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 centre 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 owned by Beora’s people’, and was the name of the medieval manor in the region. The true 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 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 extracted from the real names of mills, houses and areas in the certain area.
Bellingham was mainly farmland before Bellingham Estate was built, mostly between 1920 and 1923. London Town Council built about 2600 houses and flats during this time. Bellingham Estate was among the many large estates built by London City Council after the First World War to assist with slum clearance and reduce overcrowding. As there is 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 town centre. Its high street 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 popular recent and present residents, including the singer/song-writer Kate Bush, the former Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, and the footballer Ian Wright.