A Hammersmith Walk
Route & what to see
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london-footprints.co.uk |
A 3 mile walk from Hammersmith tube station to Ravenscourt Park (District line). The walk can be extended by exploring Ravenscourt Park.
Exit onto Queen Caroline
Street.
Across the road is St Pauls Church which was built in 1882
by Roumieu Gough and JP Seddon to replace a 17th century chapel
of ease. At the corner of Talgarth Road the frontage of the early
18th century Bradmore House was retained on convertion to a bus
garage in 1913. The building is now a restaurant. Across the
flyover is the Hammersmith Apollo, originally the Gaumont Palace
by Robert Crombie (1932) seating 3560.
Go left along Talgarth Road
but at the corner with Butterwick go under the flyover to
continue along the south side.
The Ark is a prominent building designed by Ralph Erskine in
1992. Hammersmith & Fulham Archives are located in The Lilla
Huset building which was part of the Ark development. Adjoining
are the West London courts. Further along on the right are the
premises of LAMDA and St Pauls Studios designed in 1891 by
Frederick Wheeler for 'bachelor artists'. Opposite the
Hammersmith & West London College was built on the site of St
Paul's School.
Right into Gliddon Road
Barons Court Station has attractive tilework of 1905 (see
plaque on corner).
Right along Margravine
Gardens
From here there is a view of the rear of St Pauls Studios.
On the left is Hammersmith Cemetery.
Left into St Dunstans Road
In the corner (No. 17) is a former house and studio designed
by CFA Voysey for WEF Britten in 1891 which is now the Hungarian
Reformed Church.
Return and go left at
Gliddon Road crossing Talgarth Road. Continue along Edith Road.
St Mary's church was built in 1814 as a chapel of ease and
enlarged in 1884. It was destroyed by a flying bomb in 1944 and
the new church by Lord Mottistone and Paul Paget was completed in
1961
Left into Hammersmith Road.
There are some remaining buildings of St Paul's School
designed by Waterhouse in 1881-5. Opposite Colet Court was the
junior school, converted to offices in 1990. On the corner of
Colet Gardens Latymers occupies the site of the Red Cow coaching
inn. Further along are the mainly Victorian buildings of the
Convent of Nazareth House.
Return along Hammersmith
Road and go left at Brook Green.
St Joseph's Almshouses and Holy Trinity RC Church were built
in 1851. St Paul's Girls School was established in 1904 by the
John Colet Foundation and built on the site of the Grange, home
of Henry Irving 1881-9. There have been a number of additions to
the original building. Opposite is Ecole Francaise in Queen Anne
style and further along the Hammersmith and West Kensington
Synagogue of the 1890s.
Cross Shepherds Bush Road
and the green to the Tesco store.
This was built on the site of the Osram Works, developed
from 1893 to manufacture electric light bulb filaments. Most of
this was demolished in 1988 and only the 7 storey tower of 1920-1
remains.
Go south along Shepherd Bush
Road.
The factory range on the right was built as a Ford service
depot and showroom in 1915-6. The police station of 1938 is by
Donald McMorran. Opposite the Carnegie Central Library of 1904-5
was designed by Henry T Hare with sculpture by Schenck including
statues of Shakespeare and Milton in the niches. The former fire
station was built in 1913-4. The Sacred Heart High School was
originally commissioned from JF Bentley by St Thomas's Seminary
in 1868. The main buildings were completed in 1881 and the chapel
in 1884. The convent took over in 1893 and established a girls'
school to which have been added other buildings.
At the end go right along
Hammersmith Broadway
To the right in Beadon Road is the frontage of the
Hammersmith & City line station, rebuilt in 1908. The Swan
Hotel was built 1900-2.
Continue along King Street
The auditorium of the Lyric Theatre by Frank Matcham (1895)
was reconstructed in the King's Mall development of the 1970s by
R Seifert & Partners. Two inter-war buildings are numbers
111-5 built for British Home Stores in 1937 and the Cannon Cinema
of 1936. The town hall of 1938-9 is by E Berry Webber with
extensions of 1971-5. The Salutation Inn of 1910 by AP Killick
has colourful tiles. The main buildings of Latymer Upper School
are of 1895 by G Saunders with later additions. Numbers 200-224
are 18th century. Palingswick House is a late Victorian building
which previously served as a school and a children's home.
There is the option of
exploring Ravenscourt Park opposite (see below).
The early 18th century Ravenscourt Park House stood on the
site of an older moated house called Pallingswick Manor. The
house and grounds were sold to the MBW in 1887 to serve as a
public library and park. The house was destroyed by incendary
bombs in 1941 but the stables now provide refreshment facilities.
Access Ravenscourt Park Station from Ravenscourt Road.
Resources
Buildings of England London 3: North West by Cherry & Pevsner
The Changing Face of Hammersmith and Fulham by Jane Kimber &
Francis Serjeant
The Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham has produced walk
leaflets including Ravenscourt Park and Brook Green which can be
downloaded in pdf format. Go to www.visithammersmith.co.uk and click on 'Walks' then 'Walkwell
Routes'.
© london-footprints.co.uk 2007