The Local Area

Local Neighbourhood

The parish boundary reaches almost up to the A4 to the north, to Lillie Road in the south, to the boundary of the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in the east and to Margravine Cemetery, Queen’s Club and Kinnoul Rd in the west. St. Andrew’s Church lies between Star Road and St. Andrew’s Road and the parish covers a deeply populated and diverse area which includes a number of council estates such as Cheeseman’s Terrace, the West Kensington and Gibbs Green Estates, as well as red brick mansion blocks such as Queen’s Club Gardens. The contrast in material wealth can be quite startling. Average house prices within the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham are within the top six of any London boroughs at £753,234, but many of our parishioners are among the country’s most deprived. From Church Urban Fund data for the parish: 22.5% of children live in poverty, 31.9% of pensioners are on low incomes, 9.4% of working age population receiving key out of work benefits. The IMD ranking (Index of Multiple Deprivation) for St. Andrew’s is 2,667 out of 12, 382 (where 1 is the most deprived parish). The area has one of the largest rented sectors in London, and this is particularly true of the roads to the north of the church where many of the houses are in multiple occupation. Other links to the statistics for the parish can be found at the end of this document.

Local Religious Life

There are two independent churches within our parish boundaries and in neighbouring parishes there are Roman Catholic (St. Thomas, Rylston Road), Baptist, Adventist and Pentecostal churches which attract worshippers from within our parish. However, links between the various churches are currently not well developed. There is also an Arts Council supported Indian cultural centre at the north-eastern corner of the parish. There is no mosque or other religious place of worship in the parish, but there is a house mosque, an Islamic cultural centre and a Muslim funeral director.

Beyond the parish, we have good links with other Church of England parishes.

Schools

There are two schools within the parish. There are limited links with Normand Croft Community School (Ofsted 2019 Good), but strong links with Fulham School (Ofsted 2020 Good), whose building is across the road. They support the Homeless Project at Harvest and Christmas, and use the building on occasions for assemblies, at which the clergy often speak.

Other local schools, easily reachable by walking, public transport or car, include

Primary Schools:

-Sir John Lillie Primary School (Ofsted 2019 Good)
-St. John’s Walham Green C.E. Primary School (Ofsted 2017 Good)
-St. Thomas of Canterbury R.C. Primary School (Ofsted 2018 Good)

Secondary Schools:

-Fulham Boys School (Non-selective, independent, publicly funded school with particular emphasis on its Christian ethos. 50% of Y7 admissions for “faith places” backed by reference from Church minister)
-Lady Margaret School, Parsons Green (Comprehensive C.E. School for girls aged 11-18.  A number of foundation places are available on evidence of church attendance)
-Fulham Cross Girls School (Mainstream, state-funded senior school for girls.  Ofsted 2022 Good)

Local Estates

The church has a good reputation on the West Kensington/Gibbs Green estates where we run our W14 Youth Club. This is funded by various grant making bodies, is non proselytising, but has enabled very positive relationships to be established.

Leisure Facilities

Normand Park lies within the parish with a children’s play area and bowling club. There is also a Virgin Active gym and swimming pool. Queen’s Tennis Club is adjacent to the vicarage. Margravine Cemetery is a popular open space with benches and walks. The nearest cinema is at the top of North End Road. Both Chelsea FC and Fulham FC have their grounds within close proximity to the parish. Fulham FC was originally founded at St Andrew’s Church, and its history is documented in this in-depth history booklet of the church.

Wider open spaces, such as Richmond Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, are easily reached by public transport.  The River Thames is a 25 minute walk from the church and the riverside walks, such as the one from Hammersmith Bridge via Chiswick to Barnes, are particularly recommended.