Hammersmith

Hammersmith is a town in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is situated to the south of Shepherd's Bush, on the north side of the River Thames.

A bustling commercial and transport centre, Hammersmith is home to two shopping malls, as well as the offices of Coca-Cola, Disney, EMI, L'Oreal and Sony Ericsson, among others. Hammersmith's pedestrianised riverside is popular for its many pubs, and excellent views of the river and its annual Boat Race.

Transport

The area is on the main A4 trunk road heading west from central London towards the M4 motorway and Heathrow Airport. The A4, a busy commuter route, passes over the area's main road junction, Hammersmith Broadway, on a long viaduct, the Hammersmith Flyover . Hammersmith Bridge, the first suspension bridge over the River Thames, carries traffic to and from Barnes and South-West London.

Hammersmith tube station is served by three London Underground lines, the Piccadilly line, District Line and the Hammersmith & City Line. The tube station is part of a larger office, retail and transport development, locally known as "The Broadway" after its large encompassing roundabout. This development includes the Broadway Shopping Centre and a large modern bus station, which is open 24 hours a day and served by a large number of buses, night buses, airport transfer buses and some long distance coaches.

Culture and Entertainment

Hammersmith has a number of attractions;

• The Carling "Hammersmith Apollo"[1] concert hall / theatre (formerly the Hammersmith Odeon)
• The Lyric theatre [2]
• The "world famous" Hammersmith Palais nightclub. (featured in The Clash song "(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais).
• "The Dove" riverside pub, the oldest surviving riverside pub in London, frequented in the past by Ernest Hemingway and Graham Greene
• Riverside studios [3]: a cinema and performance space, and formerly BBC studios.

Hammersmith has provided a location for several TV programmes, including the BBC comedy series "Bottom", Channel 4's TFI Friday , and the vampire drama Ultra Violet . The opening credits of Bottom show the Hammersmith Broadway development, then called Centre West, when it was under construction.

Architecturally, Hammersmith is notable for

• The offices of Richard Rogers, the internationally renowned architect
• "The Ark" office building [4]
• "Hammersmith Bridge Road Surgery" Doctor's office [5]

Nearest Places

• Kensington
• Shepherd's Bush
• Barnes
• Chiswick

External links

• London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
• The Borough Guide from the Borough Council
• BBC Guide to Hammersmith, Fulham and Chiswick
• MyHammersmith Guide to Hammersmith
• Description of Hammersmith in 1868
• Hammersmith Salvation Army