Fulham Palace was the Manor House of the Bishops of London from c.11C and their country residence until 1973. I visited about ten days ago. (Here is a list of all the Bishops of London.)
This marvellous map (not dated) from the official website gives the layout of the Palace very clearly, and the map of 1872 (just ten years after Mr Bradshaw) amazingly shows the Palace still in the countryside.
The oldest part of the Palace is the quadrangle built by Bishop Fitzjames (1506-22), with marvellous diamond-patterning in the brickwork.
The Chapel was added by Bishop Tait in 1866-67, and next to the Chapel is one of the unusual trees in the garden, a cork oak. Several of the Bishops were keen gardeners, introducing trees and plants to England for the first time.
The site of the Palace has been inhabited for a very long time. The Palace was originally surrounded by a moat (now looking more like a ditch), and this has been suggested as a Danish, or even Roman defence.
I was at Fulham Palace to see the Walled Garden.
The bees had a good year at Fulham Palace – apparently you can buy the honey in Fortnum & Mason, but only in very small quantities.
And then there is the Bishop’s Tree, which is rather unprepossessing until you take a closer look. It is a cedar tree which was cut down, and has been carved with figures of past Bishops of London.
With the light facing it was time to leave, walking through the Bishop’s Park, with the avenues of plain trees alongside the Thames. Stupidly I did not visit the parish church at the entrance to Bishop’s Park.
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