It only takes a stroll along Lower Mall and the underappreciated riverside on a sunny Sunday morning, topped off with a roast at famous pub The Dove, to absorb the tranquil atmosphere of this area. However, key entertainment venues including the Apollo concert hall and the plethora of pubs and bars along Hammersmith more than prove that you would be wrong to assume that the sleepy river is all this neighbourhood has to offer. These amenities and walks are complemented by great transport; the futuristic Hammersmith Flyover, Fulham Palace Road and Hammersmith Tube Station are all seamlessly incorporated into the area.

Although there is evidence of habitation from the Neolithic period, the bank around the west bank of the Thames initially gained prominence as market garden land, owned by the Bishops of London. Then around the 17th century, the area became dominated by a large mansion that was passed down from aristocrat to aristocrat. Its last resident was Queen Caroline. Despite being his own wife, King George IV wasn’t a fan of her, and so when she died he demolished the house in 1822. From the 1870s, the area became synonymous with sugar. The Sugar refinery company Manbre and Garton established their factory along the bank from 1870 and continued well into the 20th century, bringing a key industry to the community. The area’s last key development was the creation of the Flyover in 1961, which integrated west London with central and integrated the area firmly with the rest of the city.

James Thomson, poet and composer of ‘Rule Britannia’, allegedly wrote the tune in the upstairs room of local pub The Dove.

Another famous resident was actor and influential theatrical manager George Devine, who lived in 9 Lower Mall. He along with Tony Richardson changed the landscape of British theatre, making it more accessible to the public.

St Paul’s Church is known for being one of the last churches in the UK to have heart burials. Heart burials involved the separate burying of the heart from the rest of the body, as the name would imply.

Nearby, Hammersmith Bridge is a goldmine for fun facts. Built in 1887 and designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, it was the first suspension bridge over the Thames, is London’s lowest and weakest bridge, and was originally pink until it was painted green in 2000. It was also bombed twice, once by the IRA in 1939 and later by the Provisional IRA in 2000. An examination of the bridge’s structural integrity was conducted in 2019, leading to the discovery of microfractures that led to the bridge’s closure to motor traffic later that year and to pedestrians and cyclist in 2020. The bridge is now only partially open to pedestrians only but negotiations between the local council, the government and Transport for London (TfL) are still ongoing to develop a restoration plan for the bridge, which is also a Grade II Listed structure.

The most common criticism of the area is certainly the noise and air pollution created by the Hammersmith Flyover, which runs straight through the neighbourhood. The road congestion produced along the Flyover, as well as on Fulham Palace Road, forms another issue that many residents are concerned about. This being said, this is equalised by the proximity of a peaceful part of the Thames. It is this riverfront location that gives the neighbourhood its “stunning character”, as one local pub-goer put it.

Much of the proposed changes to the neighbourhood initiated by the council are focused on the key transportation links in the area. Many of the borough’s planners are advocating replacing Hammersmith Flyover with a Flyunder instead – a super tunnel so to speak. Although this would significantly reduce all the pollution-related issues produced by the flyover, it would certainly create transport disruptions whilst being constructed. While plans for the flyunder have yet to be fully developed or announced, the council included its development in their updated constitution, a sign of the project’s public approval. This is also to be combined with the regeneration of Hammersmith town centre, a 13-minute walk away from the neighbourhood, and the riverside, which is currently a highly underappreciated hidden gem.

The town centre’s rejuvenation has already commenced, with the completion and opening in February 2022 of Livat Hammersmith, a new retail centre, which was accompanied by public realm improvements within and around its premises. Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s new Town Hall and Olympia London, an on-going culture and arts centre development initiatives, are both expected to be complete and open to the public by 2023 and 2024, respectively. Both redevelopments aim to highlight the modern architecture of the listed buildings they’ve incorporated in the schemes while modernising and diversifying their functional and social uses.