Harmondsworth is a Parish & Village 5-miles South of Uxbridge. The Church, Barn & the Grange are the Principal Monuments.
Parish Church of St Mary stands on the North side of the Parish. The Walls generally are of Flint-rubble with Dressings of Reigate and some Barnack Stone; the Upper part of the Tower is of Brick; the Roofs are Tiled. The Nave with the South Arcade & South Aisle were Built late in the 12thC. The North Arcade & Aisle were Built and the Chancel probably enlarged early in the 13thC. The North Chapel was added probably in the 14thC. Early in the 15thC the Chancel was largely re-Built and probably lengthened and the South Aisle remodelled. About 1500 the Chancel was widened, its North Arcade Built, the North Chapel heightened & the Tower Added; a beginning was also made in the reconstruction of the South Arcade of the Nave & the Chancel-Arch was removed. The Church has been extensively restored in Modern times and the Porch & Vestry added.
The Church is of some Architectural interest including the Chapel Roof, and among the Fittings the Seating is noteworthy.
Architectural Description—The Chancel (31½-ft x 20-ft.) has a much Restored early-15thC East window of 3-Cinque-foiled lights with vertical Tracery in a 2-centred Head. In the North Wall is an Arcade of c.1500 and of 3-Bays with moulded 4-Centred Arches, Octagonal Piers and a half-Octagonal East Respond, with moulded Capitals & Bases; this Arcade is continued into the Nave. In the South Wall are 2-Windows, the Eastern all modern except for parts of the Splays & Rear-Arch; the Western Window is of similar character to the East window but of 2-Lights and much restored; the partly restored Doorway is of early-15thC date and has hollow-chamfered Jambs and 2-Centred Arch.
The North Chapel (31½-ft x 10-ft.) has a much restored East Window of c.1500 and of 3-Cinque-foiled lights in a segmental-pointed Head with a moulded Label. In the North Wall are 3-Windows, the Easternmost uniform with that in the East wall and the other 2 of the 14thC and each of 1-Trefoiled light, restored externally.
The Nave (44¾-ft x 22¼-ft) has a North Arcade of 3-Bays mostly of early-13thC date, with 2-Centred Arches of 1-Chamfered Order with a Chamfered Label; the Piers are Cylindrical with moulded Bases & Capitals & Square Abaci; the West Respond has an Attached half-Column; the East Bay has been half re-Built with the Arcade of the Chancel, the 2-Works meeting at the Crown of the Arch. The late-12thC South Arcade is of 3-Bays with 2-centred Arches of 1-Chamfered Order with a Chamfered Label; the Cylindrical Piers and half-cylindrical East Respond have scalloped Capitals; the Arch of the West Bay has been reconstructed when the Tower was built and the West Pier has been Restored. The West Window is modern except for the Splays & Rear-Arch.
The North Aisle (10-ft. wide) has, in the North Wall, 3-Windows, the Easternmost of early-16thC Date and of 3 x 4-centred lights in a square Head with a Label; the Middle window is modern except for the Splays & Rear-Arch; the Westernmost window is of early-13thC origin, restored externally and of 1-Pointed Light; the North Doorway is Modern. In the West Wall is a Modern window.
The South Aisle (7½-ft wide) has a much restored 15thC East Window of 3-Cinque-foiled lights in a Square Head with a Modern Label. In the South Wall are 2-similar windows, much restored and without Labels; the re-set 12thC South Doorway has a Round Arch of 3–Orders, the Outer with Cheveron-Ornament, the Middle with a Roll-moulding & Beak-heads and the Inner with Diaper-ornament; the Middle Order rests on enriched Shafts with Scalloped Capitals but the other Orders are continued down the Jambs.
The South West Tower (11¼-ft x 12¼-ft) is of 3-Stages, the Lowest of Flint and the 2-Upper of Brick finished with an Embattled Parapet with Pedestal-Pinnacles at the angles, all rendered in Cement. The whole Structure appears to be of c.1500. The Ground-stage has an East Doorway with Chamfered Jambs and 4-Centred Arch. The North Tower-Arch is 2-Centred with Mouldings dying on to the Chamfered Responds The South & West Windows are Modern. The Upper Stages are of early-16thC date. The 2nd-Stage has, in the South & West Walls, a window of 1-Elliptical Headed Light; West of the South Window is a Sunk Panel. The Bell-chamber has, in each Wall, a Window of 2-Elliptical-headed lights in an Elliptical Head, all Cement-rendered.
The Roof of the Chancel is modern except for 1-Truss of c.1500 with a moulded Tie-beam and a Collar with Curved Braces. The Roof of the Nave is of the 15thC and of 4-Main Bays with King-Post Trusses; the King-Posts are Modern. The early 16thC Roof of the North Chapel is of 3-Bays and of Single Hammer-beam Type with moulded Main Timbers & Carved Pendants to the Side-posts; the Wall-posts rest on Moulded Brackets. The North Aisle has a 15thC Roof of 3-Bays and of simple Tie & Collar-beam Type. The 15thC Pent-Roof of the South Aisle is of 3-Bays.
St Mary’s contains the Tomb of Richard Cox (d.1845), a Local Brewer who was responsible for perfecting Cox’s Orange Pippin at Colnbrook in the adjoining Parish.
Fittings –
Bells: 6; 2nd, 3rd, 5th & 6th by Bryan Eldridge, 1658.
Book: Bible of James I (1611) with Cover of Oak & Tooled Leather.
Bracket: In Nave – on haunch of South-East Arch, moulded Bracket probably for Front of Rood-Loft, 15thC.
Floor-slabs: In Chancel –
(1) to Jane (Banckys), Widow of Mathew Cruchfeild, 1683/84. In North Chapel.
(2) to Frances Woosley, 1712, with Achievement-of-Arms. In South Aisle.
(3) to Richard Combes, 1672, with Achievement-of-Arms;
(4) to Thomas Jordan, 1694-95, with Achievement-of-Arms.
Font: of Purbeck Marble with Octagonal Bowl, Central & 8-small Shafts and Chamfered Plinth, late-12thC, repolished.
Piscinæ: In Chancel – Recess with Cinque-foiled Head and part of Round Drain, 15thC, Modern Stem.
In North Chapel in South Wall, Recess with 4-Centred Head, early-16thC, Sill Modern.
Seating: In North Aisle, Nave & South Aisle, Pews with Panelled Standards with enriched Buttresses & Moulded Rails, continued along Panelled Backs; Buttresses repeated on Back where exposed, early-16thC.
Sedilia: In Chancel – of 3-Bays with Cinque-foiled Arches in Square Main Head, 15thC.
Stoup: East of South Doorway – recess with 4-Centred Head, c.1500, Bowl removed.
Sundial: On South Wall of South Aisle – Circular Dial.
Miscellanea: Incorporated in North Wall of North Chapel, Fragment with Diaper-ornament and in Splays of South Doorway, fragments of Diapered Stones, 12thC.
Aston Rowant & Chilterns Spring Line Villages 