Visiting Stamford Raffles at St Mary’s Church in Hendon, London

Stamford Raffles, or Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, was a British statesman, colonial administrator, and most popularly known as the founder of modern Singapore. Before I returned to Singapore, I wanted to find Stamford Raffles, which turned out to not be that easy, since he is buried inside a church, St Mary’s Church in Hendon, and I needed to match a service schedule in order to have the door opened for my visit. Nevertheless, I managed to find Advance Single train tickets from Oxford to London and back on a Sunday where there was going to be Evensong, and I took the opportunity to visit Stamford Raffles.

Hendon Central Tube Station

Hendon Central Tube Station on the Northern Line is located about a 15-minute walk away from St Mary’s Church.

Buses 143 and 326 are also available to travel from Hendon Central Tube Station to St Mary’s Church from the bus stop opposite the station, but for just 2 bus stops, I decided to walk to save on the bus fare.

Walking north upslope along Watford Way.

Passing by Bus Stop 77865 Hendon War Memorial.

Turn right at the main junction of Watford Way and The Burroughs.

A map is available at this junction point.

Heading straight on The Burroughs.

Passing by Hendon Town Hall.

The alighting bus stop if I had taken the bus from is at Bus Stop 56206 Middlesex University (Stop Q).

There is still some walking to do even if you took the bus, so might as well just walk all the way from Hendon Central Tube Station.

At the junction of Church End where there is also a sign pointing to St Mary’s Church to head left, turn left.

Heading up Church End.

St Mary’s Church, Hendon

St Mary’s Church on Church End at the top of Greyhound Hill is 1 of 2 churches in the Parish of St Mary and Christ Church, Hendon, a Church of England (Anglican) parish in the Diocese of London.

Heading in to St Mary’s Church.

There are only 2 services a week at St Mary’s Church, both of which are on Sundays. Holy Communion is celebrated at 9.30am on Sundays, and Sung Evensong is at 6.30pm. Sunday is the best bet to visit St Mary’s Church.

There is also Open Church on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12pm to 2pm. As I’ve learnt when I showed up on a previous day to a locked church.

I arrived on Sunday evening, just as the church was opened for the choir to practice for Evensong. I was welcomed by Rev’d Dr Julie Gittoes early into the church to visit Sir Stamford Raffles.

There is a 2-manual pipe organ inside the church.

There is a tablet in memory of Sir Stamford Raffles near his grave, which was under the church’s floor, also commemorating his landing in Singapore on 28 January 1819.

The new nave of St Mary’s Church. Interestingly, Sir Stamford Raffles’ body first laid outside the old church, and found itself inside the new church only when it expanded to today’s size.

Sir Stamford Raffles’ Grave

I was trying to find Sir Stamford Raffles’ grave to no avail, and alas, it was covered by a plastic sheet to protect the memorial stone, unveiled to me by Julie.

Sir Stamford Raffles’ grave sits in front of the high altar.

Having finally visited Sir Stamford Raffles at St Mary’s Church, I stayed for Evensong at the invitation of Julie.

Conclusion

There’s no grandeur and prestige for Sir Stamford Raffles in the UK, as compared with Singapore, where the name Raffles is associated with premium brands of hotel, schools, roads, shopping centre, and central business district. And perhaps fitting, since Stamford Raffles is buried simply on church ground.

While simple, I think Singaporeans visiting London should consider paying Sir Stamford Raffles a visit if there’s sufficient time on a Sunday in the itinerary, since he played a part in Singapore’s history after all.