The 20th Century saw a significant change in the churchyard and setting of St Paul’s Hammersmith.  In 1911, a section of the east churchyard was lost in a road widening scheme and in 1948 an agreement was made between the Parochial Church Council and the Borough of Hammersmith which gave the Borough responsibility for laying out and maintaining the churchyard as a public open space and garden of rest. This entailed the removal and relocation of gravestones and tombs. The specification stated that those stones that were no longer legible were to be removed or used for paving and that the remainder were to be either bedded in the horizontal position or placed against the brick boundary walls. St Paul’s retained control over the churchyard immediately surrounding the church to the east, west and south.  It was the construction of the Hammersmith flyover, however, just meters from the south porch that has had the most significant and indeed detrimental effect on the church. A major road out of London had been planned since the 1920s and the Flyover was finally opened in 1961 a few years after the Great West Road.  The surrounding buildings including the Church Hall to the South, houses to the west, and the Church of England Primary School to the North were all demolished to make way for the new road. This major series of State ordered demolitions left St. Paul’s with very little Ancillary accommodation in its immediate environs.

The most significant internal changes to St. Paul’s have occurred within the last 25 years.  In the 1980s the pews were replaced with more flexible seating and within recent years a number of internal alterations have been made to accommodate increased activity at the church, (see Annual Church Report on Web site).

(Image of noise pollution to be inserted with flyover image)

The Chapel of Ease 1631-1880
The current church of St Paul’s Hammersmith lies on the site of an earlier Chapel of Ease that dates to the seventeenth century.  At this time Hammersmith was a small hamlet in the Parish of Fulham that grew up on the main road to London from the west.  Money for the new chapel was raised from subscriptions, but the majority of the cost was borne by two wealthy local inhabitants, Sir Nicholas Crispe and Edmund Sheffield, Earl of Mulgrave.  The Chapel, consecrated in 1631, was constructed of brick with a tower at the west end.
We know from records that the churchyard was being used as a burial ground from at least 1664, and that it was enlarged several times during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.  In 1685 the western churchyard was enlarged by a gift of 13 perches from Francis Lucy and in 1754 a plot to the north of the church was purchased and a new school built on part of it.  Rocque’s map of the mid eighteenth century shows St. Paul’s bound by Queen Street to the east and Sussex Place to the south, but surrounded by fields to the west and north.  The alignment of the present west boundary wall appears to have been in place at this time although the exact date of the existing wall remains unclear.
By the nineteenth century the rural settlement of Hammersmith had begun to grow and in 1835 it was made a parish in its own right, separate from Fulham.  However it was the second half of the century that saw the major expansion in population largely due to the improvement in transport links.  The OS map of 1865 (fig. 6) shows St Paul’s surrounded on all sides by buildings.  A new direct approach road from The Broadway to the new Hammersmith Bridge had been constructed through fields to the north west of the ground and the new houses that lined it backed onto the west boundary wall.  St Paul’s was rapidly becoming too small for the needs of the parish.  The churchyard was closed for burials in 1854.  Ten years later in 1864 the existing church was extended with the construction of new aisles and a gallery to accommodate the burgeoning population. The enlargement, however, did not prove sufficient and in 1880 the decision was made to construct a new church on the site of the existing.
The Construction of the Current Church of St Paul’s Hammersmith 1880-1887

John P Seddon was appointed as architect, but much of the design was undertaken by Hugh Roumieu Gough.  The work was undertaken in two phases.  Following the consecration of the nave in 1883, the original chapel was demolished and a new chancel and tower built, consecrated in 1887.
The new church was twice as high as the old church, more than twice the length and could hold a congregation of over 1,200. It was designed in the Early English Gothic Style, with lancet windows, a clerestory and buttresses.  The imposing north east corner bell tower with outsize pinnacles remains its most prominent feature. 
The enlargement in the footprint of the church resulted in the disturbance of a number of graves, which it is understood were relocated at the perimeter of the churchyard. 
The building was constructed with a remarkable variety of stone types, pink Mansfield stone and Bath stone dressings externally and brown Ancaster stone internally.  The nave arches of blue Bath stone are supported on black Belgium marble columns.  The roof is barrel vaulted with ribs and painted and the architects went to considerable efforts to incorporate the monuments from the old church including the foundation stone of the original Chapel of Ease, mounted in the entrance porch and the monument to Sir Nicholas Crispe.

Located at the centre of Hammersmith adjacent to the Broadway development and surrounded by major traffic routes, the Church is set in an area of open space that includes the historic Churchyard.
The church stands on an island of open space surrounded by major roads that disconnect it physically from its urban context.  Traffic congestion is a major problem in the area and the church has to contend with fumes and noise. The Hammersmith flyover in particular dominates the setting from the south and the space beneath the flyover is uninhabited and bleak.  The uninviting pedestrian underpass is rarely used at present, with preferable pedestrian access provided across the busy roads to the North. Overall this does not provide a welcoming setting for the church.
However Hammersmith has seen significant change in recent years, in particular the redevelopment of The Broadway, which has brought an influx of new people and vibrancy to the area.  There have been a number of notable architectural projects, including Ralph Erkine’s ‘Ark’ to the north and the Hammersmith Green Surgery designed by Guy Greenfield and built in 2000.  Hammersmith Broadway is a major transport interchange for both bus and tube.
The immediate setting of the church has also been improved in recent years.  The car park to the west has been transformed into an urban park (St Paul’s Green) linked with the north churchyard. This is a popular and valuable space for local residents and those working in the vicinity, particularly to the north of the church.  However elements of the churchyard remain in a poor state of repair.  The west boundary wall has been inappropriately pointed and is propped up by scaffolding poles and a number of the tombs require careful conservation. The tomb to the south of the church, listed grade II is believe to commemorate Samuel Jones who died in 1783.  It is of limestone with a brick pedestal and cast iron railings and is in a particularly poor state of repair.  The Fenn Family Tomb with fluted corner pilasters is almost illegible. 
The approach to and access into the church is currently unsatisfactory.  From the north churchyard it is not immediately apparent that the North Porch is the main entrance to the church; the landscaping draws visitors towards the entrance at the east end of the north aisle.  The latter is also the only level access entrance. There are two steps up into the north porch, which prevents many visitors from using it.

In recent years St Paul’s has had a major resurgence.  It has become increasingly active not only as a place of worship, but also as the centre for a wide range of community-orientated activities.  These include children and youth groups, rehabilitation debt counseling, homeless shelter facilities and local school activities.
A number of changes to the fabric have been undertaken in order to accommodate such activities particularly in order to provide separate spaces for meetings and administration and to improve access.  To increase floor space a mezzanine level was inserted within the morning chapel, the chancel chapel and base of the tower.  New kitchen and wc facilities were incorporated in the south porch and Baptistry respectively and a ramp constructed to provide wheelchair access between nave and chancel.  Alterations to the nave have been carried out to provide a more flexible space.  The pews had been removed in the 1980s, but the incorporation of new lighting and audio visual facilities and a new stage allows its use for performances and events as well as for services.
Despite these alterations, the existing facilities no longer meet the requirements of the growing Church community.  The church congregation numbers around 1000 adults & children and additional space is required for the increasing number of community activities as well as additional and improved WC and kitchen facilities.  In 2004 RGA were commissioned to prepare a Conservation Statement and an Access Audit and subsequently to carry out a Feasibility Study to consider the location and access to a new building on the site.  Following completion of this Feasibility Study, the Parochial Church council instructed RGA to develop the proposals and to make a Planning Application on their behalf for the work.