Fulham
Encyclopedia : F : FU : FUL : Fulham
- For the place in Adelaide, South Australia, see Fulham, South Australia
Fulham was formerly the seat of the diocese of "Fulham and Gibraltar", and Fulham Palace the former official home of the Bishop of London, (now a museum), the grounds of which are now divided between public allotments and an elegant botanical garden.
One of the football hotbeds of the country, the borough itself contains two Premiership teams (Fulham and Chelsea) and one Championship team (QPR).
Transport
Fulham nestles in a loop of the Thames across the river from Barnes and Putney. It is on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line of the tube - Fulham stations include Putney Bridge, Parson's Green, Fulham Broadway and West Brompton. Fulham is popular with young, white middle class professionals because of its homogenised, suburban character and the ease with which residents can escape from London to the country along the A4 trunk road which lies just to the north, via the A219. Fulham is also extremely popular with old, non-white and working class people, professional or otherwise, who like the town for what it is rather than for how easy it is to escape.
Politics
- Main article: Hammersmith and Fulham (UK Parliament constituency)
In 1986, Fulham experienced another by-election following the death of Conservative MP Martin Stevens. Labour's Nick Raynsford gained the constituency on a 10% swing - one of the first elections that heralded the slick, modern campaigning New Labour techniques that would become renowned. Posters announcing that "Nick Raynsford lives here" adorned thousands of windows in the constituency - a reference to the fact that Labour's candidate was a long-time local, while the Tory was an "outsider" from Notting Hill.
Fulham has, however, been trending towards the Conservatives since the 1960s as the area underwent huge demographic change: the tightly-packed terraces which had housed working-class families employed in the heavy industry that dominated Fulham's riverside being rapidly replaced with young professionals who had a very different less egalitarian political outlook. In 1971, Fulham elected 28 Labour and 2 Conservative councillors; in 2002 the figures were 16 Conservative and 10 Labour.
Culture and entertainment
Fulham's main claim to fame is the two premier league football clubs that are based here: in the west, with their Stadium located right on the River Thames is Fulham F.C. and in the east is Chelsea F.C.
There is a cinema complex as part of the Fulham Broadway Centre. Notable restaurant The River Café is in Fulham, alongside the headquarters of architect Richard Rogers.
The area has a large number of pubs catering for the increasingly homogenised population. Traditional Fulham pubs include the Pear Tree in Margravine Road, the Wilton in Dawes Road, the Eight Bells in Fulham High Street and the Seven Stars, and The Elm in North End Road. More popular with the young professionals are pubs like The Crabtree in Rainville Road (expensive), The Durrell in Fulham Road, The Mitre on Bishops Road, and the White Horse in Parson's Green, to name but a very few.
Fulham also has some pleasant parks and open spaces of which Bishops Park, Fulham Palace Gardens, Hurlingham Park, South Park, Eel Brook Common and Parson's Green are the largest.
Famous residents
Nearest places
See also
External links
- [Fulham] - 1911 Encyclopedia article
- [Museum of Fulham Palace on www.aboutbritain.com]
- [BBC Guide to Hammersmith, Fulham and Chiswick]
- [Bishop of Fulham's website]
- [Fulham & Hammersmith Historical Society]
- [Greg Hands MP] - Website of the Member of Parliament for Hammersmith and Fulham
- [Local Labour Party]
- [London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham]
- [The Borough Guide from the Borough Council]
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