A country seat for bishops
Does the bishop of London ever look out of his window at the densely built urban environs of his house close to St Paul’s Cathedral and wish he lived in the country? Until 1975, his predecessors had a palace in peaceful green surroundings near the Thames. In the year 700, they were already lords of the manor of Fulham, which then lay a few miles west of an Anglo-Saxon settlement named Lundenwic. At some stage – the first mention dates from 1141 – the manor house in Fulham became a summer residence for the bishops, who could reach their cathedral quickly by boat. Fulham Palace was a refuge from the stench and epidemics of London, and in the 20th century it became the bishops’ official residence and place of work.
The palace has had an eventful architectural history. The oldest part, the Great Hall (1495), stands in a courtyard dating from the 16th century. Two beautiful early 19th century rooms, the library and dining room, house an exhibition about the history of the manor and the museum shop. The chapel is Victorian, with some 1950s murals and stained glass.
Info
Address Bishop’s Avenue, Fulham, SW6 6EE | Public Transport Putney Bridge (District Line), then a few minutes’ walk west on the bank of the Thames | Hours Museum Mon–Thu 12.30–4.30pm, Sun noon–5pm, in winter Mon–Thu 12.30–3.30pm, Sun noon–4pm, botanical garden daily during daylight hours, walled garden daily 10.15am–4.15pm; www.fulhampalace.org | Tip The Drawing Room Café (daily April–Oct 9.30am–5pm, Nov–March 9.30am–4pm) in the palace serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea in elegant rooms with comfortable armchairs or on the garden terrace.
Ancient and rare trees beautify the park. This was originally the work of the botanist Bishop Compton (1675–1713), who collected exotic plants and was the first person in Europe to cultivate a magnolia. The gnarled holm oak, which is estimated to be 450 years old, may have been planted in the time of Bishop Grindal (1559–1570), who once presented grapes from his garden in Fulham to Queen Elizabeth. This tradition lives on in the walled garden, where the vine house has recently been restored, and a knot garden laid out in decorative shapes bounded by low box hedges in the style of Elizabethan times. On sunny days, the lawn is a popular playground and picnic spot for families. A wooden figure representing Bishop Compton looks down benignly on the fun from the »Bishop’s Tree« sculpture.
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