Thomas Faulkner (topographer)
Thomas Faulkner (10 April 1777 – 26 May 1855) was an English topographer, writer, bookseller and stationer who worked in West London. He is best known for three major reference books about Chelsea, Fulham and Kensington that became standard in the 19th century.
Born on 10 April 1777 in Fulham, London, Faulkner was the son of John Falkner, who worked in construction, and Elizabeth Charlotte Faulkner. He left the family business to run a small bookseller and stationer shop at Paradise Row, near Chelsea Hospital. Largely self-taught, he learned enough French and Spanish to work as a translator.
Faulkner began writing for periodicals around 1797, contributing to the Gentleman's Magazine and later to the New Monthly Magazine. In 1805 he published Short Account of Chelsea Hospital, and in 1810 his major work An Historical and Topographical Account of Chelsea and its Environs, with biographical notes on notable residents.
In 1813 he published An Historical and Topographical Account of the parish of Fulham, including Hammersmith, and in 1820 History and Antiquities of Kensington, with Biographical Anecdotes and a descriptive catalogue of palace pictures from a survey by Benjamin West. The History and Antiquities of Hammersmith appeared in 1839, and in 1845 he published History and Antiquities of Brentford, Chiswick, and Ealing. He was assisted by the Rev. Weeden Butler the younger in Chelsea.
Faulkner was a member of the Société des Antiquaires de Normandie. His obituary in the Gentleman's Magazine (June 1855) listed all his works, including some minor publications not in major catalogs. He died on 26 May 1855, aged 78, on Smith Street, Chelsea, and was buried in Brompton Cemetery. His three principal works helped establish detailed local history for Chelsea, Fulham and Kensington.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:58 (CET).