St Mary’s Church in Hendon may date back to the Anglo-Saxon period.
A priest is mentioned in 1086 in the Domesday Book probably implying a church. There are also probable Anglo-Saxon burials. The first definite date is the church built around 1080, and a Norman font is still in use. The building still has a thirteenth-century nave, chapel, north aisle and south aracade, together with traces of painting on the walls.
One of the most important memorials in the church is to Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, who lived locally at Highwood Hill.
