Description
Bedfont is mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086 and St Mary's church dates from the C12th, with various later extensions to the building. Overlooking Bedfont Green, the church's small churchyard has a low brick wall at the front, with a higher wall to the rear. Either side of the path to the church door are two ancient yew trees, famous for their peacock topiary. They were originally created in 1704 and for centuries were the pride of the village, apparently created to shame two haughty spinsters of the parish. The practice of churchyard topiary, popular in the C18th, later lapsed, but the peacocks were later restored in 1990.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Bedfont Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Hatton Road, East Bedfont |
| Postcode | TW14 |
| What3Words | ///sticks.chief.figure |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Hounslow |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Feltham then bus. Bus: H25, 116 |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Bedfont was part of the Hundred of Spelthorne and the Manor was held by Walter Fitzother. The medieval church of St Mary the Virgin has a chancel and nave dating from the mid C12th, and wall paintings of the late C13th. The chancel was extended to the east in the C15th, and the north transept dates from 1829. A west extension to the nave and the south porch with adjoining tower, replacing an earlier free-standing south tower, were built in 1865. The meeting hall was built in 1954.
The church is famous for the two yew trees in the churchyard, which are referred to as the 'yew trees into peacocks shorn' in a poem by George Colman the Elder, a friend of the actor-manager David Garrick. They were also the subject of Thomas Hood's poem 'The Two Peacocks of Bedfont'. The local legend is that 'two over-bearing damsels . . dismissed a suitor with such contempt that in revenge he had the trees trimmed to typify them as two proud and haughty peacocks' and they were for two centuries the pride of the village. For a time they were not maintained but they were recreated in 1990, having the dates '1704 - 1990'. The small churchyard has a low brick wall at the front, restored in the mid/late C20th, with railings and wooden gate. Rose standards and bedding plants line the path to the church door between the two ancient yew trees, and to the rear the churchyard has an old, higher brick wall in which there is a small opening. An extension to the burial ground (q.v.) was established in Bedfont Road in c.1850 when the churchyard no longer had space for burials.
The church is famous for the two yew trees in the churchyard, which are referred to as the 'yew trees into peacocks shorn' in a poem by George Colman the Elder, a friend of the actor-manager David Garrick. They were also the subject of Thomas Hood's poem 'The Two Peacocks of Bedfont'. The local legend is that 'two over-bearing damsels . . dismissed a suitor with such contempt that in revenge he had the trees trimmed to typify them as two proud and haughty peacocks' and they were for two centuries the pride of the village. For a time they were not maintained but they were recreated in 1990, having the dates '1704 - 1990'. The small churchyard has a low brick wall at the front, restored in the mid/late C20th, with railings and wooden gate. Rose standards and bedding plants line the path to the church door between the two ancient yew trees, and to the rear the churchyard has an old, higher brick wall in which there is a small opening. An extension to the burial ground (q.v.) was established in Bedfont Road in c.1850 when the churchyard no longer had space for burials.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ084736 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.12 |
| Site Ownership | Diocese of London |
| Site Management | LB Hounslow: Continental Landscapes Ltd |
| Dates | C12th |
| 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 | Bedfont Green |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| 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
Bedfont was a small isolated hamlet dating back to medieval times, surrounded by Hounslow Heath. Bedfont Green fronts the medieval church of St Mary the Virgin and forms the setting of Burlington House, to the south of which there was once a pond. It was formerly more tree-covered, particularly with horse chestnuts but many were lost in the hurricanes of 1987. Fairgrounds used to be held here, particularly during Ascot Week as the route to the racetrack was through the village.
Fairholme Estate is a low-rental housing development in Arts and Crafts style built by T Cecil Howitt as a result of a bequest by Elizabeth Jones, a resident of Fulham. It consists of 72 houses set around a large quadrangle and communal garden. The one- and two-storey houses have a variety of Dutch gables and tile-hung walls; the community hall has a central colonnade and clock tower. The well kept gardens fronting onto Staines Road have shrubberies and ornamental beds, with a carved sundial on the lawn near the main entrance.
St Mary's Burial Ground was opened at a service on 6 May 1876, when more space was needed for the parish burials of St Mary's East Bedfont. The land was previously in agricultural use, known as Little Field. In 1935 adjacent land was conveyed to the local Burial Board for Bedfont Cemetery, which was consecrated in July 1941. St Mary's Burial Ground is much overgrown and wooded with mown paths cutting through the undergrowth, with a few tombs visible. The lych-gate was damaged in 1989 and replaced in 1990/2. The cemetery has tarmac paths and an avenue of lime trees along the path, with hawthorn hedging, some ornamental trees and a small brick shelter. It adjoins Bedfont Lakes Country Park.