Description
Although a church dedicated to St Dunstan may have been erected here in 988 AD, the year of his death, the first reference to a church at Feltham was in the C12th. The medieval church was rebuilt in the early C19th, and later enlarged. The churchyard is largely enclosed by high brick walls and has a number of C18th chest tombs and urn-topped monuments, with cedar, yew and holly among the churchyard trees.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Feltham Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | St Dunstan's Road. High Street, Feltham |
| Postcode | TW13 |
| What3Words | ///angel.blows.moral |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Hounslow |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted. Church Centre Mon-Fri 9am-12; Wed 6.30-8pm |
| Public Transport | Rail: Feltham then bus. Bus: 117, 235, H21, H25, H26 |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Feltham was a Saxon settlement first mentioned in 971 AD, the manorial rights once owned by Kennington Manor. The village was practically destroyed by a disastrous fire in 1634, although the church escaped, but the Lord of the Manor, Lord Cottingham, ensured that the parishioners were housed and fed until the village was rebuilt. By 1800 the C15th medieval church was collapsing and a petition by the parishioners for a new one was granted by the Bishop of London in 1801. The new church by William Walker was consecrated by the Bishop on 21 October 1802 with a battlemented tower and spire, retaining some of the materials from the old church, including timber for the tower and floor, and three bells from the older building were recast in 1803. The church was later enlarged in 1855/56 with a south aisle and then north aisle added. In 1955 the old woodwork was discovered to have death-watch beetle and as a result of this the interior has been remodelled.
The district expanded north of the old village centre, which became known as Lower Feltham, after the opening of the station at Feltham in 1847 when the London and South West Railway to Datchet was opened and by the 1930s the old village was becoming surrounded by new housing estates. Among those buried in the churchyard are the headmaster and headmistress of the old school in Feltham High Street, and in an unmarked grave close to the path is William Wynne Ryland, buried with his parents. Ryland was an engraver who was executed for forgery in 1793, one of the last people to be hanged at Tyburn.
The district expanded north of the old village centre, which became known as Lower Feltham, after the opening of the station at Feltham in 1847 when the London and South West Railway to Datchet was opened and by the 1930s the old village was becoming surrounded by new housing estates. Among those buried in the churchyard are the headmaster and headmistress of the old school in Feltham High Street, and in an unmarked grave close to the path is William Wynne Ryland, buried with his parents. Ryland was an engraver who was executed for forgery in 1793, one of the last people to be hanged at Tyburn.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ098722 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Diocese of London |
| Site Management | Church |
| Dates | C13th, 1802 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: St Dunstan's Church; Chest Tomb of Rebecca Bell; Chest Tomb of Daniel Blake; Chest Tomb of Richard Ride and family |
| 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 | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - SRB |
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
St Dunstan's Recreation Ground was opened in 1951 on land originally owned by the adjacent St Dunstan's Church, the Feltham UDC paying £1 on the understanding that it would be opened as a public recreation ground. By the 1930s the old village of Feltham around the parish church was becoming built up with new housing. It had became known as Lower Feltham after the area to the north became built up from the late 1840s after the opening of Feltham Station.
Feltham Burial Board purchased land called The Long Pightle in 1885 for a new cemetery, which was consecrated in 1886; part of the land was later fenced off and temporarily used for allotments. There used to be a mortuary here, and the main entrance on Ashford Road has more recent gates, with older ornamental gates on the corner opposite St Dunstan's Church. The cemetery is surrounded by low walls that have lost their original railings. Mature yews line the path from the entrance with mature conifers along the boundary with Sunbury Road where there is an early C20th lych-gate. The cemetery is laid out on a grid pattern and has graves set among grass and scattered trees.
Feltham Green is a remnant of Feltham Common; the village of Feltham was previously centred around St Dunstan's Church. The area remained agricultural until the 1920s and was important for growing food to supply London. In the C20th the centre of Feltham moved from the church to nearer Feltham Green and the station. On one corner of the Green is the Red Lion pub, one of Feltham's oldest buildings. A drinking trough donated in 1899 is in the south corner of the Green, which has a large pond fed by water from the Longford River. Feltham Pond (or Duck Pond) is the orginal and oldest village pond out of the three remaining ponds in Feltham and was mentioned in the licensing of 'The Red Lion' in 1722.