This
ancient village rests on the banks of the Thames at a distance of four
miles from Hyde Park corner. The names derives from the Saxon Fullomham,
"the habitation of Fowles". The village derives historical
importance for having afforded a residence for the Bishops of London
over many centuries. During the Georgian period the village retained
a rural and sequestered character while still being adorned by numerous
mansions, chiefly used as summer retreats by the London elite. The church,
pictured above, underwent major restoration in 1778 when the original
battlements of the tower were demolished and replaced with more modern
examples.
The
parish, including the hamlet of Hammersmith, was nearly five miles in
length from north to south and about two miles in breadth. The entire
parish was very fertile and highly cultivated, most of the lands being
used as nursery gardens supplying London with much of its fruit and
vegetables - almost half of the produce sold in Covent Garden market
came from Fulham.
See
another
view of the bridge and village.
