No article found for “File:Spectrum Demolition.jpg”.

Bellingham, London

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
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

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
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[a]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[b]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:

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 a railway station was opened in 1892 which initiated development of the area. The London County Council developed a cottage estate from 1919 to 1923 on the former Bellingham Farm, west of the railway station[4] with additional development before World War II.[5] It is now bordered to the east and west by railway lines and by Southend Lane, the A2218, to the south. 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.

The area to the east of the A21 was largely privately developed in the 1930's on land rising from the Ravensbourne flood plain, also benefitting from proximity to the railway station

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. Catford Bus Garage is on the A21 in Bellingham, and 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. Heritage Bus rallies are occasionally centred on the bus garage [6].

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.

Notable Buildings

The Fellowship Public House, built in 1923-24, adjoins the railway station and serves the Bellingham estate. It is Grade II listed [7]. Further to the south, on the east side of the A21, is the Passfields Estate, a local authority estate designed by Fry, Drew & Partners and built in 1949-51 which is also Grade II listed [8]. The former Excalibur Estate to the east of Bellingham had until recently been the largest estate of its type, being temporary or "prefab" housing built towards the end of the Second World War as emergency housing for displaced residents. The majority of the estate was demolished for redevelopment in 2023-2025 but six houses were retained and Grade II listed [9].

References