Description
The village of Ickenham dates from at least the time of the Domesday Survey and St Giles Church has remnants of the medieval building. There are fine monuments in the church, and the churchyard has some good C18th table-tombs including a railed tomb surmounted with an urn. The flagstaff near the church was erected for King George V's Silver Jubilee and has a stone base with carving depicting trees.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Ickenham Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | High Road/Long Lane/Swakeleys Road, Ickenham |
| Postcode | UB10 8BG |
| What3Words | ///formal.units.improving |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Hillingdon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Ickenham (Piccadilly, Metropolitan). Bus: U10, U1. |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Ickenham dates from at least the time of the Domesday Survey, in which it appears as 'Ticheham'; it was an agricultural area until the C20th. The parish church in the centre of the old village is a flint-rubble and brick building, with nave and chancel of the C14th, a timber bell turret added in the C15th, a large north aisle of the C16th, and a rustic timber-framed south porch c.1500. In 1640/50 a mortuary chapel was added, probably by the Harrington family of Swakeleys (q.v.), which contains tablets to the family. A bust of the Earl of Essex in the church was once on a C17th screen at Swakeleys. In 1958 the church was extended by E C Butler. Near the church is the small village green, with pond and 'picturesque pump' (according to a 1909 description). The pump has an iron and timber octagonal Gothic canopy erected in 1866, paid for by Charlotte Gell who also built Gells Almshouses in Swakeleys Road in 1857, fronted by a small strip of pretty garden. Adjacent to the pump is a bed with a tulip tree and rose beds commemorating the Silver Jubilee of the Ickenham Women's Institute 1924-74.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ079862 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Diocese of London |
| Site Management | Church |
| Dates | C14th onwards |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: St Giles Church. LBII: Gells Almshouses |
| 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 | Hillingdon |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Ickenham Village |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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
Ickenham Hall is a Georgian mansion built for the Crosier family, who farmed here until 1900. Now in the ownership of the local authority, the Compass Theatre has been built behind the Hall. The surrounding gardens comprise rough lawn, some holm oak trees, a group of C20th beech trees and fine horse chestnut trees. In front of the Hall is a walled garden enclosure with lawn and borders that have been planted with species reflecting the Georgian era.
The public park includes Swakeleys Lake, originally a formal canal within the grounds of the C17th Swakeleys House, now serpentine. The house remains in private ownership and remnants of the earlier landscape remain in its grounds, while the land to the west of the lake and east of the River Pinn is publicly accessible. There are fine trees and a grassy path on the east side of the lake, which provides views of the house, dovecotes and entrance gates. The lake has wooded edges and is well-populated by wild fowl.
The Pynchester Moat site has remains of the dried up moat of a medieval farmhouse in a bend of the River Pinn, which fed the moat, now in woodland surrounded with railings. A dig by Uxbridge Archaeological Group in 1966-9 revealed the foundations of the medieval farmhouse here. The Harefield Enclosure Map of 1813 shows the site as part of Farley's Mead belonging to the Brackenbury Estate from 1602-1792 and later it was awarded to Uxbridge in compensation for loss of grazing rights.