Bellingham is an area in south east London, in the London Borough of Lewisham. Its neighbouring districts are Catford, Downham and Sydenham. The Ravensbourne River runs through the middle of Bellingham, and to the west and east 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 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. Various other historical names have been preserved by the road titles of the estate, which are linked with King Alfred, who was thought to have already been god, the father of the manor of Lewisham, and were taken from the true names of mills, houses and fields in the certain region.
Bellingham was mainly 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 one of many huge estates constructed by London City Council after the First World War to assist with slum clearance and alleviate overcrowding. As there was plenty of land available the majority of the dwellings built were two-story homes, and there was lots of green, open space.
Today, Bellingham is a localised town centre. Its high street is Randlesdown Road, which has a supermarket, a fitness center, hairdressers and multiple restaurants and food outlets. It has a sixth form college also, and a church and a library. Bellingham boasts many well-known recent and present residents, like the singer/song-writer Kate Bush, the previous Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, and the footballer Ian Wright.