Sally Miller, a member of the Friends of Bishops Park, has written a book all about the history of the park and it provides an illustrated history of the park from the Victorian era to the present day.
In the 19th century, the great Victorian public park movement carved out green spaces for Britain’s rapidly growing urban populations. Parks fulfilled an urgent public health need and were thought to moderate social behaviour, providing an elevating alternative to raucous drinking houses and dog fights.
This illustrated history celebrates one of London’s unsung but much-loved public spaces, Bishop’s Park, which adjoins Fulham Palace in west London.
The first granting of land for the purpose of this park was made in 1883 by the Bishop of London, resident of Fulham Palace. Unlike many late Victorian parks in London, it was not laid out in one grant sweep but accreted piecemeal around the palace over a period of 20 years, and is so closely enmeshed with its neighbour that the two sites are often thought of as one. This book was published to coincide with the reopening of the park following a major new project, backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to restore key elements of the original design and improve facilities.
The book is available at the Fulham Palace shop, at The Teahouse Café in Bishop’s Park and at The Palace Gardener. If there are any queries about sourcing a copy please get in contact via email to secretary.friendsofbishopspark@gmail.com.
For more information on the book from the publishers, please visit the Scala website.
Postcards of Bishops Park
A selection of postcards of the park by Victor Ho Photography are available for sale at The Teahouse Café.