Description
St John's Church was built in 1827/8 on the former site of the village pond of Walham Green, a hamlet dating back to at least the C14th. The churchyard opened in 1832 and was used for some 700 burials before it closed in 1852. The cleared graveyard is now a public garden. Among the many trees are some that are old and massive, including a fine mulberry tree.
Practical Information
| Site location | North End Road, Walham Green |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW6 1PB |
| What3Words | ///detect.rips.solve |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am - dusk |
| Events | Concerts in church |
| Public Transport | Tube: Fulham Broadway (District). Bus: 28, 391, 211, 295, 14, 414 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Walham Green was an old medieval hamlet mentioned in records of 1383, and like much of the manor of Fulham it was largely surrounded by market gardens, fields and orchards until the C19th and North End Road was an old country lane. All traces of the village disappeared as the area was developed, and in 1952 what had been called Walham Green station was renamed Fulham Broadway. The Swan Brewery had been built on the site of the old manor house in 1769 and the triangular village green was later built over by Broadway Buildings, the south side of the green becoming Fulham Broadway. The village green had been railed in 1721 and had stocks, a whipping post used as late as 1826 and a parish pound nearby for which there are records of stray animals impounded in the C15th. The village also had a pond until 1814 when it was filled in by the Vestry, and this later became the site for St John's Church.
St John's was built in 1827, to serve the growing population and was consecrated the following year. It could seat 1300 people and was designed by J H Taylor, although it was subsequently much altered in the 1890s and in 1988 the interior was reconfigured by the Hill Rowe Partnership. The church is surrounded by its railed churchyard, which first opened in 1832 and was closed to burial in 1852 and is now a public garden. Works undertaken in the churchyard in recent years revealed that all but 12 of the burials had coffins, a sign of the poverty of the parishioners in those years. On the pavements to the west of the church are raised beds installed in the 1990s and further pedestrianisation is proposed to the north of the churchyard.
St John's was built in 1827, to serve the growing population and was consecrated the following year. It could seat 1300 people and was designed by J H Taylor, although it was subsequently much altered in the 1890s and in 1988 the interior was reconfigured by the Hill Rowe Partnership. The church is surrounded by its railed churchyard, which first opened in 1832 and was closed to burial in 1852 and is now a public garden. Works undertaken in the churchyard in recent years revealed that all but 12 of the burials had coffins, a sign of the poverty of the parishioners in those years. On the pavements to the west of the church are raised beds installed in the 1990s and further pedestrianisation is proposed to the north of the churchyard.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ251773 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.15 |
| Site Ownership | Church of England |
| Site Management | LBHF Environment Department, Parks Service |
| Dates | 1827/8 |
| Designers | J H Taylor 9. |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Nos. 9-15, 17, 17a, 19 Jerdan Place; St John’s Church including railings in curtilage |
| 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 | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes - see note below |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Other LA Designation | TPO 32/9/71 Plane (3) lime (17) Acer, Prunus, Mulberry, Malus, Hawthorn (2), Laburnum (2) Weeping Ash |
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
A private park open to the public, Brompton Park is a small open space at the south end of the Brompton Park Crescent Estate created in the 1980s. The gated estate was built on the site of the West London Free Hospital, later the Brompton Hospital, which was laid out with internal open spaces. The plane trees in the park and on the estate survive from that time.
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