 Catford Garage was opened in 1914 by the London General Omnibus Company, but was requisitioned a year later and did not re-open until 1920 when Thomas Tilling's Lewisham operation moved there due to space constraints at his other garage.Originally coded L, for Lewisham, it was changed to TL in 1924 to avoid confusion with Loughton.Thomas Tilling gained an agreement in 1923 to double the size of Catford and to open a new garage in Bromley to cope with the new housing estates that were springing up around the area.