Historic Fulham – Bishops, Football & Pubs
About the event
This walk takes us through riverside parks, the former home of the Bishops of London, medieval Fulham, football history and some of its historic pubs. We start at Putney Bridge Station which contains a World War II Pillbox. Putney Bridge was built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette (1819–91), best known for creating Victorian sewage system and opened in 1886. From here we walk to Bishops Park, which opened in 1893 on land given to the public by the Church. The area has a long connection with the Thames. Until 1729, ferries operated from here to Putney, when a wooden toll bridge was built. Known as Fulham Bridge, it was only the second bridge across the Thames in London, after London Bridge. Bishops Park has plenty to discover, including a sculpture, rose garden, meadow and enormous mature plane trees. The trees even have a cinematic connection – scenes from *The Omen* were filmed beneath them. Crossing the park, we reach Craven Cottage, the riverside home of Fulham Football Club and of Fulham Pier, a new riverside destination with food, a hotel and a programme of activities. [https://www.fulhampier.com](https://www.fulhampier.com) We then return to Bishops Park, passing the Grade II listed Bishop’s Garden Tea House, on our way to Fulham Palace. The palace was home to the Bishops of London for around 1,200 years, until 1973. We will visit the palace and its beautiful Walled Garden, with its remarkable variety of plants and flowers – as well as chickens and bees. Our route then takes us to All Saints Fulham, whose tower dates back to the 15th century. There is plenty more history along the way: the Sir William Powell Almshouses, two 18th-century townhouses with an old insurance fire mark, and the remains of the Fulham Pottery kilns. We will also pass Fulham House, occupied by the army, and Hurlingham Books. And, naturally, there are pubs. We will encounter four along the route – The Temperance, King’s Arms, Golden Lion and Eight Bells – giving us plenty of opportunities to finish the walk with a drink and a chat.
Please note the walk is undertaken at your own risk,
