The Bishops Park History
Given its prime riverside location it is perhaps not surprising that Bishops Park has a long history of attempts at privatising bits of it for private commercial gain. What is perhaps a little more surprising is that none of these attempts succeeded because of the vigorous defence the park has always enjoyed from its users. Documented instances run from 1971, when a small group of residents campaigned successfully to prevent the construction of a very large hotel which would have dominated the river frontage near All Saints Church and Putney Bridge to last autumn 2005, when 18,000 people from across the borough signed a petition and campaigned to stop the proposed astroturfing, fencing and floodlighting of the precious green open space in Bishops Park.
Perhaps this energetic defence of the park and keen interest in its development can be explained by going further back into Victorian times, where we find out that the park, whilst put piecemeal together over a period of time, was in essence given to the people of Fulham by the church of England and the Bishop of London, who felt keenly that the sudden urban development of the surrounding area meant that people would have no green area to relax in during their leisure hours. A situation that increasingly holds true today as London becomes ever more crowded and it becomes clear that people care passionately about their green space and are prepared to rise up vigorously in its defence. Green space and playing areas are second only to crime in recent surveys of the borough (2005).
Bishops Park is listed as the borough’s favourite park in survey conducted by the council in 2002 and is protected by a multitude of historical and conservation acts.
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