Like Downham, Bellingham was an area in the County of Kent until the London County Council was formed.

The name means “the water-meadow belonging to Beora's people”. It was the name of the medieval manor in this area, and survived in Bellingham Farm. It was revived in 1892 as the name of a new railway station, then in open country, on the Nunhead and Shortlands Railway.

Again there were no houses and the area was farmland. Samuel Sheppard was the tenant of Bellingham Farm, which was sometimes known by his name.

The Bellingham Estate was built over these fields between 1920 and 1936 and about 2666 houses and flats were built altogether, but the actual farm buildings were not demolished until the 1930s, when Allerford Road was built on the site.

The second photograph is a view of the farmhouse from the east. Bellingham Farm lay on either side of the railway, south of Bellingham Station.

After the First World War the London County Council began to build large estates on the edge of the built-up area of London to ease overcrowding and assist slum clearance. Downham Estate , close to Bellingham , is a typical example.

Because there was plenty of land available, most of the dwellings could be two-story houses with gardens (rather than flats) interspersed with open spaces and trees. Provision was made for schools, shops, churches, parks and other amenities.

The land for the Bellingham Estate (Bellingham Farm and part of White House Farm) was bought in 1920, and building of the main estate was completed in 1923. Historical names were chosen for the roads. Some were connected with King Alfred, who was thought to have been lord of the manor of Lewisham. Others were the names of old houses, fields, and mills in the area. The inhabitants came from crowded inner London areas, mainly from Deptford and Bermondsey.

The extension south of Southend Lane was built between 1936 and 1939. Here more flats were built, for economy, and to meet the pressing need for housing.

Bellingham Station on the Nunhead and Shortlands Railway, opened in 1892. At the time it was in open country, but would have served the nearby community of Southend. Its existence meant that the London County Council would build the Bellingham Estate knowing that residents who worked in inner or central London would have transport to work.

This photograph shows work in progress on the Bellingham Estate in 1923.

The outsides of houses have been completed but baths are outside waiting to be plumbed in and the road is still unmade. These houses have their entrances at the rear.

This view shows the layout of the estate, with roads radiating from Bellingham Green in the centre and the playing fields to the east (bottom of picture) and to the west

The residents of Bellingham had to wait a long time for their library - it was opened in 1949.

It closed in 1963 following the opening of Bromley Road Library, which in turn was replaced by the Catford Library in 1991.

The Open Air Swimming Pool was the first authority amenity provided for the Bellingham Estate.
It opened in 1922 and closed in the 1980s.

The London County Council made sites available for churches on the estate, and the Church of England raised the money to build St.Dunstans (though there was never enough to build the planned eastern section).

St Dunstan's Church grew up with the estate. As Bellingham was being planned, the newly consecrated Bishop of Southwark, Cyril Garbett launched his '25 Churches Fund', to build new churches including St John's, Catford (Southend), and one at Bellingham, part of St John's parish until 1939.

The first congregation celebrated Christmas 1921 in a workers canteen and Christmas 1922 was celebrated in the first church building (now leased to the Council as a Community Centre). Two years later the foundations were laid for the present church overlooking Bellingham Green and Christmas 1925 was celebrated there in the "unfinished church".

Procession into the church for the dedication ceremony, 21 November 1925.

The LCC had been undecided as to whether there should be any public houses on the Bellingham Estate - the temperance movement were campaigning against them.

In the end they agreed to have just this one pub, which would be large and well-conducted.

The photograph was taken in October 1974.

Bellingham Today

Bellingham is bordered by Catford, Sydenham and Downham. Laying between Catford and Bromley, Bellingham is a localised town centre, selling everything from Children's Clothing to houses. Bellingham is close to Forester Memorial Park and Beckenham Place Park . Bellingham is a strong tight knit community and so has it's own local identity.

Regeneration and Development

There have been some exciting opportunities of late in Bellingham . Neighborhood Renewal Unit and Lewisham Strategic Partnership implementing many projects to the area which included Housing and Environment, Health, Crime and Community Safety, Neighborhood Management, Community Development, Children and Young People and Employment and Enterprise. Sure start are also a great asset that have been involved in the area of recent times.

Lewisham Borough's famous residents, past and present

Danny Baker (Broadcaster)
Kate Bush (singer/song-writer)
James Callaghan (Labour Prime Minister)
Sir James Clark-Ross (polar explorer)
"Big" Jim Connell (socialist)
Ernest Dowson (poet)
Alfred "Titch" Freeman (cricketer)
Gabrielle (singer/song-writer)
Sir Isaac Hayward (politician)
Glenda Jackson MP (politician & actress)
David Jones (painter & poet)
Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen (TV presenter)
Spike Milligan (comedian & writer)
Mica Paris (singer/song-writer)
Sybil Pheonix MBE (community worker)
Doris Stokes (medium)
Terry Waite (Archbishop's Envoy)
Max Wall (comedian)
Ian Wright (footballer)

For more information

For more information on Downham and its history please refer to the following publications, all available at Lewisham Local Studies Centre in Lewisham Library:

The Changing face of Lewisham by Stephen Byrne (1965) Lewisham Borough Council: London

Images of London : Lewisham by John Coulter and Barry Olley (2003)

Lewisham Past and Present by John Coulter (2001) Sutton Publishing: Swindon

Looking back at Lewisham : Courtesy of Lewisham Arts and Library Services local History Centre,

IDEAL HOMES: SUBURBIA IN FOCUS - A joint venture of The London Boroughs of Bexley , Bromley , Greenwich , Lambeth , Lewisham , Southwark and the University of Greenwich .