Medical dates:

Medical character:

At the beginning of 1918 Dr Arthur Winnington-Ingram, the Bishop of London, lent Fulham Palace to the British Red Cross Society for use as an auxiliary military hospital.  It was decided that the premises would be administered by the Freemasons' War Hospital Committee, who controlled the Freemasons' War Hospital in Fulham Road.

The Freemasons' War Hospital No. 2 was formally opened on 31st May, 1918, by the Duke of Connaught, Grand Master and the President of the first Freemasons' War Hospital.

The Hospital in Fulham Palace had 100 beds.  The drawing room and dining room, joined by communicating doors, had been converted into two large wards.  Both rooms had French windows opening out onto the terrace.  The Bishop's study became Matron's study.  The older part of the Palace on the north side of the Quadrangle was used for staff quarters, as the rooms were quite small.  The bedroom once used by Bishop Bonner (c.1500-1569) (his ghost was reputed to frequent the room at night) was allotted to a night nurse.

The Hospital closed in 1919.

Present status (April 2010)

Fulham Palace, built in Tudor times with later Georgian and Victorian additions,  was once the episcopal retreat of the Bishops of London until 1973, when it was given up as too costly.  Still owned by the Church of England, it is now a museum managed jointly by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and the Fulham Palace Trust.  The building also contains a gallery space for art exhibitions and a cafe-bar, while high-specification offices for lease are on the upper floors.

The Grade I listed building in 20 acres of botanic gardens is a popular venue for weddings and corporate events.