Description
There was a church at Isleworth at the time of the Norman Conquest and the medieval church of All Saints was largely rebuilt in 1706/7. The present building retains the C15th tower but was rebuilt in 1967-70 following severe damage by fire in 1943. Isleworth became a fashionable place to live in the C18th and suburban development dates from the arrival of the railways. The churchyard was extended in 1848 but by 1877 was full. In front of the church is a neatly kept garden with a number of tombs, with a more wooded burial ground behind the church.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Isleworth Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Church Street, Isleworth |
| Postcode | TW7 6BE |
| What3Words | ///snack.fortunate.carry |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Hounslow |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Events | Music concerts in church |
| Public Transport | Rail: Syon Lane. Bus: 267, R62 |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
There has long been human habitation at Isleworth, with evidence of a riverside settlement in Neolithic times. The earliest known reference to the church here occurs in 695 AD and at the time of the Norman Conquest the church at Isleworth was given to the Abbey of St Valeri in Picardy. In 1391 it was transferred to William Wykeham, forming part of the endowment for his newly formed Winchester College; and in 1547 it was granted to the Dean and Canons of St George's Chapel in Windsor. From the time of Henry VIII until 1960 a ferry ran from the church to the opposite bank of the Thames. From the late C17th Isleworth became a fashionable place to live with fine riverside estates established. Produce from orchards and market gardens in the locality provided London markets well into the C19th. When the London and South Western Railway opened between Barnes and Feltham in the mid C19th, this led to suburban housing development in the area.
The medieval church had been largely rebuilt in 1706/7 to designs of John Price, which were modified from designs that Sir Christopher Wren had drawn up in 1703. The present All Saints' Church retains the C15th tower but following severe damage by fire in 1943 a new church was built in 1967/70 designed by Michael Blee, partially within the older walls. Some monuments and brasses from the old church survive including a small figure of Margaret Dely, Sister of Syon (d.1561), as well as C15th and C16th brasses, and monuments of the C17th and C18th. A number of wall tablets are now fixed to the exterior walls, and in an open courtyard between the old church doors and the new entrance is a landscaped area with grass and a small stream emanating from a font. A plague pit in the churchyard under a yew tree was the burial place of 149 parishioners who died in the Great Plague in 1665. Among notable people buried here were Richard Robinson, who left money to the poor of the parish; Judge Haliburton; Lawrence Manley, who was a Yeoman Usher of Elizabeth I; and Anne Tolson, who bequeathed money for the Tolson Almshouses. Entered through gates from the riverside, the churchyard in front of the church has mown grass, a long herbaceous bed on the left-hand side and shrubs in the lawn, with a number of fine chest tombs among the monuments. Behind the church to the north is the main area of the churchyard, which was extended by c.1 acre in 1848 and this area is now more overgrown and wooded. By 1877 the burial ground was full, which necessitated the purchase of land for the new Isleworth Cemetery (q.v.), which opened in 1879/80.
The medieval church had been largely rebuilt in 1706/7 to designs of John Price, which were modified from designs that Sir Christopher Wren had drawn up in 1703. The present All Saints' Church retains the C15th tower but following severe damage by fire in 1943 a new church was built in 1967/70 designed by Michael Blee, partially within the older walls. Some monuments and brasses from the old church survive including a small figure of Margaret Dely, Sister of Syon (d.1561), as well as C15th and C16th brasses, and monuments of the C17th and C18th. A number of wall tablets are now fixed to the exterior walls, and in an open courtyard between the old church doors and the new entrance is a landscaped area with grass and a small stream emanating from a font. A plague pit in the churchyard under a yew tree was the burial place of 149 parishioners who died in the Great Plague in 1665. Among notable people buried here were Richard Robinson, who left money to the poor of the parish; Judge Haliburton; Lawrence Manley, who was a Yeoman Usher of Elizabeth I; and Anne Tolson, who bequeathed money for the Tolson Almshouses. Entered through gates from the riverside, the churchyard in front of the church has mown grass, a long herbaceous bed on the left-hand side and shrubs in the lawn, with a number of fine chest tombs among the monuments. Behind the church to the north is the main area of the churchyard, which was extended by c.1 acre in 1848 and this area is now more overgrown and wooded. By 1877 the burial ground was full, which necessitated the purchase of land for the new Isleworth Cemetery (q.v.), which opened in 1879/80.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ167761 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.62 |
| Site Ownership | Diocese of London |
| Site Management | Churchyard: Continental Landscapes Ltd for LB Hounslow |
| Dates | medieval; 1848 (extension) |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Hounslow |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Isleworth Riverside |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Thames Policy Area/Isleworth Capital Challenge Area |
| Other LA Designation | Neighbourhood Park |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Isleworth Cemetery was set up by Isleworth Burial Board in 1879 when the parish churchyard at All Saints was full. The land was purchased from the Duke of Northumberland and the cemetery laid out with a network of paths, twin chapels, entrance lodge and mortuary. The first burial took place in 1880. In 1909 the Burial Board transferred the cemetery to the Heston & Isleworth UDC.
Silverhall Park is on part of the former Silver Hall estate. The name appears to have been used for the estate from the mid-C18th after its owner Mrs Oliver, nee Silver. The house was demolished in the early C19th and the estate sold piecemeal. A new house was built in 1813 on a site now occupied by the park. From 1880 - 1908 Silver Hall was occupied by Carmelite nuns who had moved here from Fulham Carmel. It was later a school but by the 1940s the house was derelict and it was demolished in the 1950s. Gates on North Street and the remains of the ice house are all that are left. A section of the C16th Duke of Northumberland's River runs through the park
Nazareth House Convent was formerly Isleworth House, which had been rebuilt in 1832 by Edward Blore for George III's chaplain, Sir William Cooper. The C18th owner of the estate had diverted Richmond Road so that it did not separate the house from the river. The garden led down to the river and the estate had its own burial ground. Purchased by the Sisters of Nazareth in 1892, it became their Convent and later an old people's home, but has been empty since 2002.