Inventory Site Record

The original chapel was built in 1814, replaced in 1883 by a new church that was destroyed by WWII bombing on 18 June 1944. It was not until 1961 that St Mary's Church was rebuilt to a traditional form. When the churchyard became a public garden the graves were cleared, with headstones set along the walls. There are a number of old London plane trees, and numerous shrubs and flowers, and some of the trees along Hammersmith Road have survived.

Previous / Other name:

St Mary West Kensington

Site location:

2 Edith Road/Hammersmith Road

Postcode:

W14 9BA

What 3 Words:

accent.pass.ranges

Type of site:

Public Gardens

Borough:

Hammersmith & Fulham

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

7.30am - dusk

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Hammersmith (District, Piccadilly, Hammersmith & City) then bus. Bus: 9, 10, 27, 391

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/11/2011

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.smwk.org; www.lbhf.gov.uk

St Mary's Chapel was built by land-owner Richard Hunt in order to serve parishioners of All Saints, Fulham (q.v.) as this hitherto rural part of Fulham was becoming more populated. The red-brick chapel was consecrated in 1813 and the building was later replaced by a larger church with a tall spire. St Mary's opened a school opposite the church that initially catered for 30 boys and 30 girls, which later moved elsewhere and the building is now offices. Numerous burials took place, and the church vaults were also used for many burials, so much so that at one time the smell of decaying corpses caused 'a fetid odour to constantly pervade the church'. In 1838 the bodies beneath the church were reinterred in the churchyard in one grave. The churchyard was closed for burial and converted to a public garden.

Sources consulted:

Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England London 3: North West' (Penguin, 1999 ed) p204; Barbara Denny 'Fulham Past' (Historical Publications, 1997

Grid ref:

TQ240786 (524050,178690)

Size in hectares:

0.11

Site ownership:

Church of England

Site management:

Churchyard: LBHF Environment Department, Parks Service

Date(s):

1814, 1883/4, 1960/1

Designer(s):

Church: Seely & Paget

Listed structures:

None

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 Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

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 35/12/71 London Plane (3), Acer, Poplar, Horse Chestnut (3)