Description
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church was the only complete church to be designed by Alexander W Pugin in London, built in 1847-48 to serve the growing population of Irish immigrants. The benefactress of the church also endowed St Thomas's Schools nearby, built in 1849. Between the church and school, the small walled cemetery opened in 1849 and has numerous good monuments. It has sparse planting, with a few small pollard lime and some flowering trees.
Practical Information
| Site location | Rylston Road, Fulham |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW6 7HW |
| What3Words | ///drama.breath.video |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | London Overground: West Brompton. Tube: West Brompton, Fulham Broadway (District) then bus. Bus: 74, 190, 211, 295, 430 |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church was founded by philanthropist Elizabeth Bowden, and built in memory of her late husband. The church was opened in 1848 by John Henry Newham, a friend of the Bowdens. Mrs Bowden went on to found St Thomas's Schools in 1849, also designed by A W Pugin, to provide for the children of the many Irish immigrants who had come to the area. There were originally two schools, one for boys and one for girls housed in the one building and children as young as 3 were admitted. Enlarged over the years, St Thomas's School is now a junior mixed and infant school. Pugin's English Gothic church has a fine interior and its spire is 142 ft high. The stained glass east window, designed by Westlake, was destroyed in WWII and redesigned in 1947 by Harman.
The small rectangular cemetery between the school and the church has numerous monuments, and here Mrs Bowden and her daughter were buried. Among the fine monuments is the stone monument by Philip Webb to Alphonse Warington Taylor (1835-70), who was business manager to William Morris from 1865-69. There is also an elaborate baldacchino to Lord Alexander Gordon Lennox (d.1892), younger son of the 5th Duke of Richmond; and a chest-tomb of 1872 to Edward Pereira. Among those buried here are a number of notable Catholic architects including Joseph Aloysius Hansom (d.1882) who also designed the Hansom cab and founded 'The Builder'; Herbert Gribble (d.1894), who designed Brompton Oratory; and Joseph Scoles (d.1863) who designed the Jesuit Church in Farm Street. In 1911, 1912 and 1918 three infant great-grandchildren of Charles Dickens were buried here.
The small rectangular cemetery between the school and the church has numerous monuments, and here Mrs Bowden and her daughter were buried. Among the fine monuments is the stone monument by Philip Webb to Alphonse Warington Taylor (1835-70), who was business manager to William Morris from 1865-69. There is also an elaborate baldacchino to Lord Alexander Gordon Lennox (d.1892), younger son of the 5th Duke of Richmond; and a chest-tomb of 1872 to Edward Pereira. Among those buried here are a number of notable Catholic architects including Joseph Aloysius Hansom (d.1882) who also designed the Hansom cab and founded 'The Builder'; Herbert Gribble (d.1894), who designed Brompton Oratory; and Joseph Scoles (d.1863) who designed the Jesuit Church in Farm Street. In 1911, 1912 and 1918 three infant great-grandchildren of Charles Dickens were buried here.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ246773 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Roman Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Westminster |
| Site Management | Church |
| Dates | 1849 |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: St Thomas of Canterbury. LBII: Presbytery, tombstone of Warington Taylor |
| 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
Normand Park was created on the site of a C17th villa, Normand House, after WWII bombing severely damaged property in the area. In the C19th the house was used as an asylum, school and then a convent prior to its demolition. The LCC enclosed the bombed area for housing development and the public park, which opened in 1952. It was later extended to the south as further demolition took place and in 1971 it was transferred to Hammersmith & Fulham Council and completed with distinct areas providing playground, bowling green and sports areas. Fulham Pools opened here in 1982. In 2008 Normand Park re-opened after a major refurbishment project that has brought numerous new facilities.
The 33 mansion blocks of Queen's Club Gardens were built in the late C19th as this area was being developed for housing. The estate was named after the nearby Queen's Club sports centre, which had opened in 1886. The mansion blocks, all named after literary and historical figures, surround private communal gardens and tennis courts, which were provided for residents. The gardens contain a number of mature trees, including one particularly fine London plane tree.
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.