St Giles' Church, Ickenham

St Giles’ Church stands in the centre of Ickenham, where Swakeleys Road meets Long Lane. The oldest parts of the building are the nave and chancel, which date from 1335. Over the centuries the church has grown, with a north aisle added in 1575 and a bell turret built in the 15th century. Inside, visitors find memorials to the families who shaped the village’s history. The north aisle still holds pews installed for William Say’s family in the 16th century. William Say paid for the bricks and expected repayment, but he also asked to be buried in the aisle. His brass memorial shows him with his wife Isabel and their two children. A small window-sill memorial remembers Robert Clayton, who died hours after birth during the Great Plague. Sir Robert Clayton later became Lord Mayor of London in 1679. Another brass marks the death of Say’s son Robert in 1584. The church keeps its war memorials close at hand. A plaque honours the men of Ickenham who died in the First World War. The altar rail is dedicated to youth fellowship members lost in the Second World War. Two stained glass windows in the south aisle recall the Middlesex Regiment and Home Guard. A Book of Remembrance and a covenant with the United Reformed Church mark the church’s 650th anniversary.