A pretty different place to the one I knew growing up, Fulham is still a pretty blooming nice part of London, and apart from the football team, there’s loads of other stuff I love about the place too… Here’s my 10 things I love about my home Fulham…
1. Seeing as it was my local as a kid (every child should have a local by the age of 8) you can’t beat sitting in the garden of The Crabtree and it’s perfect views over the Thames
2.From the paddling pool as a kid to visiting Fulham Palace now and it’s beautiful grounds, Bishops Park is still one of my favourite green spots in London
3. Being forced to walk my dog every day didn’t make me love it at the time, but the view from the river in Fulham is pretty special; with Barnes nature reserve and the Harrods depository opposite, your view would never lead you to believe you were right in the middle of a city
4. It’s been there longer than me so the Pizza Express on Fulham Road is still my favourite; particularly as I got to go there if I got a good school report on parents evening.
5. The antithesis of every other pub in Fulham, The Golden Lion will outlive them all. An old-school dive with proper regulars and the most irregular pricing I’ve ever known…..£9.67 for a bottle of wine and two pints….you won’t see that anywhere else!
6. A little more well-known these days since they placed an A-board outside, but Aragon House is still a tucked away haven in Parsons Green; really worth a visit in the summer particularly!
7. Maybe not a visiting spot for everyone, but I’ve had the same corner shop owner my whole life on Crabtree Lane. To this day when visiting, John always asks me how Kelly is, and I’ve never had the courage to actually correct him on my name.
8. Now just somewhere to pick up a present for someone, but as a kid Patrick’s Toys really was an Aladdin’s cave. A proper old fashioned toyshop, with as much Playmobile as I could dream to have.
9. My favourite place to catch up with my best friend (we grew up on the same street) Locale restaurant on Munster Road does some amazing pasta and has a perfect little front area for sitting outside and watching Fulham go by.
10. Craven Cottage – my home, my pride. Just seeing the floodlights from Putney Bridge gets me fizzy bubbles excited still. They may not be doing well at the moment, but that place is part of my blood and I always try to cherish that, even after a thumping.
