| Fulham | |
Fulham Palace, the former residence of the Bishop of London |
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Fulham
Fulham shown within Greater London |
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| OS grid reference | TQ245765 |
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| - Charing Cross | 3.7 mi (6.0 km) NE |
| London borough | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SW6 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Chelsea and Fulham |
| London Assembly | West Central |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
Fulham ( /ˈfʊləm/) is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 (the successor to the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham) located 3.7 miles (6.0 km) south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.[1] Fulham was formerly the seat of the diocese of "Fulham and Gibraltar", and Fulham Palace served as 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.
Having been through many transformations in its history, today it is a green London area within very close reach of many famously extravagant places such as Chelsea and Kensington and this is reflected in the high local house prices. It was included within Savills' 2007 list of "prime" London areas.[2] Two Premiership football clubs, Fulham and Chelsea, are situated in Fulham. The former Lillie Bridge Grounds (which hosted the second FA Cup Final and the first ever amateur boxing matches) was also in Fulham.
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Fulham, or in its earliest form "Fullanham", is uncertainly stated to signify "the place" either "of fowls" or "of mud" (which probably had a lot to do with the fact that the River Thames would flood it periodically), or alternatively, "land in the crook of a river bend belonging to a man named Fulla". The manor is said to have been given to Bishop Erkenwald about the year 691 for himself and his successors in the see of London, and Holinshed relates that the Bishop of London was lodging in his manor place in 1141 when Geoffrey de Mandeville, riding out from the Tower of London, took him prisoner. During the Commonwealth the manor was temporarily out of the bishops' hands, being sold to Colonel Edmund Harvey.
There is no record of the first erection of a parish church, but the first known rector was appointed in 1242, and a church probably existed a century before this. The earliest part of the church demolished in 1881, however, did not date farther back than the 15th century.
In 879 Danish invaders, sailing up the Thames, wintered at Fulham and Hammersmith. Near the former wooden Putney Bridge, built in 1729 and replaced in 1886, the earl of Essex threw a bridge of boats across the river in 1642 in order to march his army in pursuit of Charles I, who thereupon fell back on Oxford. Margravine Road recalls the existence of Brandenburg House, a riverside mansion built by Sir Nicholas Crispe in the time of Charles I, used as the headquarters of General Fairfax in 1647 during the civil wars, and occupied in 1792 by the margrave of Brandenburg-Anspach and Bayreuth and his wife, and in 1820 by Caroline, consort of George IV.
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.
Fulham remained a working class area for the first half of the twentieth century, but was subject to extensive restoration between the Second World War and the 1980s. Today, Fulham is one of the most expensive parts of London, and therefore the United Kingdom; average actual sale price of all property (both houses and flats) sold in the SW6 area in September 2007 was £639,973.[3]
The link with debauchery and corruption remains however. The latest edition (2008) of the Chambers Dictionary defines a fulham as 'a die loaded at the corner to ensure that certain numbers are thrown (also full'am or full'an). Prob the place name 'Fulham' in London.' The OED distinguishes between a high fulham which was loaded so as to ensure a cast of 4, 5, or 6; and a low fulham, so as to ensure a cast of 1, 2, or 3). It also cites Arthur Conan Doyle's usage in 1889 in Micah Clarke xxx. 316 "There is no loading of the dice, or throwing of fulhams."
Fulham is part of the Chelsea and Fulham parliamentary seat which is currently held by Conservative Greg Hands. Fulham was formerly a part of the Hammersmith and Fulham parliamentary constituency which was dissolved in 2010 to form the current seat which is one of the most, if not the most, affluent and prestigious constituency seats in the United Kingdom.
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 voters have, however, been leaning 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.
In the 2005 General Election, Conservative Greg Hands won the Hammersmith and Fulham Parliamentary seat from Labour, polling 45.4% against Labour's 35.2%, a 7.3% swing.
In the 2010 General Election, Greg Hands stood and was elected for the newly-formed safe Conservative Chelsea and Fulham (UK Parliament constituency).
In 2006, the voters returned 33 Conservative and 13 Labour councillors. In 2010 the voters elected 31 Conservative and 15 Labour Councillors to represent them.
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 and the London Oratory School. Fulham Town Hall built in 1888 in the classical renaissance is now used as a popular venue for concerts and dances, especially its Grand Hall.
The area is home to the Fulham Football Club stadium Craven Cottage and the Chelsea Football Club stadium Stamford Bridge and the various apartments and entertainment centres built into it. This includes Marco's, a restaurant owned and operated by chef Marco Pierre White.
Famously exclusive sports club, the Hurlingham Club, is also located within Fulham. With members having included British monarchs, the waiting list for membership currently averages over fifteen years.[4] There is a public swimming pool in Fulham which is attached to the Virgin Active gym complex on Lillie Road, which also hosts a number of tennis courts. Tennis can also be found on Eel Brooke Common. Hurlingham Park's tennis courts are used as netball courts and tennis nets are taken down and so restricting access to the courts for tennis. Hurlingham Park hosts the annual Polo in the Park tournament, which has become a recent feature of the area. The Hurlingham Club is the historic home of polo in the United Kingdom. Rugby is played on Eel Brooke Common and South Park.
The area, like other comparable areas of London, is home to a number of pubs and gastropubs. The White Horse in Parsons Green is colloquially known by many as "The Sloaney Pony",[5] a reference to the "Sloane Rangers" who frequent it. Other popular pubs include The Durrell in Fulham Road, The Mitre on Bishops Road, the Duke on the Green and Aragon House both by Parsons Green.
The Harwood Arms, behind Fulham Broadway, is the only pub in London to receive a Michelin Star, this fresh entry to the Michelin Guide looks to take diners to a “rural haven in the middle of Fulham”.
Fulham Broadway has undergone considerable pedestrianisation and is home to a number of cafes, bars and salons. The largest supermarket in Fulham, Waitrose, is located by Fulham Broadway.
Fulham has an abundance of parks and open spaces of which Bishop's Park, Fulham Palace Gardens, Hurlingham Park, South Park, Eel Brook Common and Parsons Green are the largest. Most of the residential roads in Fulham are tree lined, often by houses painted in different pastel shades.
Fulham has appeared in numerous films including The Omen, and The L-Shaped Room. Fulham Broadway tube station was used in Sliding Doors.
Fulham is home to a number of schools particularly independent pre-preparatory and preparatory schools.
The corner of Lillie Road by Munster Road hosts a number of boutique antique shops, which specialise in upmarket antiques. New Kings Road is host to a number of exclusive interior shops and galleries particularly as it merges with Kings Road, Chelsea and goes through Parsons Green.
Munstervillage has been coined as a name for the tree-lined roads, in which Victorian and Edwardian houses are situated, that run off Munster Road which is a large residential road off Fulham Road in the northern end of Parsons Green. Munster Road has since become home to a number of organic food shops, coffee bars and restaurants.
Studio 106 Art Gallery holds regular exhibitions and workshops.
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, Parsons Green and Fulham Broadway.
London/Hammersmith and Fulham travel guide from Wikitravel
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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