Description
There has probably been a church at Hayes since the C9th and St Mary's was at the centre of the old village, near the Manor House. There are remnants of the medieval building although the church was restored in 1873. The churchyard retains its rural character and fields separate it from the main road. Well-planted with ancient yews, lime trees and specimen conifers, particularly at the boundaries, it is maintained with rough grass and wild flowers. There is a good collection of tombs from the C18th as well as old wooden graveboards and a C16th lych gate.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Hayes Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Church Walk, Hayes |
| Postcode | UB3 2LR |
| What3Words | ///desire.rides.voter |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Hillingdon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Uxbridge (Piccadilly, Metropolitan) then bus. Rail: Hayes & Harlington then bus. Bus: 195, H98, 207, 607, 90. |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Mary's Church was reputed to have a subterranean passage connecting it to the nearby Hayes Manor House, which was owned until 1543 by the Archbishops of Canterbury and then by Henry VIII. The church of St Mary the Virgin at the centre of the old village has remnants of the medieval building with a late C13th chancel and C15th aisle and west tower, and was restored in 1873 by Sir G G Scott. Monuments in the church date from the C14th. In 1530 the greed of the vicar Henry Gold and his brother Thomas, farmer of the rectory tithes, caused rioting and Henry Gold was later hanged for treason for his support of Elizabeth Barton, 'The Maid of Kent'. John and Charles Wesley are known to have preached here. Among those buried in the churchyard are Alderman Harvey Combe, Lord Mayor of London, and Stephen Storace, composer of light opera who lived in Hayes from 1788-92. Cock-fighting is knowns to have taken place in the churchyard in the mid C18th. Separated by a wall from Barra Hall Park (q.v.), the churchyard is enclosed with a mix of railings and walls, the wall south of the church dating from the C16th or C17th. There is a good collection of tombs from the C18th as well as old wooden graveboards in the churchyard, and its C16th lych-gate, a timber structure with a tiled roof, has been restored.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ097810 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 6.7 |
| Site Ownership | Diocese of London |
| Site Management | LB Hillingdon Cemetery Office (Grounds Maintenance Service) |
| Dates | C13th onwards |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: St Mary's Church. LBII: lych-gate and wall to south of 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 | Hayes Village |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| 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
Barra Hall Park was formerly the grounds of Barra Hall, a Jacobean-style mansion built in 1872 and originally called Grove Lodge. In 1923 Hayes and Harlington UDC acquired the site, using the mansion as its Town Hall. The grounds became a public park, for a time known as Town Hall Park. By 1928 the park had a cast iron bandstand, cast iron shelter together with other facilities. An open-air theatre in the park became derelict and in c.2005 was later by a modern theatre.
Once the site of a private house with a formal garden and walled kitchen garden, it was later given to Hayes & Harlington UDC and in 1961 it was established as Hayes Botanic Garden. It was extended in 1990 and renamed The Norman Leddy Memorial Garden in the 1990s, after Hillingdon's former Assistant Director of Parks who died in 1993. The garden has a fine collection of exotic trees and shrubs, with a pond, bog garden and woodland.
Hayes Park is the landscaped park of a Victorian mansion, which was replaced by offices and a research centre for Heinz Corporation post-1961. There are a good number of C19th and possibly earlier oaks in the grounds, now augmented by Leylandia clumps. Around the lawn is a brick ha-ha and to the north and east is woodland of Hayes Shrub. Heinz has since sold and then re-leased the site from the subsequent owner.