Bellingham is a district 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 west and east it is bordered by railway lines running south from Catford.
The real name Bellingham means ‘the water-meadow belonging to Beora’s people’, and was the true name of the medieval manor in the area. The name was preserved by the farm in the area, Bellingham Railway Station and the Bellingham Estate. Additional historical names have already been preserved by the road titles of the estate, which are linked with King Alfred, who was simply thought to have been the lord of the manor of Lewisham, and were extracted from the real names of mills, houses and fields in the certain region.
Bellingham was farmland until the Bellingham Estate was built, between 1920 and 1923. London City Council built about 2600 homes and flats during this time period. Bellingham Estate was one of many large estates constructed by London City Council following the First World War to aid with slum clearance and relieve overcrowding. As there was plenty of land available most of the dwellings constructed were two-story houses, and there was lots of green, open space.
Today, Bellingham is a localised town centre. Its traditional is Randlesdown Road, which has a supermarket, a gym, hairdressers and multiple restaurants and food outlets. It also has a sixth form college, and a church and a library. Bellingham boasts many well-known former and present residents, like the singer/song-writer Kate Bush, the previous Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, and the footballer Ian Wright.