St Peter's Residents' Association, Hammersmith, W6
About SPRA
St Peter's Residents' Association was established in 1977 as an Association open for membership by all residents living in the area bordered to the north by King Street, to the East by Beavor Lane, to the South by the Great West Road and to the West by British Grove.
This area is broadly consistent with the area covered by the St. Peter's Conservation Area, which was the first to be so designated by Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council in 1971 and extended to the present area in 1989.
The Association has as its governing objectives the maintenance of the quality of life in the area, seeking to foster community relations, prevent undesirable changes to the neighbourhood and encourage improvements. It seeks to represent the interests of residents in various ways including welcoming new members, supporting events in the area, commenting on planning issues and both taking part in consultations with and making representations to the Council
The Association also has links with other organisations having an involvement in the area, including Neighbourhood Watch, the local police "Safer Neighbourhood Team", St. Peter's Church and School as well as other residents' associations or groups in the Borough.
Overall the Association seeks to use the skills and experience of its members to maintain and enhance those aspects of the area which make it such an attractive location in which to live, for the enjoyment of all.
History
As far as we can tell, there is no archaeological record for the conservation area. During the medieval period the vast majority of land in the Borough was open fields, common land and woodland which survived until the 19th Century.
By the mid 18th Century, the conservation area was still in open fields apart from several detached buildings fronting King Street north of St Peter's Square. This land use was first recorded on John Rocque's map in 1741-45 where a number of footways, bridleways and field boundaries can be observed. These ultimately became the parallel street pattern (and some property boundaries) we can see today in the conservation area, e.g. Beavor Lane, St Peter's Road, Black Lion Lane and British Grove.
St Peter's Square and the surrounding areas form part of a continuous residential development first laid out in the early to mid 19th Century, stretching from King Street down to the River Thames. The construction of the Great West Road in the late 1950s severed links between the conservation area and both the River Thames and Mall conservation area.
During the 20th Century there was residential infill, one of the most recent completing the built form around St Peter's Square with residential development on the Commodore Cinema Site. However, generally the historic fabric of the conservation area has remained in tact with new development respecting the plan, form and scale of the area.
The character of St Peter's Square conservation area is derived mainly from the variety in form of the original 19th Century residential development centred on St Peter's Square, Black Lion Lane and St. Peter's Grove. This has been left virtually in tact.
The predominant land use within the main body of the conservation area is residential development. Commercial uses are concentrated on the King Street frontage, including shops, offices, cafes and restaurants and a car showroom. There is also a primary school (over three sites), a Church and two Public Houses within the main body of the area which provide local nodes of activity.
One can contrast this with businesses formerly incorporated in the local area, which have diminished over the years as a result of a combination of increased competition and modern living.
However, the area has maintained the charm and appeal for many of its' residents that it has had for so many years.
If you would like additional historical information on the area then please contact SPRA via the details shown on the 'Contact Us' page of this site.
History in a book
St Peter's Estate: A History of St Peter's Square and its neighbourhood by Jilly Paver. St Peter’s Square was an early development of town houses when Hammersmith was still a rural area The author has lived in the neighbourhood for over seventy years and this book outlines the original development, growth and change of the area over the last 200 years. It includes newly researched information, photographs, maps and anecdotal accounts from times past. Keith Whitehouse, Chair of the Fulham and Hammersmith Historical Society writes “this is a very detailed and fascinating book, a must, not just for local residents but for those with a general interest in local history.” The book costs £12 to collect or £14 to include postage and packing, and can be ordered by emailing your details to Jilly Paver here.