Background Information about our Church

The Parish Church of Hayes Middlesex has witnessed to the Christian Faith since at least 830 AD. The Church has been dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin since the time of Archbishop Anselm. Our main service on Sunday is a Solemn Parish Mass with a supporting choir and organist led service based on the traditional liturgy of the Church. The congregation range from newborn to those in their eighties. During term-time our Sunday school is held in the church hall. The children join us at the time of the communion to receive a blessing or the sacrament.  Our uniformed organisations attend on Parade Sundays. Dr Triplett’s school often come to the church twice each term and also for the special festivals.

The building reflects several periods of architecture from the early perpendicular of the East Window to the Tower which was rebuilt in 1970. A building of such ages has many artefacts including a 12th Century font and the two table tombs of Walter Grene (1456) and Sir Thomas Higate (1576). The medieval tiles in the Sanctuary are partly covered by the Elizabethan Tomb of Sir Edward Fenner (1611). A wooden Holy Table dated 1605 was given and now used as a nave altar. This reflects the destruction of the stone altars during the period of the dissolution of the monastaries. Most of the local nobility were buried in the abbeys, monasteries and cathedrals but these resting places were no longer available. Most of the ledger stones refer to the patrons and Lords of the Manor who then used their local church as a last resting place.. There are several significant brasses. One is to Robert Lellee, the Rector around 1370 and adjacent to it is another Rector Robert Burgeys (1408- 1421). The first recorded Rector was Peter de Lymonicen (1259) and the latest Father Nicholas Wheeler. A record of Christian ministry in Hayes of our 1200 years.

The Wesley Brothers used our church. and conducted baptisms and marriages in the building.  There is a significant stone memorial to Revd Charles Manning who was their close friend. He was the Vicar during this period. The people of Hayes have looked to the Church for inspiration. On the north wall is a large mural of Saint Christopher from the 14th century. The Victorian restorers donated a number of teaching windows and recent additions include windows to Saints Anselm and Nicholas. The Coronation window is in the north aisle above the Triptych painted by the pre-Raphaelite Edward Fellowes Prynne. who has paintings in the Maritime Museum in Greenwich and as far afield as Iran. He was a leading painters in this period and also contributed to the painted glazing of many local windows. George Fellowes Prynne, his brother, carved the Reredos and tabernacle with St Anselm and St George in the niches. He was a famous architect with many churches to his credit. He exhibited his designs at the British Academy from 1890 till his death in 1919.  Both brothers are buried in our graveyard.The embossed roof of the Nave reflects the Tudor period with emblems of the crucifixion and the arms of Henry and Aragon. There are 40 different emblems carved in the bosses, When the roof was restored in the 1970s several bosses were added and include the scouts, cubs and brownies plus the Mothers Union.

The inside of the building has been restored recently at a cost of £80,000 and a similar sum will be needed to complete the work in the nave and north aisle. You can join us for worship on Sunday or during the week. We would welcome your enquiries about Baptisms, Confirmation and Weddings in our historic building. If you would like to donate to our work in Hayes, please use the DONATION link .