Huge crowds gathered to celebrate the 600th anniversary of a former abbey in west London which was among the grandest in the Europe.

Around 700 people gathered in the grounds of Syon House, Brentford, where Syon Abbey once attracted worshippers from far and wide, for a special service on Sunday (July 19).

The foundation stone of the Bridgettine abbey was laid by King Henry V on the banks of the Thames in 1415. It had grown to become the wealthiest monastery in England, according to organisers of the anniversary celebrations, by the time it was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1539 and destroyed.

Recent excavations of the building's remains for the TV programme Time Team indicated it would have been similar in size to Salisbury Cathedral.

The anniversary celebrations began with a procession through Isleworth from St Bridget's Catholic Church to All Saints Church, where a short service was held.

The parade then continued to Syon Park, where the Duke of Northumberland hosted a service led by Cardinal Vincent Nichols on the former site of Syon Abbey.

The chapel at Syon Abbey as it is believed to have looked (Painting by Dr Jonathan Foyle, courtesy of Syon Park)

Nuns from the Bridgettine order were among those who attended the open-air service and joined in the singing of hymns, which filled the air and drifted along the Thames.

The headteacher and students from St Richard Reynolds College, in Twickenham, also presented a painting of the former monk at Syon Abbey after whom the college is named to Leslie Feore, house manager at Syon Park.

St Richard Reynolds was executed in 1535 alongside Blessed John Haile, the parish priest of Isleworth, for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, a pledge of allegiance to King Henry VIII.

The 600th anniversary celebrations were jointly organised by Syon Park and St Bridget's Church, and were part of the Inspiring Isleworth calendar of events.

Nowell Anderson,publicity officer for Inspiring Isleworth, said: "Beside the pomp, glory, pageantry and publicity, this special occasion will be one of historic significance where the holy ground of Syon Abbey and the Bridgettine order including St Richard Reynolds has been remembered 600 years on, as it was in the past and will be in the future."

If you want to learn more about the history of Syon Abbey, copies of England's Last Medieval Monastery: Syon Abbey 1415-2015 are available from the gift shop at St Bridget's Church or via Amazon.co.uk, priced £9.99.