Pictures of Hammersmith

About Hammersmith

Today Hammersmith is a far cry from what it was at the turn of the 19th century. Then it had a population of around 10,000 people, and now it has a multi-cultural society of in excess of 170,000.

Hammersmith developed around the River Thames, which is crossed via a graceful suspension bridge designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette. The present bridge replaces an earlier bridge of 1825, at that time it was the first suspension bridge across the Thames, and it was also a toll bridge with toll booths at either side. Hammersmith Bridge was declared open by the Prince of Wales in June 1887. In the year 2000 the bridge was damaged by a terrorist attack carried out by the IRA, it has since been repaired and is once again in use with weight restrictions in place.

The suburb boasts an extensive range of retail establishments, restaurants, cafe's, bars, and entertainment venue's. It is home to the Apollo and Lyric theatres.

The spiritual needs of the community are provided for by a number of churches, these include: St. Paul's, St. John the Evangelist, St. Luke's and The Holy Innocents.

Along the river visitors to the area can see some fine Thames side properties, some remain from the Victorian era. This is a pleasant place to stroll and enjoy watching the life of the great river whose waters have borne silent witness to the proud history of London and it's people.