Bellingham
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 east and west it is bordered by railway lines running south from Catford.
The name Bellingham means ‘the water-meadow belonging to Beora’s people’, and was the real 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. Additional historical names have already been preserved by the road names of the estate, which are connected with King Alfred, who was thought to have been god, the father of the manor of Lewisham, and were extracted from the real names of mills, houses and fields in the area.
Bellingham was mainly farmland until the Bellingham Estate was built, between 1920 and 1923. London Town 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 assist with slum clearance and alleviate overcrowding. As there is lots 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 town centre. Its high street is Randlesdown Road, which includes 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 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.
