Did you know that...
The name Hornchurch derives from the Monastery of the Horns whose Latin name was Monasterium Cornutum which means monastery with horn-like garbles. The first mention of this monastery comes from the 13th century. In 1233, the name is recorded as Hornechurch. St Andrew’s Church features a horned bull’s head. This Hornchurch building is a Grade I listed structure. There’s evidence of a 12th-century or even older church on this site. Some parts of the present-day building date from the 15th century. The churchyard contains 37 war graves and funeral monuments of notable residents.
During the Anglican Ice Age, roughly 450,000 years ago, the ice sheet reached close to where St Andrew’s Church is now. This is the furthest ice sheet reach in Britain. This site is known as Hornchurch Cutting and it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Geological Conservation Review area. Jurassic fossils were found here. The site appeared in an episode of Birth of Britain TV series. Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age findings suggest that humans lived in Hornchurch a long time ago. The settlement developed in the 12th century. King Henry II gave land in the area to the hospice of St Nicholas and St Bernard.
Hornchurch Priory was established in 1159 and it was called the Hospital of St John and St Bernard. During both of the World Wars, this East London area was an important RAF (Royal Air Force) station. It was home mostly to Spitfire squadrons. The land was later reused for a large housing development. The majority of the population of the area work in Central London and travel to work every morning. Due to this fact, Hornchurch has one of the largest number of people with a professional degree living in one area. Hornchurch Drum & Trumpet Corps Boys is a marching band based in this RM1 area. It won the first edition of the National British Marching Band Championships.