About Us

St Mary the Virgin is the parish church of Monken Hadley. It has stood on the edge of Hadley Common since the fifteenth century, at the point where Greater London gives way to the fields of Hertfordshire, looking out over the village green, the historic almshouses, the three duck ponds and the white toll gates. The parish reaches from East Barnet to High Barnet and bridges the two. We are a popular stop on the London Loop, and the beacon on our tower once guided travellers across the Common.

Everyone is welcome here, and we mean everyone. If you are neurodivergent, or disabled, or if you find yourself on the margins, this is a place where you can say so and be heard. It makes no difference to us whether you are married, single, divorced or remarried, where you were born or what your first language is. You do not need to have been to church before, or to believe anything in particular, or to know what to do. If you come with doubts, bring them with you. Same-sex couples are as welcome as anyone else, and we offer Prayers of Love and Faith.

None of this is our generosity. Jesus welcomed the people everyone else had written off, and was criticised for it. We are only trying to follow him.

If you would find step-free access, large print, a hearing loop or somewhere quiet to sit helpful, do ask and we will do what we can.

Our main service is at 10.30 on a Sunday, in modern language, with singing led by our choir. In term time the children go out partway through for their own group, and on the third Sunday of the month everyone stays in together for a shorter service shaped so that children can follow it. Children are welcome at everything we do, and nobody minds the noise.

At 6.30 in the evening we say Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer with a sung hymn, and on the third Sunday of the month we keep Holy Communion according to the Prayer Book. Whether the words are old or modern, everything we do here keeps the shape, the cadence and the faith of the Prayer Book.

There is a strong musical tradition here, a fine organ, and bells rung on a Sunday. We take our thinking seriously, with study groups, talks and lectures, and we are also very fond of a party. Through the year we keep the feasts and the dances that gather the whole parish, from the beating of the bounds and a croquet tournament to the Patronal Festival, the blessing of animals, harvest, a barn dance, Winter Tales and carols by candlelight.

Our church school stands beside the Common and we work closely with it. Church House, our hall behind the church, is being restored to serve the community again.

The church is open every day from 9 in the morning until 7 in the evening, for anyone who would like to sit, pray or simply look. The best way to find out who we are, though, is to walk in on a Sunday morning. There is coffee afterwards and no pressure to do or say anything.