| All Saints' Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Address | Fulham High St. |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Catholic |
| Churchmanship | Affirming Catholic |
| Website | Official website |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Administration | |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | London |
| Archdeaconry | Middlesex |
| Deanery | Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Parish | All Saints' Fulham |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Revd Peter Dobson,Vicar of Fulham |
| Priest(s) | George Meyrick associate vicar |
| Curate(s) | Vacant |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Jonathan Wikeley |
| Churchwarden(s) | Douglas Downie Paul Hall |
All Saints' Church is the ancient parish church ofFulham, in theCounty of Middlesex, pre-dating theReformation. The parish was founded in the precinct ofFulham Manor, currently adjacent to it, which was in the possession of theBishops of London, since the 8th century. Hence it began as the parish church of the bishops of London and several of them are buried there. It is now anAnglican church in Fulham,London, sited close to theRiver Thames, beside the northern approach toPutney Bridge. The church tower and interior nave and chancel areGrade II* listed.[1]
There has been a church on the same site for more than 900 years. Barbara Denny, a historian of London, writes that the first record of a church here dates from 1154 in the rolls of atithe dispute.[2] Apart from the tower, construction of which began in 1440, the present church building dates from the late Victorian period, having been rebuilt in 1880–1881 by SirArthur Blomfield using squared rubblestone,ashlar dressings and windows in thePerpendicular style.[1] The church retains many memorials from the earlier church along with a plaque to the First World War dead of the25th (County of London) Cyclist Battalion of theLondon Regiment, whose drill hall was atFulham House from 1908 onwards.[3]
The building and its churchyard are next toBishop's Park, overlooking the River Thames. The church has a long association with thebishops of London aslords of the manor of Fulham, and is the burial place for many of them. The nearbyFulham Palace is the former manor of Fulham and the former residence of the bishops of London.
Putney Bridge, like its predecessor Fulham Bridge, is unique in that it is the only bridge in Britain to have a church at both ends: the ancientSt Mary's Church is located inPutney on the south bank, and All Saints' Church, Fulham, is on the north bank.
Due to the proximity of All Saints toFulham Palace, the ancient residence of the Bishop of London, several bishops of London were buried at All Saints.
The church was featured in the filmThe Omen, in a scene which begins in Bishop's Park, and ends with a bizarre accident where a priest (played byPatrick Troughton) is impaled by a lightning conductor on the top of the tower that is dislodged when it is hit by lightning.
In 2017, the Christmas Day service from the church was shown onBBC Television.[6]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)The inscription on his tombstone includes the following: He left no issue, but, by reason of his integrity and gifts he will live longer than the life which was vouchsafed him.
51°28′07″N0°12′42″W / 51.4686°N 0.2117°W /51.4686; -0.2117
