Description
The site was once the mouth of Hammersmith Creek, which had a thriving fishing industry until the early C19th. By 1830 the area had high quality residential property but later became a dense mixture of factories, housing and other uses. In the 1920s Hammersmith Council began to improve the area and the Creek was infilled in 1936. In 1948 it was decided to create a public open space on bomb-damaged land between the river and Great West Road, to be completed for the Festival of Britain. Laid out in 1951, the new riverside park was named after Dr Frederick James Furnivall, scholar and founder in 1896 of what is now the Furnivall Sculling Club. A secluded garden surrounded by a low wall was created on the former site of Hammersmith Friends Meeting House C18th burial ground, which was destroyed by a flying bomb. The north boundary was provided as part of road works in 1956 and the park was extended on the east in 1957.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Furnivall Gardens |
|---|---|
| Site location | Mall Road,/Rutland Grove, Hammersmith |
| Postcode | W6 |
| What3Words | ///bland.remain.nearly |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Hammersmith (Piccadilly, District, Hammersmith & City). Bus: 33, 72, 209, 283, 419 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Furnival Gardens is on a site that was once the mouth of Hammersmith Creek, which had a thriving fishing industry until the early C19th, and was navigable almost to King Street. This area had high quality housing in 1830, but by 1850 infilling had started and it became a dense mixture of factories, housing and other uses. In the 1920s Hammersmith Council began development of the area as part of its Hammersmith Southern Improvement Scheme and the Creek was infilled in 1936. Existing and new housing suffered damage in WWII and in 1948 the decision was taken to create a public open space on bomb-damaged land between the river and Great West Road, to be completed for the Festival of Britain. The public park was laid out in 1951 and was named after Dr Frederick James Furnivall (1825-1910), scholar and founder in 1896 of what is now the Furnivall Sculling Club, originally called Hammersmith Sculling Club for Girls and Men.
There is a tall C19th lime tree, and a plane tree possibly dating from the C18th on the lawns, but otherwise the planting dates from the 1950s and includes cherries, Norway maple, mountain ash, hornbeams, as well as shrubberies. A secluded garden surrounded by a low wall was created on the former site of Hammersmith Friends Meeting House burial ground dating from the C18th, which was destroyed by a flying bomb. A pier was constructed by the PLA in the south-west corner and Furnivall Gardens and Hammersmith Pier were opened on 5 May 1951. The north boundary was provided as part of the Great West Road works in 1956 and the park was extended on the east in 1957. In the east corner of the park, attached to an early C19th house is a lamp from Berlin presented in 1963 by Willy Brandt, German Chancellor, with a good horse chestnut beside the house.
There is a tall C19th lime tree, and a plane tree possibly dating from the C18th on the lawns, but otherwise the planting dates from the 1950s and includes cherries, Norway maple, mountain ash, hornbeams, as well as shrubberies. A secluded garden surrounded by a low wall was created on the former site of Hammersmith Friends Meeting House burial ground dating from the C18th, which was destroyed by a flying bomb. A pier was constructed by the PLA in the south-west corner and Furnivall Gardens and Hammersmith Pier were opened on 5 May 1951. The north boundary was provided as part of the Great West Road works in 1956 and the park was extended on the east in 1957. In the east corner of the park, attached to an early C19th house is a lamp from Berlin presented in 1963 by Willy Brandt, German Chancellor, with a good horse chestnut beside the house.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ227783 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.78 |
| Site Ownership | LB Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Site Management | Environment Department, Parks Service (ground maintenance by Quadron Services) |
| Dates | 1951; 1957 |
| Designers | Local authority |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | The Mall |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Archaeological Importance |
| Other LA Designation | Small Local Park; Open Space of Borough-wide Importance. Within The Mall Area of Special Advertisement Control |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
From 1878 -1896 26 Upper Mall, renamed Kelmscott House, was the home of William Morris, who founded the Kelmscott Press near here in 1890. It was once owned by Sir Francis Ronalds who constructed the first electric telegraph in the garden in 1816. From 1867, then called The Retreat, it was the home of poet, minister and novelist George MacDonald and his family, who Morris visited, much admiring the garden. Behind the house, now headquarters of the William Morris Society, part of Morris's former garden remains. A small lower garden has a variety of ferns that thrive well in its shady micro-climate, and the upper walled garden has lawns, shrubs, flower beds and trees, many of them plants mentioned in Morris's writing of his garden in the 1880s and '90s.
The Friends Meeting House was built in 1954-5, a yellow brick building designed by Hubert Lidbetter. It replaced the C18th Friends Meeting House that had been destroyed by a flying bomb in WWII, the burial ground of which is the walled garden in Furnival Gardens. Separated from the Great West Road by a high brick wall, the Meeting House has an area of trees and shrubs in front of the building and a paved area with perennial planting. Behind the building is an area of grass and shrubs. In Cromwell Lane, running north from the back of the Meeting House are mature trees and numerous daffodils have been planted in the raised bed along the middle of the road, and a strip of undeveloped land at the top of the road that has been grassed over and railed off.
Aspen Gardens is a post-war housing development of 1948 with a communal garden for its residents. The garden appears to be partly a community effort and has some mature trees, with planting by residents in beds by the flats. There is a central area surrounded by wire fencing with flower beds and a variety of containers, and several benches are provided.