Description
St Matthew's Church was, to quote the title of a 1978 exhibition, built on a swamp. The parish was created in 1872 after the church was built in 1870/1 to the designs of Sir Arthur Blomfield. It was later restored in 1956/7 and the small garden that surrounds the church on three sides probably dates from that time. It contains one large mature holly tree but many of the other trees are of recent planting, and include several conifers and sycamores, probably self-sown, as well as buddleia and perennial plants. Judging by photographs of 1905 there were once large trees, probably poplars, and it seems likely that these went when the church was restored. The garden is surrounded by a privet hedge, which sketches and pictures show increasing in height from about that time.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | St Matthew West Kensington |
|---|---|
| Site location | Sinclair Road, Shepherd's Bush |
| Postcode | W14 0NR |
| What3Words | ///kinks.toxic.filed |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | to be checked |
| Public Transport | Tube: Shepherd's Bush Market (Hammersmith and City). Rail/London Overground/Tube (Central): Shepherd's Bush. Bus: 49 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The parish of St Matthew West Kensington was created out of the parish of St James Maxwell Road. The church of 1879/1 was renovated in 1888, and the chancel was altered in 1897.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ240793 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Church of England |
| Site Management | Church of England |
| Dates | 1870/1; 1956/7 |
| 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 | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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
This private walled garden was originally created by the poet Jean Ingelow and later developed by Beth McWilliam as a setting for the sculpture of F.E.McWilliam who worked here until his death in 1992. The studio was originally a garden music room probably dating from the same time as the main house (1852). The garden was simply laid out with a large bordered lawn and a central stone path connecting the house and artist's studio. A proposal made to English Heritage to preserve the house, garden and studio as a place where McWilliam's sculpture could be studied in the setting of its making did not come to fruition. The contents of his studio were later gifted to Banbridge District Council in Northern Ireland, the town of his birth, where a purpose-built gallery was opened in his memory in 2008. No 8a was sold to a private buyer and a garden house has been built on the studio site.
St Simon's Church was completed in 1886, although the first service was held in 1880. There is a small garden to one side and at the front of the church with a mature ash tree in one corner, although the rest of the garden layout is relatively recent, comprising numerous shrubs, perennial flowers and some large pots. The area by the ash tree has been paved and seats are provided here.
The area was part of the large Holland Estate; development of the estate was begun by the third Lord Holland as a means of easing financial problems from the 1820s. It was the fourth Lord Holland who let land for development of Addison Road, Crescent, Addison Gardens, Upper Addison Gardens, Holland Road and Holland Villas Road. The communal garden between Lower and Upper Addison Gardens is shown on maps by 1863 on land to the east of St John the Baptist Church. The boundary wall on Holland Villas Road is of London stock brick, with the original cast iron entrance gate, but the gate piers have been covered in concrete. There is a gravel peripheral walk and a central walk and the site is shaded by many mature beech and plane trees. Protected by Garden Squares Act of 1851.