village-like than Hither Green, but your tastes mean that you will enjoy it. I found your place in the phone book: you will be on Canadian Avenue, five minutes from the two railway stations, the new town hall, the old town hall, a shopping area with a Young?s pub (best beer in London), and a coaching inn. The thirties theatre amongst these was built by the borough Council as ornamentally as possible, to give work to the unemployed, and has easy-listening music and easy-watching plays. With your tastes you might look for an amateur production of a musical. Ideally an American musical, so that you can enjoy the Londoners ersatz American accents as you go, as well as the elderly juvenile leads and the tubby housewives hidden in the second row of the chorus (their families appreciate them as good cooks). The theatre also houses occasional concerts by the Sydenham Orchestra, concerts which attract a bigger proportion of black people than any other hall in all London. While young whites slip into world music and rap, middle-aged blacks slip into Mozart and Beethoven. An important part of this theatre, for you, is conversation at the bar, where Londoners will be pleased to see a tourist, and bore you into the ground if you let them. A couple of days before you fly please try http://www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk/<BR><BR>Sorry you will not catch my favourite visit of all. Ten years ago there was a film called Cool Runners about a Jamaican bobsleigh team that went to the winter Olympics. It was based on fact, and was very funny indeed. I saw it at the Catford Cinema, in an audience almost wholly Caribbean, and the house was a riot of laughter and enthusiasm. <BR><BR>I suppose that Catford is like a town, but like a town that has family links across the world.<BR><BR>Please write if I can help further. Welcome to my Lewisham<BR><BR>Ben Haines<BR>

Bill

Jan<BR><BR>I have to say both Catford and Hither Green are strange places to stay as a tourist. What is it that draws you to southeast London?

Mel

Ben: As a frequent visitor to London, but one who seems to stay mainly within the &quot;tourist shuffle,&quot; I keep your posts and will do my best to take the time to visit your more, perhaps, &quot;genuine&quot; aras of London. Thank you for everything you do to promote London in its entirety.<BR><BR>By the way, Cool Runnings is one of our all-time favorite movies. One we own and watch over and over!

GeorgiaGirl

Our family of five spent Christmas and New Year's in London. In our web searches for lodgings, it soon became apparent that it would be very pricey to stay in central London. Also, it was difficult to find apartment accommodations. When we found Glenthurston on the web, and then read Mr. Haines' comments about Catford and Lewisham, we decided to take the chance. We couldn't have been more pleased. The Hallidays, owners and operators of Glenthurston, have accurately represented their facility on their web pages. We rented apartment E and loved it--very cheerful and cozy,with all the modern conveniences. The kitchen was fully equipped, which was good for us, because we did not plan to eat out every meal. There was plenty of &quot;elbow room&quot; for everyone--two parents and three children ages 14 and above. The two houses side-by-side share a common back yard. It is a very family-friendly place, with room for younger children to play. The pool, sauna, and steam room are very attractive areas. The street is quiet and peaceful.

The area is secure and the neighborhood is residential and pleasant. I feel the same way about Catford as I do about the small town where we live: If my children have to walk out at night, they do not go alone. We spent the majority of our days exploring London, and had no problem making connections from either of the two stations close by. The train schedule was curtailed on Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Years though. At night when we returned, we often ran by the Turkish bakery, or by the Tesco or Iceland food stores to pick up items for dinner. As for the somewhat maligned English cuisine, we found bangers and mash to be very much to our liking. It fills you and warms you after a day of hiking around London in the drizzle and chill. The Halliday's Christmas pudding was special.

An English friend had recommended that we try to see a pantomime, so on Boxing Day we went to see &quot;Jack and the Beanstalk&quot; at the Broadway Theatre. We did not know what to expect, but it was so much fun. Families and individuals of all ages filled the theatre. This was not mime, but more like vaudeville, and very interactive between actors and audience. This is something you have to experience, because it just sounds corny to tell about it. But we had not laughed like that in a long time, and it was special to share as a family. On the other end of the spectrum, we did get in some serious theatre the day we went to Les Miserables at the Palace.

Would we go back to Glenthurston--a definite &quot;YES&quot;.

Sylvia

I hope you all shouted &quot;Oh yes he did!&quot; and &quot;Oh, no you didn't!&quot; and &quot;It's behind you!!!&quot;
My children used to get quite hysterical with the last one. I'm looking forward to having grandchildren so that I can go to a panto again.

GeorgiaGirl

Oh, yes we did!