Description
Harefield's parish church of St Mary has remnants of the medieval building, although it was altered in 1768 and restored in 1841. It contains numerous fine memorials, such as those to the Newdigate family who held the Manor of Harefield from the C14th. The old manor house used to stand near the church but was demolished in 1814. The setting of the church and its walled churchyard remains rural. In WWI an extension to the churchyard was created as the Australian Military or ANZAC Cemetery and since 1921 an annual ceremony has been held here on 25 April.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Harefield Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Church Hill, Harefield |
| Postcode | UB9 6DU |
| What3Words | ///open.stays.bucks |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Hillingdon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Uxbridge (Piccadilly, Metropolitan). Bus: 331, U9. |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Mary's Church has remnants of the C12th building with Norman masonry in the west wall of the nave, but is largely C14th. It was altered in 1768 by Henry Keene for Sir Roger Newdigate whose family held the Manor of Harefield from the C14th. In the early C17th the Manor was owned by Alice, Countess of Derby (d.1637) and her descendants until 1675 when the Newdigate family regained it. The old manor house was demolished in 1814 and Sir Roger Newdigate built a new house in Ickenham. The church has 'a collection of monuments unrivalled in Middlesex' (Pevsner) among which are numerous memorials to the Newdigate family, the Ashby family of Breakspears (q.v.) and to the Countess of Derby's family. The earliest memorial is that of William Newdigate (d.1444).
The walled churchyard remains in a rural site surrounded by fields and has good trees including cedar, yew, ash, horse chestnut and many Leylandia. At the entrance are gates with gate piers and lanterns. The churchyard contains an unusual number of wooden bedhead monuments and several larger monuments, including one to John Truesdale of Harefield Place (d.1780) and William Spedding (d.1826) both with urns. An extension to the churchyard is the moving Australian Military Cemetery, which was established here in WWI for soldiers who died at nearby Harefield Park, which was used as an Australian military hospital for wounded soldiers before becoming Harefield Hospital (q.v.) in 1933. During the war 111 men and a nursing sister were buried in the cemetery and on 25 April 1921 a ceremony was held when school children laid flowers on each grave, which became an annual ceremony followed by a service to which representatives from the Australian High Commission are invited. In 1951 the former Breakspear Chapel in the church was rededicated as the Australian Chapel. The cemetery has Lombardy poplars, simple rows of monuments, an obelisk and a memorial arch onto the lane.
Adjacent to the churchyard is St Mary's Copse, part of the Colne Valley Park Nature with native tree species planted by volunteers in 1988/9.
The walled churchyard remains in a rural site surrounded by fields and has good trees including cedar, yew, ash, horse chestnut and many Leylandia. At the entrance are gates with gate piers and lanterns. The churchyard contains an unusual number of wooden bedhead monuments and several larger monuments, including one to John Truesdale of Harefield Place (d.1780) and William Spedding (d.1826) both with urns. An extension to the churchyard is the moving Australian Military Cemetery, which was established here in WWI for soldiers who died at nearby Harefield Park, which was used as an Australian military hospital for wounded soldiers before becoming Harefield Hospital (q.v.) in 1933. During the war 111 men and a nursing sister were buried in the cemetery and on 25 April 1921 a ceremony was held when school children laid flowers on each grave, which became an annual ceremony followed by a service to which representatives from the Australian High Commission are invited. In 1951 the former Breakspear Chapel in the church was rededicated as the Australian Chapel. The cemetery has Lombardy poplars, simple rows of monuments, an obelisk and a memorial arch onto the lane.
Adjacent to the churchyard is St Mary's Copse, part of the Colne Valley Park Nature with native tree species planted by volunteers in 1988/9.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ053895 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Diocese of London |
| Site Management | Church |
| Dates | C12th and 1841 |
| Listed Structures | LB A: St Mary's Church |
| 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 | Harefield Village |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance I |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| 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
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The site has vestiges of the C17th garden complex of the former Harefield Place, now demolished, where Queen Elizabeth I is known to have visited in 1602. The walled garden and a coach house, now known as Church House, are all that remains of the original estate, the latter a remnant outbuilding to the larger house, which is also C17th in origin, with late C18th/early C19th additions. Features of the garden include a nuttery and remains of terracing, and garden walls south-west of the cottage enclose two inner garden areas. On the south-west face of the north-east wall is an arcade of tall round-backed niches with half hemispherical heads, also C17th. The property was purchased by Mr and Mrs McHugh in 1996, who have undertaken restoration work, including some of the historical features, as well as replanting the walled garden.
The site has vestiges of the C17th garden complex of the former Harefield Place, now demolished, where Queen Elizabeth I is known to have visited in 1602. The walled garden and a coach house, now known as Church House, are all that remains of the original estate, the latter a remnant outbuilding to the larger house, which is also C17th in origin, with late C18th/early C19th additions. Features of the garden include a nuttery and remains of terracing, and garden walls south-west of the cottage enclose two inner garden areas. On the south-west face of the north-east wall is an arcade of tall round-backed niches with half hemispherical heads, also C17th. The property was purchased by Mr and Mrs McHugh in 1996, who have undertaken restoration work, including some of the historical features, as well as replanting the walled garden.
Breakspears was the seat of the Ashby family from the C16th - C20th, an extensive estate with pleasure grounds and parkland, remnants of which survive. In private occupation until 1951, from 1956-87 Breakspears House was an old people's home and it is now converted as private apartments set in grounds that contain remnants of the earlier landscaping. An early C16th dovecote survives to the north of the house, and the private grounds today contain rose gardens, a pinetum and walled garden.
Harefield House is a C17th house with a plain stuccoed front dating from the early C19th. The former estate grounds were largely built over with housing. In the 1920s it was owned by country house historian Avray Tipping, who laid out gardens and built some houses in the grounds, including 3 houses near the pond on Harefield Green, which date from c.1934. Harefield House was later occupied by the Ministry of Defence and remains in private ownership. A magnificent cedar tree behind the house is visible from the main road.