Bellingham is a district in south east London, in the London Borough of Lewisham. Its neighbouring districts are Catford, Downham and Sydenham. The Ravensbourne River runs through the centre of Bellingham, also to the west and east it is bordered by railway lines jogging south from Catford.
The name Bellingham means ‘the water-meadow belonging to Beora’s people’, and was the true name of the medieval manor in the area. The true name was preserved by the farm in the area, Bellingham Railway Station and the Bellingham Estate. Various other historical names have already been preserved by the street 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 taken from the real names of mills, houses and fields in the certain area.
Bellingham was farmland until the Bellingham Estate was built, mostly between 1920 and 1923. London Town Council built about 2600 houses and flats in 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 most of the dwellings constructed were two-story homes, and there was lots of green, open space.
Today, Bellingham is a localised city centre. Its high street 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 well-known past and present residents, including the singer/song-writer Kate Bush, the former Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, and the footballer Ian Wright.