Fulham

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For the place in Adelaide, South Australia see Fulham, South Australia

Location
Fulham


OS grid reference:	TQ245765
Latitude:	51.4767°
Longitude:	-0.2138°
Administration
London borough:	Hammersmith and Fulham
County level:	Greater London
Region:	London
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Greater London
Historic county:	Middlesex
Services
Police force:	Metropolitan Police
Fire brigade:	London Fire Brigade
Ambulance service:	London Ambulance
Post office and telephone
Post town:	LONDON
Postal district:	SW6
Dialling code:	020
Politics
UK Parliament:	Hammersmith and Fulham
London Assembly:	West Central
European Parliament:	London
London \| List of places in London

Fulham is a town in London, situated in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham located 3.7 miles (5.9 km) south west of Charing Cross

Fulham was formerly the seat of the diocese of "Fulham and Gibraltar", and Fulham Palace the former official home of the Bishop of London, (now a museum), the grounds of which are now divided between public allotments and an elegant botanical garden.

Fulham during the 18th century had a reputation of debauchery, becoming a sort of 'Las Vegas retreat' for the wealthy of London, where there was much gambling and prostitution . Thus the word 'Fulham' still denotes a place of ill-repute.

Two Premiership football clubs (Fulham and Chelsea) are situated in the Fulham area.

1 Transport
2 Politics
3 Culture and entertainment
4 Famous residents
5 Nearest places
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Transport

Fulham nestles in a loop of the Thames across the river from Barnes and Putney. It is on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line of the tube - Fulham's tube stations are Putney Bridge, Parson's Green and Fulham Broadway.

[edit] Politics

Main article: Hammersmith and Fulham (UK Parliament constituency)

Fulham has in the past been a politically significant part of the country, having been the scene of two major parliamentary by-elections in the 20th Century. In 1933, the Fulham East by-election became known as the "peace by-election".

In 1986, Fulham experienced another by-election following the death of Conservative MP Martin Stevens. Labour's Nick Raynsford gained the constituency on a 10% swing - one of the first elections that heralded the slick, modern campaigning New Labour techniques that would become renowned. Posters announcing that "Nick Raynsford lives here" adorned thousands of windows in the constituency - a reference to the fact that Labour's candidate was a long-time local, while the Tory was resident outside of the constituency.

Fulham has, however, been trending towards the Conservatives since the 1960s as the area underwent huge demographic change: the tightly-packed terraces which had housed working-class families employed in the heavy industry that dominated Fulham's riverside being rapidly replaced with young professionals (yuppies) who had a very different political outlook. Still, many working-class people have chosen to remain in the town. There is no need to be frightened of them.

In 1971, Fulham elected 28 Labour and two Conservative councillors; in 2002 the figures were 16 Conservative and 10 Labour. For the Hammersmith & Fulham borough as a whole, in 1971 two Conservative and 58 Labour councillors were elected. In 2006, the voters returned 33 Conservative and 13 Labour councillors. In the 2005 General Election, Conservative Greg Hands won the Parliamentary seat from Labour, polling 45.4% against Labour candidate Melanie Smallman's 35.2%, a 7.3% swing.

[edit] Culture and entertainment

There is a cinema complex as part of the Fulham Broadway Centre. Notable restaurant The River Café is in Fulham, alongside the headquarters of architect Richard Rogers.

The area, like other comparable areas of London, is home to a number of pubs. Traditional Fulham pubs include the Pear Tree in Margravine Road, the Wilton in Dawes Road, the Eight Bells in Fulham High Street, the Seven Stars and The Elm in North End Road. Other popular pubs include The Crabtree on Rainville Road, The Durrell in Fulham Road, The Mitre on Bishops Road, and The White Horse in Parson's Green.

Fulham also has some parks and open spaces of which Bishops Park, Fulham Palace Gardens, Hurlingham Park, South Park, Eel Brook Common and Parson's Green are the largest.