by Ken Pearce

In Cowley High Street there are shops and pubs, some interesting old buildings, a recreation ground, a church hall, and not far away the local school. But where is the church? As you know it is some distance away, on a site where there are no other old buildings.  Why?

In the 1950s a group of archaeologists based in the South Midlands found evidence that a Roman road had existed linking St Albans with Staines. It was not a main road, but they thought that it passed through Harefield, Uxbridge, Hillingdon and Cowley. They began to carry out a programme of digs along the supposed route.

In our area a good opportunity existed. The Lowe and Shawyer buildings had been cleared away, but the erection of Brunel University buildings had only partly commenced. There were large areas of open land. Permission was obtained to explore a site near Kingston Lane, and several members of the Uxbridge Local History Society joined the team that was to dig the area.

Excavations began in July 1965. The first two trenches yielded nothing, but a third trench proved successful. Just three feet below today’s level evidence of a road began to appear. Eventually about 20 feet of the road were uncovered, and were verified by Charles Morris, the leader of the project and an expert on Roman roads.

It is now accepted that the road did exist, and that the Romans erected a building by the road, where the church is today. After they left, the Christians arrived and built a church on the site. That is why Cowley Church is there today – in the wrong place!