Description
The village name of Harmondsworth comes from 'Heremod's enclosure. Harmondsworth Manor was granted to the Abbey of Rouen in 1069 by William the Conqueror and a priory cell established in the village. Harmondsworth became an important staging post along the route from London to the west. In 1838 the Great Western Railway opened but Harmondsworth remained largely rural until the 1940s and the building of Heathrow Airport. The C12th church stands on Harmondsworth Village Green. The churchyard has C18th and early C19th tombstones; Harmondsworth Burial Ground was established by the Burial Board on land adjacent to the churchyard in 1905.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Harmondsworth Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | High Street, Harmondsworth Village, Middlesex |
| Postcode | UB7 0AQ |
| What3Words | ///thanks.cone.early |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Hillingdon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: West Drayton then bus. Bus U3. |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2001 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The village name of Harmondsworth comes from 'Heremod's enclosure' (worth = enclosure). Harmondsworth Manor was granted to the Abbey of Rouen in 1069 by William the Conqueror and a priory cell was established in the village. Later William of Wykeham acquired the manor, who endowed it to Winchester College in 1391, which was a patron of the church. Harmondsworth became an important staging post along the route from London to the west along the Bath Road. In 1838 the Great Western Railway opened but Harmondsworth remained farmland and market gardening largely until the 1940s and the building of Heathrow Airport. The parish church was situated near the Manor Farm, the great early C15th barn of which survives today, reputedly one of the largest at 60 ft long, and has been described as one of the finest aisled timber-framed barns in the country (Pevsner). The Friends of the Great Barn at Harmondsworth has taken on the day-to-day care of the barn and it opened to the public for the first time in April 2012. The church dates from the C12th having a doorway of that time, with later additions including an C18th cupola on top of the tower. It stands on Harmondsworth Village Green, which retains its village atmosphere with grass and rose bushes, and the C16th Sun Inn still a public house.
The churchyard has C18th and early C19th tombstones 'prettily carved' (Pevsner). Harmondsworth Burial Ground was established by the Burial Board on land adjacent to the churchyard in 1905, and has entrance gate piers in the north east corner still opening onto fields.
The churchyard has C18th and early C19th tombstones 'prettily carved' (Pevsner). Harmondsworth Burial Ground was established by the Burial Board on land adjacent to the churchyard in 1905, and has entrance gate piers in the north east corner still opening onto fields.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ057778 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Church: Diocese of London. Burial Ground: LB Hillingdon |
| Site Management | Churchyard maintained by Church. Burial Ground: LB Hillingdon Cemetery Office (Grounds Maintenance Service) |
| Dates | C12th on; 1905 (Burial Ground) |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: St Mary's Church. Nearby: Barn SAM/LBI |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | Yes: Green (Harmondsworth Green TVG34) |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Hillingdon |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Harmondsworth Village |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | Yes (churchyard) |
| 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
West Drayton Cemetery was established in 1939 by the Burial Board and is without a chapel, but has a small lodge near the entrance. It has a semi-circular entrance with brick and stone piers and iron railings, with a grid layout of paths and neat rows of gravestones and monuments, and a war memorial. There are numerous small conifers, and paths are lined by avenues of ornamental trees and trees on the perimeter. At the back of the cemetery is a hedged area of meadow with new trees including mountain ash and other species.
Now used as Southlands Arts Centre, Southlands is an early C18th farmhouse, which was built on the site of an earlier Tudor farmhouse. In 1963 the property was acquired by the Yiewsley and West Drayton UDC and it became the base for Yiewsley and West Drayton Arts Council. There are a number of garden areas, including a walled garden with C18th walls reached through an old orchard. It was renovated in 1989 when the garden was re-planted in three sections, including a C16th style knot garden.
West Drayton was originally known as Draegtun, meaning a place where boats were dragged across land to avoid a bend in the river. West Drayton Green is the old village centre, a large open area of grass with trees generally around the perimeter. It is surrounded by a number of fine houses, particularly at the south end, which include the early C18th The Old House and early C19th Beechwood; to the north is a row of cottages that was once the parish workhouse.