The much reduced estate comprises a Grade I listed complex with medieval origins and was formerly the principal residence of the Bishop of London from the 11th century until 1973.

Much of the material retrieved is domestic in origin and appears to suggest a small agricultural community was established on the banks of the Thames.

It stretched from modern-day Chiswick in the west to Chelsea on the east; and from Harlesden in the northwest and Kensal Green in the northeast.

[7] The earliest evidence of medieval life at Fulham Palace was a hearth that dates to around 1080, probably belonging to the Saxo-Norman Manor.

[8] Plans drawn up by Stiff Leadbetter prior to the redevelopment of the site in the late 18th century locate the chapel and its associated buildings beneath much of the 18th-century structure that still stands today.

Although various fragments of stonework associated with the chapel have been uncovered, its form remains elusive, only one Parliamentary Survey, undertaken by William Dickes during the Civil War in 1647, described it.

[10] Substantial alterations were made to the palace during the late 15th century, a period that witnessed the construction of the current great hall and the Tudor Courtyard, which still stands today.

Part of current structure, built by Bishop Richard FitzJames, dates from the reign of Henry VII (1485–1509).

[16] Parts of the palace were damaged by bombing, and after the war, the church found it increasingly difficult to maintain this large, expensive historic building.

After the bishops of London left the Palace in 1973, in 1975, the property was leased for 100 years by Hammersmith Council for the purpose of opening a museum and art gallery.

The allotments planted during the war still survive; many are still in use, allowing local people to grow their own vegetables, fruit and flowers.

A large holm oak (Quercus ilex) is believed to be 500 years old and has been designated as one of the Great Trees of London.

[26] In 2010, an excavation of the moat began as part of a £8 million renovation of the palace and adjoining Bishops Park.

[29] In the early part of the 17th century, the gardens at Fulham Palace appear to have suffered from some unsympathetic attention.

The antiquary John Aubrey records among his memoranda, "the Bishop of London did cutte-down a noble Clowd of trees at Fulham", occasioning the sharp remark from Sir Francis Bacon, a dedicated gardener, "that he was a good Expounder of dark places.

In the colonies, Compton had a botanical correspondent in John Banister, who was sent first to the West Indies and then to Virginia, and who, before his untimely death, sent Bishop Compton drawings, seeds, and herbarium specimens from which the Bishop's close friend John Ray compiled the first published account of North American flora, in his Historia Plantarum (1688).

It shows "The Risen Saviour" with the message "Feed my sheep"; Bishops Mandell Creighton and Wand stand on either side.

Butterfield's patterned brickwork was painted over by Brian Thomas and students from Byam Shaw School of Art in 1953.

The north wall painting shows: "The Fall" with Adam; the nativity is below; Atonement with the crucifixion, and the Last Supper with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

It contained some of the paintings that once hung in the building, stained glass, carved fragments of masonry and a bishop's cope, as well as displays describing the palace's history.

[35] The lost manuscript of William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation (1620–47), an important founding document of the United States, was discovered in the library in 1855, and first published the next year.