In this post, Front of House Guide volunteer, Alexander Ogilvie-Graham, tells us about what in his opinion makes the Palace so special.
As a guide, Alexander Ogilvie-Graham will have a wealth of knowledge of the Palace! His favourite objects are the books in Bishop Porteus’s library. He has always enjoyed visiting the library and to this day, it remains his favourite part of Fulham Palace.
Bishop Porteus’s library, Fulham Palace.
Alexander’s choice of historic books as favourite objects in the palace will for sure be shared by many of us!
Gitte Hart, volunteer communications assistant, has researched the room’s history and has compiled this short history for all of us. Continue reading to find out more!
The library is named after Bishop Porteus (1787-1809), who left provisions in his will to build a library at Fulham Palace, to accommodate for his and future Bishops’ books and paintings. A portrait of Bishop Porteus can be found in the library, however most of his books are now held by the University of London.
The books, currently held in the library are a mix of books. Some were left behind by the bishops that lived at the palace, some were written by the bishops, and again, some were gifted or lent to the library by relatives of the bishops. Lastly, some have been selected due to relevant topics and some have been donated by dedicated volunteers! The library is certainly well worth a visit!
The library was built by Bishop Howley’s architect, Samuel Pepys Cockerell, in 1814, converting part of the Gothic chapel, of which remains the arched chapel windows above the book shelves to the right in the photo shown above. The beautiful library was built with a hidden jib door, concealed by faux books, as seen to the left behind the desk in this same photo.
Bishop Porteus was a committed opponent of the slave trade and left behind 145 books and pamphlets on the matter. There is a dedicated area on this topic in the library and the museum at Fulham Palace has an exhibition on the resistance by slaves, currently on show since April 2023.
Above is shown a lovely display unit with samples of books and pictures left behind by various Bishops who lived at the palace. When Bishops left the palace, they would typically take all their belongings with them , thus there are only a few pieces in the library that are from the Bishops’ time living at the Palace.
