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 working 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 region, Bellingham Railway Station and the Bellingham Estate. Various other historical names have already been preserved by the road names 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 extracted from the brands of mills, houses and fields in the area.
Bellingham was farmland until the Bellingham Estate was built, between 1920 and 1923. London Town Council built about 2600 houses and flats in this time. Bellingham Estate was one of many large estates constructed by London City Council following the First World War to aid with slum clearance and alleviate overcrowding. As there was lots of land available the majority of the dwellings built were two-story houses, and there was plenty 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 has a sixth form college also, and a church and a library. Bellingham boasts many famous recent and present residents, like the singer/song-writer Kate Bush, the previous Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, and the footballer Ian Wright.