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Southern Housing celebrated the completion of 36 new affordable homes at its new development on Palliser Road, Barons Court, on Thursday 13 November.

The event brought together Councillor Frances Umeh, Cabinet Member for Housing at Hammersmith & Fulham, and representatives from developer Formation and architects Child Graddon Lewis.

Guests heard speeches from Formation, Cllr Umeh and Southern Housing, before taking a tour of the new development, including a range of apartments and the landscaped courtyard.

Welcoming guests, Paul Hackett, Chief Executive of Southern Housing, said: “I’m delighted to be at this event today, celebrating the partnerships that have made this redevelopment possible.

“Every one of these homes is for people with a connection to Hammersmith and Fulham, keeping the community at the heart of the development and meeting local housing need – and I’m pleased to say, our first residents have now moved in.”

The new homes, a mix of shared ownership and affordable rent, replace a dated 1920s building just a stone’s throw from the prestigious Queen’s Club.

The site is especially important to Southern Housing. It was once Ada Lewis House, built in the 1920s to help vulnerable women. Ada Lewis, who founded it, was married to Samuel Lewis. who left money in his will in 1901, which led to the creation of the Samuel Lewis Housing Trust. The Trust later became Southern Housing – the new building is called Lewis House, to honour that history.

A stained-glass window was designed and installed above the entrance as a tribute to the building’s history, linking Palliser Road’s new residents to the women who lived there before.

The development is a short walk from Queen’s Club, a private sporting club established in 1886 in West Kensington. The club hosts the HSBC Championships, one of the most popular and longest-running grass court tennis events.