Visited: Sept 9, 2018
Today I walked from Putney Bridge Station through Fulham Palace and surrounding grounds followed by a circuit around the riverbank paths up to Hammersmith Bridge and back. Here is a recount of the adventure.
Seeing I may be leaving West London in the coming weeks I decided to do another West side walk - similar to last week's adventure in Notting Hill. This time I chose to walk around Fulham Palace, Bishops Park, the Putney Embankment and Hammersmith Bridge. The suggested path which I mostly followed was from the book 33 Walks in London That You Shouldn't Miss by Nicola Perry.
First stop after exiting Putney Bridge Tube stop is All Saints Church - Fulham. Like many churches in London, this one is beautifully built and looks very prominent in the local area. There is a longer history in the link above, but the short version is this current building was built in the late 19th century after the old medieval church was demolished to make way for this one. The churn is also closely associated with the Bishop of London, whose palace (Fulham Palace) is found directly adjacent and North of the church.
Speaking of Fulham Palace
The highlight of the day was wandering through the Fulham Palace grounds and the palace itself. The palace was home of the Bishop of London from as early as the 11th century until 1973 when Bishop Stopford retired and the Bishop's residence changed to The Old Deanery, Dean's Court near St. Paul's Cathedral.
The first point in the grounds though are the rose gardens (just outside) and the Walled Garden. The Walled Garden used to produce fruits and vegetables for the Bishops and their staffs. In fact it still does produce some, especially in the vinery (greenhouse). There are also bothies attached to the back of the vinery which are small homes for the garden workers to live in.
Inside the palace isn't quite as eventful as most. The palace itself is reasonably large. There are quite a few displays which explain the history and one room is like a mini museum. The mini museum has some dug up artifacts, paintings, pieces, drawings and old style clothing worn by the bishops and staff among other things
While there isn't a lot to do inside the palace in addition to the 5 or so filled rooms there are toilettes, a nice cafe and plenty of seating which is great to find as many tourist and locals alike know can be rare.
Bishops Park & Putney Embankment
As Fulham's population quickly grew in the late 19th century the Bishop at the time recognized the need for more public space. The result was the Bishops Park. The park has tennis courts, plenty of grass space, a lake with a fake beach (real sand) and bowling greens. It's nestled right beside the Thames.
Some of Putney Embankment was covered in my river cruise post. Check it out here!
From there I walked along The Putney Embankment past the London Rowing Club, the Thames Rowing Club and the Barn Elms Boathouse RC. I'm sure there's some friendly rowing rivalries amongst them. You could see a few sets of rowing boats out on the Thames, being coached by someone trailing them in a small powerboat. The rowers all looked to be teenagers, I'm sure they could row for hours and hours.
On the same side you later pass the London Wetlands Centre which looks to be a large wetlands left to the wild - I didn't go in but it looks worth exploring!
Hammersmith Bridge and Back
Hammersmith Bridge has to be one of the best looking bridges in London. It has a mechanical beauty to it that is reminiscent of the industrial revolution. The original bridge was built in 1827 and was the first suspension bridge over the Thames. The current bridge was put in to replace it in 1870 when it became apparent the current bridge was not strong enough to support the heavier traffic of the day.
After crossing the bridge if you stroll to the left (Northwest) you'll find two well known and busy pubs - A legend, The Blue Anchor and Greene King chain but still decent The Rutland Arms. I didn't stop for a drink this time - it's a dry Sunday in my diary.
A quick 180 and I'm back towards Putney Bridge. Along the way is a nice walk with a few semi-hidden cafes and pubs, namely the The Crabtree (which I went to on a date in November but forgot it was there) and The River Cafe. Mostly though it's pretty residential with some nice river view buildings.
Further down is Craven Cottage, home to the Fulham FC club and then back through Bishops Park and Fulham Palace Gardens (where I almost got stuck because they close the southern entrances around 4:15-4:30!) to the Putney Bridge tube stop.
All in all a great area to walk and explore. You can do it!
Opmerkingen