Bellingham is an area in south east London, in the London Borough of Lewisham. Its neighbouring districts are Catford, Sydenham and Downham. The Ravensbourne River runs through the middle of Bellingham, also to the east and west it is bordered by railway lines running south from Catford.
The name Bellingham means ‘the water-meadow owned by Beora’s people’, and was the true name of the medieval manor in the region. The real name was preserved by the farm in the region, Bellingham Railway Station and the Bellingham Estate. Various other historical names have been preserved by the street brands of the estate, which are connected with King Alfred, who was simply thought to have been the lord of the manor of Lewisham, and were taken from the real names of mills, houses and areas in the area.
Bellingham was farmland until the Bellingham Estate was built, between 1920 and 1923. London City Council built about 2600 houses and flats during this time. Bellingham Estate was among the many huge estates built by London City Council following the First World War to aid with slum clearance and alleviate overcrowding. As there was lots of land available the majority of the dwellings constructed were two-story homes, and there was lots of green, open space.
Today, Bellingham is a localised city centre. Its high street is Randlesdown Road, which has a supermarket, a gym, hairdressers and multiple restaurants and food outlets. It has a sixth form college also, and a church and a library. Bellingham boasts many famous recent and present residents, like the singer/song-writer Kate Bush, the previous Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, and the footballer Ian Wright.
