Bellingham
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, and to the east and west it is bordered by railway lines running south from Catford.
The true 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 region, Bellingham Railway Station and the Bellingham Estate. Additional historical names have been preserved by the road titles 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 true names of mills, houses and areas in the area.
Bellingham was farmland before Bellingham Estate was built, mostly between 1920 and 1923. London City Council built about 2600 houses and flats during this time. Bellingham Estate was among the many huge estates built by London City Council after the First World War to assist with slum clearance and relieve overcrowding. As there is lots of land available most of the dwellings constructed were two-story houses, 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 also has a sixth form college, 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.
