Fulham Palace - Fulham Palace Today

Fulham Palace Today

The grounds of the Palace originally covered more than 30 acres (120,000 m2), though today only 12 acres (49,000 m2) remain. The Palace also boasts the longest moat in England. Although the Palace has its own chapel, the gardens adjoin the churchyard of the neighbouring parish church, All Saints Church, Fulham, where several former bishops are buried. The allotments planted during the war still survive; many are still in use, allowing local people to grow their own vegetables, fruit and flowers.

In spite of the depredations of Henry Compton's successor, some of the ancient trees in and around Fulham Palace remain to this day, and visitors can still see the knot garden and wisteria which survive in the Palace's walled gardens. A large holm oak (quercus ilex)is believed to be 500 years old and has been designated a Great Tree of London. The Palace and gardens are today managed jointly by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and by the Fulham Palace Trust, though the land and buildings are still owned by the Church of England.

Fulham Palace and grounds have been run by the Fulham Palace Trust (Reg. Charity No. 1140088) since 1 April 2011. Phase Two of the Fulham Palace Restoration Project began in 2010 and is due for completion in October 2011, made possible by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Phase Two includes both the restoration of the Palace grounds and the nearby Bishops Park. The Park was formerly part of the Palace estate and opened to the public in 1893. The walled garden at Fulham Palace is to be brought back into use as a working kitchen garden and the vineries (originally built by Weeks of Chelsea) are to be rebuilt.