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 working south from Catford.
The true name Bellingham means ‘the water-meadow owned by Beora’s people’, and was the name of the medieval manor in the region. The real name was preserved by the farm in the area, Bellingham Railway Station and the Bellingham Estate. Other historical names have been preserved by the street titles of the estate, which are linked with King Alfred, who was simply thought to have already been the lord of the manor of Lewisham, and were extracted from the titles of mills, houses and areas in the certain region.
Bellingham was farmland until the Bellingham Estate was built, between 1920 and 1923. London City Council built about 2600 houses and flats in this time. Bellingham Estate was among the many huge estates built by London City Council after the First World War to assist with slum clearance and relieve overcrowding. As there is plenty of land available most of the dwellings built were two-story houses, and there was lots of green, open space.
Today, Bellingham is a localised city centre. Its high street is Randlesdown Road, which includes 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, including the singer/song-writer Kate Bush, the former Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, and the footballer Ian Wright.
