Fulham

Last a visit to Fulham Palace, a first for me, once the summer palace of the bishops of London, now run by the local authority, perhaps with a charitable trust or two in support.

Entrained at Epsom, as usual, to see a huge flying beetle outside our carriage at Ewell West. My recollection is that it was around two inches long, deep red or dark brown in colour, sporting horns in the way of a stag beetle.

Out at Putney Bridge and made our way along the river to All Saints', said to contain some fine monuments. Plenty of aeroplanes about, but for some reason I don't think I managed a two all day.

Family tree

With the first monument we noticed being for a chap who was very concerned that posterity should be clear about his antecedents. Thinking it about it now, probably been given a wash-and-brush-up at some point, to be so legible. Concern for antecedents is also hereditary, as can be seen at reference. Another companion of the conqueror, along with BH's remote ancestor, Eustace, Count of Boulogne. See reference 2.

Cycle heroes

Another monument which caught my eye, to the 25th cycle battalion of the London Regiment. Reference 3 has left me confused between regiments, battalions and companies, but the cyclists managed 25/1, 25/2 and 25/3. Later today I shall make time to work this puzzle out, also to work out why cyclists were useful on the North West Frontier (where 25/1 got sent).

Sanctuary lamp

Handsome Lady Chapel, handsomely separated off from the body of the church by plate glass. Some rather good stained glass. And a proper sanctuary lamp, lit.

The donor of an island for the use of the poor

The island

With Bing suggesting that Makenshaw is also known as Brentford Ait, planted with trees so as to spare day trippers at Kew Gardens the sight of Brentford gas works. A few yards upstream of Kew Bridge. Not clear what the poor were supposed to use the island for, back in the 17th century. Bathing? Sunbathing? Discrete encounters? See reference 4.

Granville Sharp

We were taken in hand by a chap who was minding the church for the day, perhaps the sexton or church warden, who told us about the back entrance to Fulham Palace gardens and also about one Granville Sharp, an early advocate for the abolition of the slave trade, mixed up in the foundation of Granville Town, now a district in Freetown, in Sierra Leone. Then, inter alia, a destination for freed slaves from the US south who found it rather cold in Nova Scotia. Freed that is in the margins of the war of independence.

Black walnut

On into the gardens, passing a fine black walnut on the way to the coffee shop, probably much the same size as the one noticed in Wisley a couple of years ago. See reference 5. Managed some dancing water in a plastic cup by dragging it across the table, with the friction setting off vibration which set off the water. See reference 6. Tea and cake - some kind of almond & jam tart - fine, then off to do the gardens, this despite the hint of rain, which did not, in the event come to pass.

Cucumbers

Lots of good flowers and vegetables, including a hot house with a fine display of cucumbers, climbing up strings and sticks as is proper. In my own days of growing cucumbers they had to make do with spreading out over the ground.

Ornamental grass

A small field of grass, left uncut apart from a few paths, with bench, more or less facing the sun. Very handsome, although not something one usually has room for in a suburban garden.

High altar

Brown wood

The palace itself was very much a miniature version of Hampton Court Palace, with an old end and a new end. With this new end including lots of sort of brown wood to be found in that new end. Even some of the door furniture - that is to say hinges - looked very much the same. Plus great hall, plus chapel. A chapel with a rather high altar, the sort of thing one expects to see in a Catholic or Anglo-Catholic church (like All Saints' down the road), rather than in the chapel of a bishop of the church of England.

Cottage at the gates

Quaint cottage by the gates. Perhaps it serves as a guest house for the dean when he stays? Or perhaps for a dowager bishopess, that is to say the widow of a bishop. The wrong thing to say, given that the present Bishop of London is in fact a lady?

Allotments at the gates

And just outside the palace gates we had the allotment gates. Carefully locked so we were  unable to inspect the allotment gardens.

All in all, a good place. Interesting gardens and interesting buildings. And much easier to get to from Epsom than I had realised.

PS 1: in the course of all this, there was some talk of certain bishops' houses being upgraded to palaces at some point, reflecting some change of status. But I can't find out anything about this, with all our bishops' houses being called palaces, although most of them have been given over to other uses, it no longer being thought appropriate for princes of the church to live like princes. And the only real prince-bishop, on the continental model, is the Bishop of Durham. With the bishops of Ely and Peterborough being pretenders, in their fens.

PS 2: Wikipedia tells me that Eustace was 51 when he fought at the battle of Hastings. Which seems quite old to me to be fighting a long battle, in heavy chain armour. I doubt whether I would last five minutes.

Reference 1: http://stagbeetle.info/. Which suggests that the beetle may indeed have been a male stage beetle out on the pull.

Reference 2: http://mordaunt.me.uk/.

Reference 3: http://25thlondon.com/.

Reference 4: https://exploring-london.com/2018/04/25/10-islands-in-the-thames-3-brentford-ait/.

Reference 5: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2017/09/juglans-nigra.html.

Reference 6: https://psmv2.blogspot.com/2013/09/dancing-water.html.