The present Parish Church is not the first church building to stand on the imposing site at the centre of Hammersmith. In the early 17th century, Hammersmith was only a small hamlet on the muddy banks of the Thames. It formed part of the parish of Fulham and residents had to travel a mile south to All Saints Church to attend Divine Service- not an easy journey if you did not have a horse ,especially in winter. Accordingly in December 1629, Edmund Sheffield, Earl of Mulgrave ( a veteran of the Spanish Armada sea battle who lived locally at Butterwick House) petitioned William Laud, then Bishop of London, to provide a Chapel of Ease at Hammersmith. Such a chapel would still fall within the Parish of Fulham but it would have its own curate and the residents of Hammersmith could worship without the travelling difficulties involved in reaching Fulham. Such difficulties can still apply in our times of traffic congestion but the petition graphically refers to "the length and foulness of the way..in winter most toilsome sometime over ploughed land".

There was "much neglect of resorting to Church on Sundays......a great many spending the appointed time in profane alehouses and ungodly exercises". These powerful arguments and the raising of sufficient hard cash ( especially £700 from the wealthy merchant, Sir Nicholas Crispe who lived along the river) produced the necessary consents  and the Chapel of Ease was consecrated by Bishop Laud on 7th June 1631. The Chapel was brick built measuring 80 by 48 feet. At the west end ,there was a 58 ft tower with a peal of eight bells that now hang in the present Church. The burial ground around the Church was frequently extended and part was given over to schools for poorer children from the parish. These formed the start of the Church's links with Latymer School and the Church's present Primary School on the other side of the Flyover. Finally in1834, Hammersmith became a Parish Church in its own right independent of Fulham. By the 1880s, Hammersmith was being rapidly developed mainly due to the arrival of the Metropolitan Railway and the old church building was no longer big enough for the potential congregation. It was decided to replace it with the present building on the same site. By clever planning, the old building continued in use until 30th September 1883 and the nave of the new church was consecrated a fortnight later on 13th October 1883. The architect chosen was John Pollard Sedden but much of the work was carried out by his assistant, H.R. Gough. The architects estimate of cost was £7,400 but the lowest tender on a scaled down scheme was £10,945. (continued below).

Fortunately , the successful tenderer was a local firm, Chamberlain Bros who quietly reinstated the original scheme and who completed the work without stipulating when they should be paid. The result is a building that is equally impressive both externally and internally. The overall style is Early English Gothic with an imposing tower that awards any intrepid (and fit) visitor with an extensive view of West London. The Churchyard is enhanced by a magnificent oak tree and the setting of the Church was transformed two years ago by a large and imaginative open space scheme carried by the Hammersmith and Fulham Council. There is one tombstone of particular interest ; it stands just to the left of the vestry door under the tower. Queen Caroline , the cast-off wife of George IV , spent the last unhappy and eventful year of her life in Hammersmith. The country was fiercely divided over the conduct and treatment of the Queen with the argument spilling over into Vestry meetings with the Vicar and Churchwardens in opposing camps ( PCC meetings these days must be sadly tame in comparison). At the Queen's funeral , her  supporters wanted the funeral procession to go through the City. The Horse Guards fired on the crowd at Hyde Park to try to stop this and killed Richard Honey ,carpenter, and George Honey, bricklayer, in the process. Full details of this "dismal and melancholic event " are set out on the tombstone. The interior of the church is much bigger than you expect with a clear view to the murals and great window at the east end. The nave is enhanced by columns of polished black Belgium granite. The glass is 19th century by Clayton & Bell and along the aisles depict incidents from the lives of St. Paul and St. Peter ( can you identify all of them ?) . The best glass is in the rooms formed from the Lady Chapel to the south of the chancel. They are by Heaton, Butler and Bayne and illustrate the post resurrection appearances of Jesus to his followers. The greens and blues of these windows are particularly fine and can be seen close to following the recent alterations. There are many memorials on the walls of the building that illustrate its history ranging from Sir Nicholas Crispe and his devotion to "that glorious martyr King Charles the First of Blessed Memory" to the stone commemorating W. Tierney Clark , the designer of the first suspension bridge over the Thames at Hammersmith complete with diagram.

A new phase in the church’s life began in January 2000 when 180 people who lived in the area but worshipped at Holy Trinity Brompton came, at the request of the Bishop of London, to join a small continuing congregation. In May 2005 Simon Downham was appointed Priest-in-Charge of the adjoining parish of St Alban with St Augustine with a number of new initiatives being planned in the locality. It has been very exciting to see the church develop and grow over the last few years.

All photographs and images on this page are supplied courtesy of Hammersmith and Fulham Archives and Local History Centre