By the 16th century it was obviously a small but well established town. John Leland's Itinerary describes Uxbridge in the 1530s as "one longe streete; but that for tymbar is well buildyd. There is a celebrate Market ons a weke, and a great Fayre ons a yere at the feaste of St. Michaell. There is a Chapel of Ease in the towne. The paroche Church is almoste a mile out of the towne in the very High Waye to London, called Great Hellindon". This, of course, referred to the parent church of St. John the Baptist on Hillingdon Hill. A chapel of ease was one provided for the convenience of those who lived at a distance from the parish church. The question has been raised as to whether St. Margaret's was indeed a chapel of ease or existed for some other reason, but it certainly lay within the parish of Hillingdon. For several centuries the town was expected to contribute towards the repair of the Hillingdon churchyard wall and between 1653 and 1841 marriages at Uxbridge were recorded in the Hillingdon register.
At all periods, the events of the town reflected those of the country, both good and ill. In 1555, Uxbridge saw the execution of three martyrs, burnt at the stake on Lynch Green, although they were not local men. Their memorial stands in the former burial ground in Windsor Street, placed there to commemorate the 400th anniversary of their deaths.
The Market House was built in 1561 and at that time occupied half the width of the High Street. However, Perrott tells us that in 1785 an Act of Parliament gave consent for its removal in order to widen the road, a very modern reason! The present building was constructed in 1788 and moved back against the church. In spite of many refurbishings, including three in the last 30 years, it is basically as it was then. Until the middle of the 19th century it was a corn market, but as corn growing gave way to market gardening, dairy farming and brick making, it was used by stall holders of many kinds.
In 1576, a number of local men were among those accused of playing "a certain unlawfull game, called footeball, by reason of which unlawfull game there arose amongst them a great affray...". That at least should give us a sense of continuity!
It could scarcely be hoped that the plague would pass Uxbridge by, situated as it was on a main route out of London and less than 20 miles away, and in the 17th century there were outbreaks on at least four occasions. In 1603, 176 died of plague and the burials of those who died from other causes during that year are marked in the register "non pestis" (not plague) and are very much a minority. It recurred in 1625 and 1636, and again in 1665, though with a lower death toll than in 1603. The population of Uxbridge in 1782 is said to have been 1712. 176 people would have been more than 10% of that figure and probably an even higher proportion more than 100 years earlier. There is no evidence of there having been special plague graves, so the churchyard in Windsor Street, which dates from 1576, may have been the place of burial.
Uxbridge was considerably affected by the Civil War: the area had Puritan sympathies and Oxford, not far away, declared for King Charles. In 1642 the parliamentary troops marched through the town and Nehemiah Wharton, one of the party, recorded that "this day the [Communion] rails of Uxbridge... were, with the Service Book, burned". In 1645, the Treaty House (the Crown and Treaty Inn) was the scene of unsuccessful negotiations between the two factions. In 1649, the Anglican priest was replaced by a Puritan and during the second half of the 17th century several Non-Conformist groups were established here. Some time before 1727, almshouses and a workhouse were built in the Lynch, on or near the site of what until 1991 was the postal sorting office on the corner of Windsor Street and Cross Street.
In the early years of the 19th century, schools were founded for both boys and girls from poor families: the Free School for Boys and the School of Industry for Girls. St. Margaret's School was opened in 1864 and closed in 1928.
Between the wars, the Royal Air Force camp was established on the north side of the Uxbridge Road, and in the 1960s the newly established Brunel University moved from Acton to its present site near Cowley, formerly occupied by market gardens. The greatest change, however, has been during the last 20 years, when many houses and smaller businesses in the town centre have been replaced by office blocks and commerce has indeed taken over Uxbridge. Some buildings of interest and antiquity have been pulled down to make way for this, but the town has certainly become a busy centre and it may be that its present prosperity will prove to be worth the change.
It is known for certain that there was a chapel dedicated to St. Margaret in 1245, when a series of hearings took place there in which the Abbot of Bec in Normandy brought an action against the rector of Great Wratting in Suffolk for non-payment of tithes. On parchments kept at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, in connection with this event, St. Margaret's is actually mentioned by name, and there are several other references between 1245 and 1247 to the "chapel at Uxbridge". Going back farther, there are somewhat ambiguous references in the Chronicles of Evesham which suggest that a chapel already existed in Uxbridge in the early part of the 12th century, but, whether or not this was the same one, we know that St. Margaret's was certainly built and in use by 1245. So it seems that the site of our church has been dedicated to Christian worship for a very long time.
The oldest portion of the existing building is part of the north tower, which was built in the late 14th century. The north aisle, together with the nave and its arcades, dates from the early 15th century, while the south aisle, with its fine hammer-beam roof, was added about 1450. The carved stone font was placed in the church soon afterwards, dating from about 1480.
In 1459 was founded the Shyrington chantry, an endowment for masses to be said in perpetuity for the soul of Walter Shyrington, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and a special chaplain was appointed for this duty. Some of the priests mentioned in connection with St. Margaret's were in fact Shyrington chaplains.
In 1558, it became obligatory for each parish to keep a record of baptisms, marriages and burials. The proposal had first been mooted in 1538 and St. Margaret's records begin from that date and are complete. As is frequently the case with old towns and villages, many of the names occurring in these registers, at least in the last 200 years, are still known amongst the townspeople.
Until the 1980s, St. Margaret's interior was fairly typical of parish church architecture except for the fact that the tower was not central but on the north side. The west door was seldom used, at least in more recent times, as it opened directly on to the road, and, as at present, one normally entered by the door under the tower. However, apart from its general shape, the interior before the 17th century must have looked very bare compared with the church we now know. The earliest known burial in the church was that of Dame Leonora Bennet, whose tomb is on the north side of the chapel. This took place in 1638. After that came Richard Wythie, attorney-at-law, in 1668. In their "History of Uxbridge", Redford and Riches state that his memorial stone was "under the Communion table", then at the east end of the south aisle, as were later those of John Jacques, 1718, and George Jacques, 1759, but during the reordering of the 1870s, Richard Wythie's memorial slab was moved to the north aisle and unfortunately during the reconstruction work of the 1980s it was irreparably damaged and no longer exists. Gradually more parishioners were interred within the crypt of the church, the last being the Footman family, circa 1815. The land for the burial ground in Windsor Street, about 300 yards from the church, was the gift of the Earl of Darby in 1576.
Other features of interest also appeared in the church from the 18th century onwards. The earliest is a tablet in memory of the Spooner family, Richard Spooner, "citizen and turner", having been interred in the church in 1704; the two chandeliers date respectively from 1695 and 1735; the ceiling of the nave was completed in 1734 and further adorned in 1771; the Moses and Aaron pictures - now all that remain of the former reredos of which they were part - were placed there in 1771 but dismantled in the 1860s. Originally, there would have been no seating, but - probably in the 18th century - box pews were installed and these remained until 1871. A ring of six bells was introduced in 1716 and a gallery was built.
These and other changes came about gradually: the fairly simple and "empty" church was slowly collecting its furnishings until, by the late 19th century, it was well filled, even overfilled, by comparison. Interments continued to take place at the burial ground until 1838 when it was closed, and from that time parishioners were buried in the Hillingdon and Uxbridge cemeteries on Hillingdon Hill.
The church of St. John the Evangelist was built on Uxbridge Moor in 1838. Hillingdon was a fairly large parish, covering an area roughly 5 miles by 2 miles, although this included the much smaller parish of St. Laurence, Cowley, which was independent of it but lay within its boundaries. When the parish of St. Andrew was formed in 1865, it included St. John's on the Moor.
In 1842, St. Margaret's became a full parish, no longer to be a part of St. John's, Hillingdon. The new parish covered a relatively small area, but at that time the resident population would have been high in proportion, with fewer shops and more houses in central Uxbridge.
With the 19th century religious revival at its height, it was decided in 1871 to make some drastic changes with the object of beautifying the church, as well as carrying out some necessary repairs. Sir George Gilbert Scott was called in to plan the reordering and the bishop was applied to for permission to carry out the programme envisaged. Repairs were made to the roof; a new Communion Table was introduced into the nave, which now became the main area for services; the galleries were removed and the organ moved to the east end of the north aisle; the box pews were replaced by chancel stalls, screens and new seats; a heating vault and apparatus were put in; a new pulpit was installed between the nave and the south aisle. The estimate for the work was £3000, and the new seating was for 550 people. Giles Hutson, writing in 1884 and comparing the "new" church with that of 1830, considered that there was "a very great improvement both in comfort and appearance".
As a result of Scott's plan, the vestry area was absorbed into the north porch, leaving the church without a vestry. In 1880, therefore, the church purchased part of the chicken market, to the east of the north door. The cost of the site was £45 and the vestry was built by the firm of Fassnidge for about £550. Among the subscribers were such well-known Uxbridge names as Fassnidge, Harman, Leno and Woodbridge.
It was during the years immediately before and after this reordering that the stained glass windows began to appear. The oldest window is in the south aisle and is in memory of Captain Edwin Price, who died at Bangalore in 1865 and who was the son of the incumbent, Charles Parker Price. During the next 40 years several more windows were added, but the only recent addition has been the Crown Window above the south door, which was designed and made by Mrs. Jane Gray, a member of the congregation, and given by the people of North Uxbridge to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977.
In 1902, two bells were donated by A.D. Woolls and William Fassnidge, thus making a full ring of eight, and in 1905 an appeal was launched for funds for a new organ and a "parish room". It was proposed that the former should be a memorial to T.W. James, who had been Vicar of St. Margaret's from 1872 to 1904. The site for the parish room, in Belmont Road, was given by Miss Caroline Trevor and the first P.C.C. meeting in the new hall took place in May 1908. In 1911, St. Margaret's had sufficient standing to be chosen by the bishop as the venue for the diocesan mission. The oak choir screen, erected in memory of those who had died in World War I, was placed there in 1920 and further names were added to it after the Second World War.
After the retirement of the Revd. Harold Dunning in 1962, the living was suspended, and St. Margaret's was administered by a series of priests-in-charge, a situation which continued until 1986. Between 1965 and 1972, the priest-in-charge was the Revd. John Carr, who was the incumbent of St. Andrew's and to whom was given the task of investigating the possibility of a team ministry of the three Uxbridge churches of St. Margaret, St. Andrew and St. John-on-the-Moor. This plan proved to be not wholly successful. St. Margaret's was becoming moribund under the arrangement, and it was principally due to the Lay Reader, Dennis Cornish, aided by a few loyal members of the congregation, that it did not die completely. With the appointment of the Revd. Neil Pollock in 1972, St Margaret's once again had its own priest-in-charge, and under his ministry the church gradually recovered and again became viable. Major repairs were begun, and the plan for some form of town centre ministry was conceived by Mr. Pollock and his churchwardens, Dennis Cornish and John Taylor. Between 1981 and 1986, under the guidance of the Rt. Revd. Donald Arden, who, after his retirement as Archbishop of Central Africa, became priest-in-charge of St. Margaret's, this idea was developed and the momentous changes occurred which have led to the St. Margaret's which we know to-day. In 1986, the Reverend Michael Colclough was appointed Vicar of the combined Uxbridge parishes. His brief was to set up a Team Ministry, and, on the 23rd March 1988 at the Court at Buckingham Palace, the Queen confirmed the scheme for the establishment of the Parish of Uxbridge, with Mr. Colclough as its first Team Rector.
As with the old St. Margaret's, we enter by the north door under the tower, which houses the bells. The stairs are now through the door on the left of the porch, where the vestry used to be, and lead to the parish rooms above. From there a door leads to the ringing chamber. The elegant south door remains as it was, but the west door is now a large window of clear glass.
The largest of the upstairs rooms is above what were formerly the north aisle and nave, and windows on the south and east walls overlook the church and chapel below. To the east is the font with a chandelier hanging above it. The "lantern", which lets in light above the font, was, with the stencilling on the ceiling of the baptistry, the suggestion of the architect, and turns what might otherwise have been a shadowy corner into a bright and welcoming one. Beyond, the war memorial screen marks the entrance to the former chancel, now used as a chapel for mid-week services or private prayer. Above the altar is the alabaster reredos, designed by W.B. Fassnidge, a pupil of Sir George Gilbert Scott, executed by the Uxbridge firm of Fassnidge and Son and given by the brothers and sisters of Edward Woodroffe Woolls in his memory in 1885. It depicts the Last Supper, with the figures of the Virgin Mary, St. Margaret and the four Evangelists on either side.
To the left of the altar is the tomb of Dame Leonora Bennet, mentioned above, placed there by her wish. It is the only tomb of its type in the church and is finely carved. The second chandelier is above the chapel.
From the windows on the south side of the upper room, one looks down on to the present church, formerly the south aisle. This was the main area for worship until 1872 and has become so again. The main altar is now at the west end, and above is the Ascension window in memory of Edward James and his family. The cross to the left of the window, together with the altar rails, the holder for the Paschal candle and the font cover, were designed by Antony Robinson.
At the east end are the paintings of Moses and Aaron referred to above. Pews have now given place to chairs, and the tapestry kneelers were made by members of the congregation during the 1970s and 1980s. The former nave and north aisle now form a versatile foyer containing on weekdays the well patronised coffee bar. The area is screened off from the south aisle, although the two can be combined and used for services when extra room is needed.
On the walls in all parts of the church one still sees tablets placed there over a period of almost 300 years in memory of members of the church and of the town. Most are of marble, a few of brass. The memorial floor-slabs remaining are now at the east end of the south aisle. Many that were of friable stone did not survive being moved during the recent rebuilding but a list of names from the missing stones is available in the baptistry.
For those who had lived in Uxbridge before, say, 1970, the changes which were occurring in the town were viewed with a good deal of doubt. Uxbridge had lost its former character as a small market town; most of the small shops and picturesque buildings had gone; even social amenities such as the cinemas were disappearing. Uxbridge had simply become a town of shops and office blocks, busy but impersonal.
The re-ordering of St. Margaret's, however, brought with it an unexpected change. From 1972, the church had gradually revived, and, far from merely "ticking over", it was now very much alive. It was resolved, therefore, that its ministry should be extended to relate itself to the "new" Uxbridge and its needs, and so The Nave was born.
The aim of The Nave is to attempt to show God's presence in all aspects of life, through events relating both to current affairs and to the beauty found in the arts and in nature. It is part of the work of the parish but has its own distinctive role in the ministry of the church in this area. Together with the parent church, it offers a social, artistic and spiritual centre for the town of Uxbridge.
This is perforce a very brief summary of the story of St. Margaret's Church. For those who wish for more detail, the church archive is deposited at the Greater London Record Office, 40 Northampton Road, London, E.C.l, and other items of interest can be found in the baptistry and in the Local History Library in Uxbridge High Street.
I should like to thank all who have helped with advice or expertise in the production of this booklet. In particular, thanks are due to the Rt .Revd. Donald Arden, whose collection of historical data formed its basis.
Warren c.1107-1115 Thomas Bartlemewe 1553 Radulf c.1200 Sir Robert 1557 Warren? c.1252 Thomas Twist 1642 Thomas c.1393-6 Thomas Godboult(Puritan)1649?-1660 Sir William 1396 John Jacques 1687-1718 Christopher Tole 1459 John Shoreditch 1718 Henry Russell 1469 Charles Jacques 1720-1766 John Newton 1470 John Lightfoot 1767-1788 John Hoskins 1788 The burial register between 1724 and 1775 was signed by Richard Mills, and that for 1777- 1806 by Thomas Mills. These were vicars of Hillingdon. J.J. Pike 1813 Rowland F. Hanning 1915-1923 John Scobill 1820 A. Donaldson Perrott 1923-1941 John Cleugh 1821 Robert Bruce Eadie 1942-1953 Frederick LeGrice 1824 Harold Dunning 1953-1962 Charles Parker Price 1827-1872 David C.H. Michell 1962-1965 (first vicar of Uxbridge) John Carr 1965-1972 Theodore W. James 1872-1904 Neil Thomas Pollock 1972-1981 George C. Battiscombe 1904-1915 Bishop Donald Arden 1981-1986
Chaplains of The Nave:
Brian Shand 1989-1991, Alastair Cutting 1991-1996
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