Bellingham
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 belonging to 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. 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 areas in the certain region.
Bellingham was farmland before Bellingham Estate was built, between 1920 and 1923. London City Council built about 2600 homes and flats during this time period. Bellingham Estate was among the many large estates built by London City Council following the First World War to aid with slum clearance and relieve overcrowding. As there was 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 includes 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 recent and present residents, like the singer/song-writer Kate Bush, the previous Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, and the footballer Ian Wright.
