History

The captivating history of Fulham Palace spans over 1,300 years and 133 Bishops of London.

The site has been a residence of the Bishops of London since AD 704, when Bishop Waldhere acquired the Manor of Fulham — a vast estate covering most of Hammersmith, Fulham, Acton, Ealing and Finchley. As bishops were called ‘Princes of the Church’, the estate became known as Fulham Palace.

During the mid-13th century, the original manor house was abandoned, and the foundations of the current house date from this time. Over the past 750 years, the house has evolved as successive bishops carried out building works, from remodelling the great hall to demolishing the Tudor state wing. This has created an intriguing mixture of architectural styles, reflecting changing fashions and the differing needs of the bishops and their families.

Fulham Palace has always been a place of refuge. The Bishops of London used it primarily as a summer retreat from the crowded and dirty city. It was also a place to entertain important visitors, including royalty. Queen Elizabeth I was guest of honour at a lavish banquet in 1601. Over 150 years later, King George III was treated to a simpler affair — breakfast.

After the English Reformation in the 16th century, clergy were permitted to marry, and Fulham Palace became a family home. In the 19th century, the bishops and their wives began to share the house and garden more widely with the community, hosting large parties and church pageants.

During the World Wars, Fulham Palace offered refuge to more than just the bishops and their families. In 1918, a hospital for wounded soldiers occupied much of the house. During the Blitz in 1940, 200 people stayed for several nights after their homes were destroyed by bombs.

Bishop Stopford was the final Bishop of London to live here, leaving in 1973. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham managed the site until April 2011, when the independent charity Fulham Palace Trust was formed and assumed responsibility for the estate.

Today, Fulham Palace is being restored to its former glory. The house is a mixture of architectural styles, each revealing the changing tastes and needs of the bishops and their families. The red-brick Tudor courtyard and the great hall are the oldest parts of the surviving building, dating to around 1495. Over the centuries, the great hall was remodelled to suit contemporary fashions. Its function changed too: originally a banqueting hall and courtroom, it became a drawing room, chapel, and finally a dining room.

In the 1760s, Bishop Terrick demolished the medieval chapel and redesigned parts of the house — including a new chapel — in the fashionable Strawberry Hill Gothic style. The redesign improved views of the River Thames and the newly landscaped garden. This Gothic Revival was short-lived, though a few pointed windows remain.

Around 50 years later, Bishop Howley had the façades remodelled to their current Georgian style and the chapel converted into a library. He was not a fan of what he called ‘Gothic nonsense’.

The most recent addition to the house is the chapel, built for Bishop Tait in the 1860s. Its elaborate brick and mosaic work quickly fell out of fashion. Just 30 years later, Bishop Creighton and his wife covered one of the walls with a curtain and added their own altarpiece. Fulham Palace Trust’s future restoration plans include revealing a portion of the original design.

West (Tudor) Courtyard

This is the earliest part of the surviving building. The Great Hall has a timber roof (c.1495), not visible from ground-floor level, but was altered c.1750, 1815 and 1866. The rest of the courtyard was added c.1500–20, including the tower, which is comparable to that at the Old Palace, Hatfield. The porch was remodelled for Bishop Howley c.1815. The south façade was refaced in 1853, as indicated by the dated badge of Bishop Blomfield. The fountain is by William Butterfield (1886), as is the Coachman’s Lodge (1893) at the entrance. The wooden gates to the courtyard have been dated by dendrochronology to 1493–95. The brickwork on the west façade was restored in 2018–19.

Georgian Additions

The single block on the north façade, built for Bishop Sherlock, incorporates a late medieval wall on the south side. This room, with its magnificent rococo ceiling (c.1753), was the main focus of the 2005–06 restoration project, supported by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Gothick additions for Bishop Terrick: Stiff Leadbetter provided three new façades in the fashionable Strawberry Hill style in the 1760s, including a new chapel. The windows of the north façade remain, as well as three altered rooms on the south. Samuel Pepys Cockerell adapted the Palace from 1814–18 for Bishop Howley, removing the crenellations, adding an extra floor, and remodelling the east front.

Tait Chapel

The Victorian chapel (Butterfield, 1867) was altered in the 1950s for Bishop Wand, after damage in the Second World War. It contains murals by Brian Thomas (1953), a window by Ninian Comper (1953), Victorian glass by Clayton & Bell, a mosaic by Salviati, and an altarpiece by Kempe.

Howley's dining Room and the Porteus Library

These form part of the alterations made to the east front. Formerly a dining room and library, these rooms now provide quiet, contemplative spaces for visitors to enjoy soundscapes and projections, immersing them in the history of the Palace. The Palace can be hired for events and weddings. There is a programme of events, and private tours can be arranged for groups. For further information, ring +44(0)20 7736 3233 or visit www.fulhampalace.org.

Moat

The site was historically called The Eights, which may refer to an ‘eyot’ or river Island. The first dated reference to a “magna fossa”, or great ditch was in 1392.

After complaints that the moat was “insanitary”, Bishop Winnington-Ingram proposed to infill it. Despite a public outcry, the Bishop went ahead and the moat was filled with builders’ debris from 1921 to 1924.

Part of the moat and bridge at the west of the site was excavated in 2011 when archaeologists found remains of an earlier timber bridge dating back to 1249 to 1285 together with pottery date 1270 to 1350. Finds from the 1920s in filling included glass and stoneware bottles and an enamel fine. The present bridge is Tudor, refaced in about 1815.