Local Events and Listings

For up-to-date information on theatre performances, gallery exhibitions, and seasonal events in Hammersmith and across London, we recommend consulting the following resources:

• Time Out London: A comprehensive guide to the city’s latest restaurant openings, film releases, and cultural highlights.

• Visit London – What’s On: The official visitor guide for major events, festivals, and exhibitions throughout the capital.

• Hammersmith BID – Enjoy Hammersmith: A local resource focused specifically on events, markets, and activities within the Hammersmith business improvement district.

The Hammersmith Broadway Centre

Hammersmith Broadway serves as the primary transport hub for the area, located within walking distance of Temple Lodge. Rebuilt in the late 20th century, the complex integrates the Piccadilly and District line Underground station with a two-level bus and coach station. The terminus for the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines is situated directly across the road. This hub provides comprehensive access to central and Greater London, as well as regional coach destinations. In addition to its transport facilities, the centre also houses the offices of several national and international corporations.

The Broadway Shopping Centre

The Broadway Shopping Centre, integrated with the transport hub, contains approximately 30 retail units. Roughly half of these establishments offer a diverse range of international cuisines and food options, providing both sit-down dining and takeaway services. The remaining retail space includes a variety of speciality shops and essential services, such as an optician, pharmacy, shoe repairer, and currency exchange, alongside retailers selling books, stationery, and household items.

The William Morris Society

The William Morris Society is located in the Coach House and basement of Kelmscott House, the riverside residence where Morris lived for the final 18 years of his life. The museum preserves a significant collection of original textiles, wallpapers, and hand-drawn designs, and houses one of the three original Albion printing presses used by the Kelmscott Press. The Coach House also serves as a reminder of Morris’s political legacy, as it once functioned as a lecture hall for the Socialist League.

The museum is open Thursday to Sunday, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, with a £5 admission fee (card payments only). Please note that the main part of Kelmscott House is a private residence and is not open to the public.

Walking Distance: The Society is approximately a 12-minute walk (0.6 miles) from Temple Lodge via the riverside path along Lower Mall.

Emery Walker’s House

Located a short distance further along the river, 7 Hammersmith Terrace was the home of Sir Emery Walker, a renowned typographer and close friend of William Morris. The house is considered one of the best-preserved Arts and Crafts interiors in Britain, remaining virtually unchanged since the 1930s. It contains an extensive collection of original Morris & Co. wallpapers and textiles, alongside furniture designed by Philip Webb.

Access is by guided tour only, which must be pre-booked. Tours typically run on Thursdays and Saturdays between March and November. Due to the historic nature of the building, there is no step-free access, and the tour involves several flights of narrow stairs.

Walking Distance: Emery Walker’s House is approximately a 17-minute walk (0.8 miles) from Temple Lodge. It is a further 5-minute walk from the William Morris Society.

Hammersmith Bridge

Hammersmith Bridge is a Grade II* listed suspension bridge linking Hammersmith on the north bank of the River Thames with Barnes to the south. The current structure is the second on this site; the original, opened in 1827, was the first suspension bridge to span the Thames. Built at a cost of approximately £80,000, it initially operated as a toll bridge.

The present bridge, which utilises the original 1827 foundations, was commissioned following safety concerns regarding the capacity of the first structure during the University Boat Race. It was opened by the Prince of Wales in June 1887. The bridge has undergone several periods of restoration and repair due to ongoing structural requirements, including major refurbishments in 1973 and throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Repairs were also undertaken following a bomb attack in 2000, after which the bridge was repainted to restore its original 1887 colour scheme. Historically, the bridge was also the site of an earlier explosive device in March 1939.

Current Status (January 2026): The bridge remains closed to all motor vehicles, including buses and cars, as structural strengthening and restoration work continues. However, following a significant redecking project completed in April 2025, the main carriageway is now open to pedestrians, cyclists, and e-scooters. The bridge currently features dedicated lanes for northbound and southbound cyclists, while the outer footways remain reserved exclusively for pedestrians. A trial of e-cargo bikes is also underway to assist residents with limited mobility. Future plans to fully reopen the bridge to motor traffic remain under discussion between Hammersmith & Fulham Council and the Department for Transport.

The Boat Race

The Boat Race is a long-standing rowing competition between the boat clubs of Oxford and Cambridge Universities, held along a tidal stretch of the River Thames known as the Tideway. The event was inaugurated in 1829 following a challenge between two former Harrow School friends, Charles Merivale of Cambridge and Charles Wordsworth of Oxford. It has been held annually since 1856, with exceptions only for the two World Wars and the 2020 pandemic.

Since 1839, the race has typically followed a 4.2-mile course starting at Putney Bridge and finishing at Chiswick Bridge. The race is conducted upstream and is timed to coincide with the incoming flood tide, allowing the crews to row with the fastest possible current. While the event is historically associated with the men’s heavyweight eights, the women’s race has also taken place on the same Tideway course since 2015.

Hammersmith offers a central vantage point for the Boat Race, as the course passes directly under Hammersmith Bridge—approximately the halfway mark of the 4.2-mile distance. The event is typically held on a Sunday in late March or early April, with the exact date determined by the schedule of the spring high tides. Guests can view the race from several locations along the riverfront, including the pedestrian walkways on Hammersmith Bridge and the public footpaths along Upper and Lower Mall. These areas are popular viewing spots and typically become very crowded on race day; visitors are advised to arrive early to secure a position. Several riverside pubs in the immediate vicinity also provide viewing areas, though many require advance booking or have limited capacity during the event.

The Gate Vegetarian Restaurant

At The Gate Restaurant we try to do just that: celebrate the food. This means, amongst other things, that we source our ingredients with care; we intensify flavour by careful cooking and by combining ingredients in unexpected ways. We try to make our dishes as visually pleasing as possible; and we try and do this in a fun and relaxed way.