St Giles' Church, Ickenham
Encyclopedia
St. Giles' Church is a church in Ickenham
, within the London Borough of Hillingdon
in England.
The church is located in the centre of Ickenham, at the intersection of Swakeleys Road and Long Lane.
The oldest parts of the church, the nave and chancel, date back to 1335. Other extensions have been added over the years. Inside the church, several memorials exist to the prominent families of Ickenham.
under the name "Ticheham", although there is no mention of a church. One did exist in the nearby parish of Harefield
and it is believed that residents of Ickenham travelled there for church services.
The original nave
and chancel
of St Giles' church have been dated to 1335 while the nave was extended west in 1959. The bell turret was built in the 15th century and a north aisle added in 1575.
William Say contributed the cost of the bricks for the north aisle, though he expected to be repaid eventually. Pews were incorporated into the aisle for Say's family, when it was common for worshippers to stand or kneel in church. Say made his will in March 1582, shortly before his death, in which he indicated his wish to be buried within the aisle. He also suggested that the debt the parishioners held could be reduced by 3s
and 4d for each burial of a member of his household.
Say is remembered in the church by a brass memorial showing himself, his wife Isabel and their two children. His son Robert died in 1584 and has a brass memorial, of him alone.
A memorial to Robert Clayton, the baby son of Sir Robert and Dame Martha Clayton, is on a windowsill within the church, in the shape of a sleeping baby. He was buried within the chapel for the manor of Swakeleys in the north aisle. The boy had died a few hours after his birth in August 1665 at Swakeleys House
, where his parents were staying as guests of Lady Harrington. Sir Robert was an alderman
of London but the couple were staying in Ickenham to escape the Great Plague
; he later became Lord Mayor of London
in 1679.
The nephew of Sir Robert Vyner, Thomas Vyner, was buried in the Swakeleys chapel in 1907, despite his having died in Rome. By 1914, the chapel for Swakeleys had become full, and the church authorities decided to clear it by burying the coffins in the graveyard. The memorial to Robert Clayton was moved from his coffin to the windowsill at this point. A doorway leading from the old chapel into the main church was built in 1918.
Within the church is a plaque honouring the men of the village who died in the First World War, which is listed by the Church of England as a Grade II. The altar rail is dedicated to those of the church's youth fellowship who died during the Second World War. Their names are remembered on a nearby plaque. A further memorial to members of the fellowship killed in the war is the Book of Remembrance. The Middlesex Regiment
and Home Guard is commemorated by two stained glass windows in the south aisle of the church.
The church celebrated its 650th anniversary in the 1980s by forming a covenant with the United Reformed Church, also in Ickenham on Swakeleys Road.
Ickenham
Ickenham is a suburban area centred on an old village in Greater London, part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.While no major historical events have taken place in Ickenham, settlements dating back to the Roman occupation of Britain have been discovered during archaeological surveys, and the...
, within the London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
in England.
The church is located in the centre of Ickenham, at the intersection of Swakeleys Road and Long Lane.
The oldest parts of the church, the nave and chancel, date back to 1335. Other extensions have been added over the years. Inside the church, several memorials exist to the prominent families of Ickenham.
History
Ickenham appears in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
under the name "Ticheham", although there is no mention of a church. One did exist in the nearby parish of Harefield
Harefield
Harefield is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London, England. It is situated on top of a hill, northwest of Charing Cross, near the Greater London boundary with Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the north...
and it is believed that residents of Ickenham travelled there for church services.
The original nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
of St Giles' church have been dated to 1335 while the nave was extended west in 1959. The bell turret was built in the 15th century and a north aisle added in 1575.
William Say contributed the cost of the bricks for the north aisle, though he expected to be repaid eventually. Pews were incorporated into the aisle for Say's family, when it was common for worshippers to stand or kneel in church. Say made his will in March 1582, shortly before his death, in which he indicated his wish to be buried within the aisle. He also suggested that the debt the parishioners held could be reduced by 3s
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
and 4d for each burial of a member of his household.
Say is remembered in the church by a brass memorial showing himself, his wife Isabel and their two children. His son Robert died in 1584 and has a brass memorial, of him alone.
A memorial to Robert Clayton, the baby son of Sir Robert and Dame Martha Clayton, is on a windowsill within the church, in the shape of a sleeping baby. He was buried within the chapel for the manor of Swakeleys in the north aisle. The boy had died a few hours after his birth in August 1665 at Swakeleys House
Swakeleys House
Swakeleys House is a Grade I listed 17th-century Jacobean mansion in Ickenham, London Borough of Hillingdon, built in 1638 for the future Lord Mayor of London, Sir Edmund Wright. Originally the home of the lords of the manor of Swakeleys, writer Samuel Pepys later visited the house twice...
, where his parents were staying as guests of Lady Harrington. Sir Robert was an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of London but the couple were staying in Ickenham to escape the Great Plague
Great Plague of London
The Great Plague was a massive outbreak of disease in the Kingdom of England that killed an estimated 100,000 people, 20% of London's population. The disease is identified as bubonic plague, an infection by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted through a flea vector...
; he later became Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1679.
The nephew of Sir Robert Vyner, Thomas Vyner, was buried in the Swakeleys chapel in 1907, despite his having died in Rome. By 1914, the chapel for Swakeleys had become full, and the church authorities decided to clear it by burying the coffins in the graveyard. The memorial to Robert Clayton was moved from his coffin to the windowsill at this point. A doorway leading from the old chapel into the main church was built in 1918.
Within the church is a plaque honouring the men of the village who died in the First World War, which is listed by the Church of England as a Grade II. The altar rail is dedicated to those of the church's youth fellowship who died during the Second World War. Their names are remembered on a nearby plaque. A further memorial to members of the fellowship killed in the war is the Book of Remembrance. The Middlesex Regiment
Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
and Home Guard is commemorated by two stained glass windows in the south aisle of the church.
The church celebrated its 650th anniversary in the 1980s by forming a covenant with the United Reformed Church, also in Ickenham on Swakeleys Road.