Fulham Palace

Whilst you sit back and relax in the lush green grounds of Fulham Palace, just yards from banks of the River Thames, and in view of Putney Bridge, think about this: archeologists have recently found evidence of Neolithic and Roman settlements within the grounds. So be careful where you place your blanket and picnic, you might just be sitting on an ancient iron tool. Speaking of which, keep an eye out for a pair of sawn off shot guns. They were last seen on Putney bridge in 1998’s Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. Apparently, they’re worth a lot of money.

Also look out for the ancient evergreen oak (Quercus Ilex) which, at 450 years old is a 'Great Tree of London'.

The grounds of Fulham Palace have always served a variety of purposes; providing food for the household, a beautiful garden for relaxation and space, for both recreation and hospitality. The celebrated garden parties began with Mrs Tait in the 1860s. Bishop Creighton (1843-1901) exhausted his guests by taking them for fast walks around the garden. Bishop Winnington-Ingram (retired 1939) had a grass tennis court on the south west side of the lawn. A bachelor, he opened up his house to convalescent children from the East End slums and allowed fetes in the grounds...