london diary

and we all ate them. After lunnch a small group took up the offer of a guided walk around the village, starting with
a special opening of the Harmondsworth Great Barn (normally open to the public on two Sundays a month.)

[Pictures of the tithe barn, an English Heritage property, are not available for commercial use]

The Grade I listed oak-framed medieval barn was built in 1426–7 for the Bishops of Winchester to hold local grain.
This was some of the richest farmland in England. According to English Heritage, the barn "ranks alongside the
Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey for its exceptional architectural and historic interest.
It was dubbed the"Cathedral of Middlesex" by Sir John Betjeman.
[Pictures of the tithe barn, an English Heritage property, are not available for commercial use]

 

[Pictures of the tithe barn, an English Heritage property, are not available for commercial use] 

 

The Norman entrance to Harmondsworth Church. Parts of the church date from the 11th century 

A modern window dedicated to Ann & Bryan Sobey who led the
'Right to Sleep' campaign that led to restrictions on night flights into Heathrow.
'Apathy is the Enemy of the People' is the slogan of the Harmondsworth &
Sipson Resident's Association of which Ann Sobey was Chair for 50 years 

 

Harmondsworth's most famous resident, Richard Cox, was a London brewer best known for his
Cox's Orange Pippin, first grown in Cox's orchard in nearby Colnbrook. A cross between a
Ribston Pippin and a Blenheim Orange apple, it was first offered for sale in 1840, but only
became popular some years after Cox's death in 1845. He is buried here together with his wife.