Fulham District
Postcode: SW6
Tubes: Putney Bridge, Parsons Green and Fulham Broadway
London borough: Hammersmith & Fulham
Fulham is the area of south-west London that lies on the north banks of the River Thames, just to the west of Chelsea. The area is believed to be named after the Saxon chief Fulla, who once lived in the area.
For much of its history the area was a rural one, with the main industry being market gardening. In fact the district used to be nicknamed 'the fruit and kitchen garden north of the Thames'.
Until the 19th century the area had several separate villages and settlements in it, all of which revolved around the powerful Fulham Palace, the country residence of the Bishops of London.
The area was also home to several of London's wealthy families who built country residences in Fulham and so the district first began to gain a reputation as a sought after and exclusive residential district.
Fulham's villages retained distinct characters right up until the late 19th century. But once the expansion of London reached the area, Fulham was quickly transformed. The villages merged together and the market gardens were replaced with rows of residential housing.
But Fulham retained a very genteel and elegant feel to it, and to this day the district has remained the home of London's wealthier residents.
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.
Fulham during the 18th century had a reputation of debauchery, becoming a sort of "Las Vegas retreat" for the wealthy of London, where there was much gambling and prostitution.
Fulham remained a working class area for the first half of the twentieth century, but was subject to extensive restoration between the Second World War and the 1980s. Today, Fulham is one of the most expensive parts of London, and hence the United Kingdom; average actual sale price of all property (both houses and flats) sold in the SW6 area in September 2007 was £639,973. However in parts of the area like the Moore Park Estate, located on the Fulham/Chelsea border opposite Stamford Bridge, houses average at over £900k.
Having been through many transformations in its history, today it is a green London area within close reach of Chelsea and Kensington and this is reflected in the local house prices. It was included within Savills' 2007 list of "prime" London areas. Two Premiership football clubs, Fulham and Chelsea, are situated in Fulham.
Famously exclusive sports club, the Hurlingham Club, is also located within Fulham. With members having included British monarchs, the waiting list for membership currently averages over fifteen years.
The area, like other comparable areas of London, is home to a number of pubs. The White Horse in Parsons Green is colloquially known by many as "The Sloaney Poney", a reference to the "Sloane Rangers" who frequent it. Other traditional Fulham pubs include the Pear Tree in Margravine Road, the Wilton in Dawes Road, the Eight Bells in Fulham High Street, the Seven Stars and The Elm in North End Road. Other popular pubs include The Crabtree on Rainville Road, The Cottage on Colehill Lane, The Durrell in Fulham Road and The Mitre on Bishops Road.
Fulham has many parks and open spaces of which Bishops Park, Fulham Palace Gardens, Hurlingham Park, South Park, Eel Brook Common and Parsons Green are the largest.
Fulham has appeared in numerous films including The Omen and The L-Shaped Room. Fulham Broadway tube station was used in Sliding Doors.