William Parnell House was officially opened on September 17th 1938 by the Mayor of  Fulham Councillor T.M.COX.The dwellings, which were named after a Labour politician were built on the site of an old wallpaper factory and situated in Langford Road with entrances in Marinefield Road and near Bagleys Lane. The Unit Construction Company Ltd won the contract with a tender of around £68,000 and construction was completed in approximately 17 months. The weekly rents in old money were set at 12 shiilings for two bedroom flats, 14s.9d for three bedrooms, 16s.9d for four bedrooms and 18s.10d for five.

The Fulham Chronicle reported that during the opening ceremony the Mayor of Fulham "was constantly interrupted by members of the public who were penned in their enclosure" and that "order was restored by police constables on duty at the entrance."

The paper also reported a dignitary's description of the William Parnell Scheme as "a monument in the history of the Council which has done something to bring health and happiness to those who would become tenants of the estate."

The article went on "Some people say that the first thing certain tenants do in new modern dwellings is to convert them into slums. I fling that lie back in the teeth of the people who perpetrated it. Our experience is that people who are put into flats not only appreciate them but respect them."

The flats had a short life and were pulled down during the 1980s but those of you who have contacted this website refer to the "strong community spirit which existed among the tenants".