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 and north-west of Beckenham, and is part of the Catford postal district (SE6).

Bellingham
St Dunstan's Church, Bellingham
Bellingham is located in Greater London
Bellingham
Bellingham
Location within Greater London
Population14,775 (2011 Census. Ward)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ375715
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLondon
Postcode districtSE6
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly

History
LCC Cottage estates 1918–1939
Estate name Area No of dwellings Population 1938 Population density
Pre-1914
Norbury1121886719.8 per acre (49/ha)
Old Oak32736351923 per acre (57/ha)
Totterdown Fields391262—32.4 per acre (80/ha)
Tower Gardens
White Hart Lane		9878359368 per acre (20/ha)
1919–1923
Becontree277025769[lower-alpha 1]1156529.3 per acre (23/ha)
Bellingham25226731200410.6 per acre (26/ha)
Castelnau51644285112.6 per acre (31/ha)
Dover House Estate
Roehampton Estate		147121253838.2 per acre (20/ha)
1924–1933
Downham60070963003211.8 per acre (29/ha)
Mottingham2022337900911.6 per acre (29/ha)
St Helier82590683987711 per acre (27/ha)
Watling38640341911010.5 per acre (26/ha)
Wormholt68783407811.5 per acre (28/ha)
1934–1939
Chingford[lower-alpha 2]2171540—7.1 per acre (18/ha)
Hanwell (Ealing)1401587673211.3 per acre (28/ha)
Headstone Lane142n.a5000
Kenmore Park58654207811.3 per acre (28/ha)
Thornhill
(Royal Borough of Greenwich)		21380159818.1 per acre (45/ha)
Whitefoot Lane (Downham)49n.an.a.
  1. Source says 2589 – transcription error
  2. Part of a larger PRC estate around Huntsman Road

Source:

  • Yelling, J. A. (1995). "Banishing London's slums: The interwar cottage estates" (PDF). Transactions. London and Middlesex Archeological Society. 46: 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.[2] 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.[3] 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,[4] and was completed before World War II.[5] 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 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.

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

References
  1. "Lewisham Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  2. Barratt, Nick (2012). Greater London - The Story of the Suburbs. Vauxhall Bridge Road, London: Random House. p. 512. ISBN 9781847945327.
  3. "Bellingham, Lewisham". hidden-london.com. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  4. Lewisham Archive https://boroughphotos.org/lewisham/bellingham-farm-7/
  5. "Lower Sydenham and Bell Green Vision Study - Baseline Appraisal" (PDF). Lewisham London Borough Council. 18 December 2020. p. 13. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
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