# Bellingham, London

Bellingham (/ˈbɛlɪŋəm/ BEL-ing-əm) is an area of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It lies south of Catford, east of Sydenham and north of Beckenham, and is part of the Catford postal district (SE6).

## History

LCC Cottage estates 1918–1939 :
| Estate name | Area | No of dwellings | Population 1938 | Population density |
| Pre-1914 |
| Norbury | 11 | 218 | 867 | 19.8 per acre (49/ha) |
| Old Oak | 32 | 736 | 3519 | 23 per acre (57/ha) |
| Totterdown Fields | 39 | 1262 | — | 32.4 per acre (80/ha) |
| Tower Gardens White Hart Lane | 98 | 783 | 5936 | 8 per acre (20/ha) |
| 1919–1923 |
| Becontree | 2770 | 25769 | 115652 | 9.3 per acre (23/ha) |
| Bellingham | 252 | 2673 | 12004 | 10.6 per acre (26/ha) |
| Castelnau | 51 | 644 | 2851 | 12.6 per acre (31/ha) |
| Dover House Estate Roehampton Estate | 147 | 1212 | 5383 | 8.2 per acre (20/ha) |
| 1924–1933 |
| Downham | 600 | 7096 | 30032 | 11.8 per acre (29/ha) |
| Mottingham | 202 | 2337 | 9009 | 11.6 per acre (29/ha) |
| St Helier | 825 | 9068 | 39877 | 11 per acre (27/ha) |
| Watling | 386 | 4034 | 19110 | 10.5 per acre (26/ha) |
| Wormholt | 68 | 783 | 4078 | 11.5 per acre (28/ha) |
| 1934–1939 |
| Chingford | 217 | 1540 | — | 7.1 per acre (18/ha) |
| Hanwell (Ealing) | 140 | 1587 | 6732 | 11.3 per acre (28/ha) |
| Headstone Lane | 142 | n.a | 5000 | |
| Kenmore Park | 58 | 654 | 2078 | 11.3 per acre (28/ha) |
| Thornhill (Royal Borough of Greenwich) | 21 | 380 | 1598 | 18.1 per acre (45/ha) |
| Whitefoot Lane (Downham) | 49 | n.a | n.a. | |
| ↑ Source says 2589 – transcription error ↑ Part of a larger PRC estate around Huntsman Road Source: Yelling, J. A. (1995). "Banishing London's slums: The interwar cottage estates" (PDF). Transactions. 46. London and Middlesex Archeological Society: 167–173. Retrieved 19 December 2016. Quotes: Rubinstein, 1991, Just like the country. |||||
According to author and historian Nick Barratt, there was certainly a Saxon community at Bellingham. In 10th-century Anglo-Saxon charters, the place is referred to as Beringaham and by 1198 the name had changed from starting with 'Ber' to 'Bel' through Norman influence. Some streets in Bellingham are named after the Saxon king Alfred the Great and his extended family: King Alfred Avenue, Elfrida Crescent and Arnulf Street.
The area was farmland for centuries, but the London County Council developed a cottage estate from 1919 to 1923 on the former Bellingham Farm, and was completed before World War II. The estate is bordered to the east and west by railway lines running south from Catford. Along the south it is bordered by Southend Lane, the A2218 main road. The River Ravensbourne runs through Bellingham, although it is either underground or part of a man-made section of the river. The Greenwich Prime Meridian passes to the east of Bellingham.

## Amenities

Randlesdown Road serves as a mini 'High Street' for Bellingham providing a local supermarket, men's and women's hair dressers, dry cleaner, off licence, news agent, fish and chip shop, The Fellowship pub and cinema, various takeaways and a gym (situated on Bellingham playing fields). It is known for being a very multicultural area.
Bellingham Green is a hexagonal public park at the centre of the estate.

## Transport

Bellingham railway station serves the area with services to Kentish Town (London Blackfriars off peak) via Catford and to Sevenoaks via Swanley. Bellingham is served by many Transport for London buses connecting it with areas including Beckenham, Biggin Hill, Bromley, Catford, Central London, Greenwich, Shoreditch, Camberwell, Bermondsey, Deptford, Elephant & Castle, Brockley, Lewisham, New Cross, Orpington, Peckham and Woolwich.

## Pre-school and primary education

Pre-schools, nurseries and kindergartens include Kindergarten Forest Hill in Bellingham Green and Umbrella House Day Nursery. Primary schools in Bellingham include Athelney Primary School, St Augustines and Elfrida Primary School.

## Image gallery

* Plaque showing former home of heavyweight boxing champion Henry Cooper at 120 Farmstead Road, Bellingham, London Borough of Lewisham
* Adolf Street in the Bellingham Estate which was constructed during Adolf Hitler's rise to power as leader of the German Nationalist Socialist Party