Eel Brook Common is common land in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, close to Fulham Broadway, with its south-eastern boundary along New King's Road. According to the Fulham Society, the name actually is a derivative of 'hill brook common' - which relates to Musgrave Crescent, which is raised much higher than the surrounding land. It is believed that this is artificial and it probably was originally a Bronze Age mound - either a raised piece of ground to defend against attackers, or as a burial mound. When you leave Eel Brook Common from the north side, you go up a steep ramp - up onto Musgrave Crescent. It is within the Hammersmith and Fulham Conservation Area of Parsons Green.

History

In 1883 and again in 1891 a then amateur local football team, Fulham F.C., played their home games there. The Common usually hosts a

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

in early summer - and has three other fairs there every year - including Carters Steam Fair. During World War II, an underground bunker was located under Eel Brook Common; this was to protect residents from the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

- especially during the Blitz period - and explains why Eel Brook Common is unusually flat. Illustrator Ralph Steadman lived opposite the Common while in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

during the mid-20th century, as marked by a nearby

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

. During 2002/2003 Groundwork West London completed a £300,000 make-over of the Common, installing surfaced and fenced sports pitches and revamping the vegetation there. In the year 2008/2009,

Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, West London, England. The club was founded in 1905 and named after neighbouring area Chelsea. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, pl ...

help create an astroturf pitch which can be used in the community. It was sponsored by Chelsea in association with a sports wear firm and is in the blue of Chelsea Football Club. Many local residents complained to the Council about the colour in a green environment, and so there has been much work to grow varied natural screening. The common can be accessed by many roads - including Effie Road to the north, Musgrave Crescent to the north-east and New King's Road to the south-east. There are two tennis courts and a children's playground primarily aimed at under-6s.

References

External links

Eel Brook Common
London Gardens Online Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham History of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Fulham F.C. home grounds Fulham Common land in London {{London-geo-stub