Bellingham is an area 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, also 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 real name of the medieval manor in the area. The name was preserved by the farm in the region, Bellingham Railway Station and the Bellingham Estate. Various other historical names have been preserved by the road titles of the estate, which are linked 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 fields in the area.
Bellingham was mainly 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 one of many huge 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 built were two-story houses, and there was plenty 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 also has a sixth form college, and a church and a library. Bellingham boasts many popular recent and present residents, like the singer/song-writer Kate Bush, the former Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, and the footballer Ian Wright.