Description
North End House consists of two cruciform mansion blocks built in 1937/8 on the site of the late C18th house from which they take their name. Until development began in the C19th the area was mainly orchards and market gardens, with a number of grand houses built along main roads. One such was North End Villa, later House, which had extensive wooded grounds. The western part of the grounds began to be built over in the late C19th and the house was demolished in 1928 following a fire. Behind the blocks is a modern garden designed around a number of mature trees, for the private use of residents.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | North End Villa |
|---|---|
| Site location | Fitzjames Avenue |
| Postcode | W14 |
| What3Words | ///value.text.natively |
| Type of Site | Housing/Estate Landscaping; |
| Borough | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Open to Public | By appointment only |
| Opening Times | Private with security guard, ask permission. |
| Public Transport | Tube: Barons Court (District, Piccadilly) |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
North End was a hamlet in the parish of Fulham. At the beginning of the C19th North End Road and Great West Road were still country roads that ran through an area of market gardens and orchards, with a number of grand houses built along the main thoroughfares. These houses, according to Thomas Faulkner in his 'History of Fulham' (1813) , were 'successively occupied by several eminent and remarkable characters' but by the time Edward Walford was writing 'Old and New London' in the late 1870s, these had 'for the most part disappeared'. North End Villa, later called North End House, was built in c.1791 set back from the main road in nearly 7 acres of grounds including a lake. It was once owned by James Wild, a wealthy man who was a collector of curiosities and also a nonconformist, who had a strong presence in Fulham in Victorian times. Wild founded Ebenezer Chapel, an early nonconformist chapel on North End Road in 1842. When North End House was remodelled in 1840 its grounds were landscaped as an informal park. The 1851 census records that the gardener was a William Clink or Clint, who lived at the Gardener's Cottage at North End Villa. The OS map of 1871 shows the house and its wooded grounds.
By the latter part of the C19th housing development in Fulham was accelerating. In 1882, the adjacent property to the west of North End House, The Cedars, was demolished and its site developed for housing, and by the late 1880s North End House was surrounded by new houses of the Gunter Estate. The western part of the grounds was sold in 1897 to Henry Lovatt who laid out Fitzgeorge Avenue and built a series of mansion blocks, designed by architect Delissa Joseph (1859-1927). The development was enlarged in 1898 and Fitzjames Avenue was laid out with more substantial mansion blocks on the north side, which were described in the press at the time as 'the grandest of the West Kensington mansion flats, with lifts and separate servants quarters'. In 1928 North End House was demolished following a fire and its site developed with further mansion blocks on North End Road in the 1930s, and in 1937/8 two 8-storey blocks, the maximum permissible height at the time, were built off Fitzjames Avenue, this part of the development taking the name of the original house. Designed by Joseph Architects, each of the handsome red-brick blocks actually comprises four buildings set in cruciform plan around an open court that is linked at ground level. To the rear of the blocks to the south a triangular garden area was laid out that retains a number of fine, mature trees.
The modern garden was designed by Group Captain E T Haylock around two old trees. The green space is separated from the car park by a brick wall that has the bricks laid in various patterns. Unfortunately a catalpa, which was very old, has been cut down although a new trunk is growing from the stool. There is a path round the catalpa, a lawn, seats and a surrounding bed planted with roses and other shrubs. There is some shrub planting around the buildings. Along Fitzjames and Fitzgeorge Avenues the older apartment blocks have raised beds planted with evergreen ground cover and low shrubs.
By the latter part of the C19th housing development in Fulham was accelerating. In 1882, the adjacent property to the west of North End House, The Cedars, was demolished and its site developed for housing, and by the late 1880s North End House was surrounded by new houses of the Gunter Estate. The western part of the grounds was sold in 1897 to Henry Lovatt who laid out Fitzgeorge Avenue and built a series of mansion blocks, designed by architect Delissa Joseph (1859-1927). The development was enlarged in 1898 and Fitzjames Avenue was laid out with more substantial mansion blocks on the north side, which were described in the press at the time as 'the grandest of the West Kensington mansion flats, with lifts and separate servants quarters'. In 1928 North End House was demolished following a fire and its site developed with further mansion blocks on North End Road in the 1930s, and in 1937/8 two 8-storey blocks, the maximum permissible height at the time, were built off Fitzjames Avenue, this part of the development taking the name of the original house. Designed by Joseph Architects, each of the handsome red-brick blocks actually comprises four buildings set in cruciform plan around an open court that is linked at ground level. To the rear of the blocks to the south a triangular garden area was laid out that retains a number of fine, mature trees.
The modern garden was designed by Group Captain E T Haylock around two old trees. The green space is separated from the car park by a brick wall that has the bricks laid in various patterns. Unfortunately a catalpa, which was very old, has been cut down although a new trunk is growing from the stool. There is a path round the catalpa, a lawn, seats and a surrounding bed planted with roses and other shrubs. There is some shrub planting around the buildings. Along Fitzjames and Fitzgeorge Avenues the older apartment blocks have raised beds planted with evergreen ground cover and low shrubs.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ243786 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Private |
| Dates | 1791; late 1930s |
| Designers | Mansion blocks: Joseph Architects |
| 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 | Fitzgeorge and Fitzjames |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes - see note below |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | TPO 25/9/70 Catalpa, Prunus (3) Horse Chestnut Ailanthus lime (5) Acer (3) |
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
Although Samuel Richardson House dates from c.1960 the original building on this site, The Grange, was built in c.1715 and was the home of Samuel Richardson and Sir Edward Burne-Jones in the C18th and C19th respectively. The house and gardens were later used by a company run by the Crowther family to display antique monuments, garden ornaments and statuary. The garden was used for allotments in WWII. Eventually the house was pulled down and Samuel Richardson House was built on the site, as part of the Lytton Estate. Behind the flats are the remnants of the garden, including some old trees.
Marcus Garvey is a small C20th park set amongst houses and educational establishments. It is laid out in two adjacent areas. In the larger area there is a circular lawn with shrubs around the edge of the space and there is an area for under 5s play. The spaces are marked out by low palisades of white logs. The smaller area is grass with shrubs along an old brick wall that separates blocks of flats from the park.
Gwendwr Gardens is on land that was once the site of the Cedars Lawn Tennis Club. The land was donated to Fulham Borough Council by R G Gunter and opened in 1949 as a memorial garden. The name of the road and park comes from an estate owned by the Gunter family in Wales. The garden has flagged stone paths, a sunken garden with pool, rose beds, shrub borders, lawn at the west with specimen trees and a low stone wall and hedge boundary.