Staines-upon-Thames
Template:Infobox England place Staines is a town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and part of the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and 17.2 miles (27.7 km) west south-west of Charing Cross. The town is served by South West Trains services from Waterloo station.
As a commuter town, a significant proportion of the town's population finds employment in London and at Heathrow. However, a number of larger companies, such as insurance company BUPA and telecommunications and IT consultants LogicaCMG, have major offices in Staines. Thorpe Park is also close by.
Most of Staines is on the north bank of the River Thames, across which there has been a bridge since Roman times (hence the Roman name of the town Pontes). Claudius led the Romans into Britain in 43 AD and they settled in Staines the same year. Soon after this invasion the first Staines Bridge was constructed to provide an important Thames crossing point on main road from Londinium (London) to Silchester, near Reading.
Staines was the site of the Staines air disaster in 1972, at the time the worst air crash to have occurred on British soil. It is also the home of the fictional character Ali G and indie rock band Hard-Fi.
Staines was created an urban district of Middlesex in 1894. In 1965 when most of the rest of Middlesex became part of Greater London, Staines Urban District was transferred to Surrey. In 1974 the urban district was abolished and Staines became part of the borough of Spelthorne.
The name Staines is thought to derive from Old English for 'stones', due to a long-lost site of monoliths in nearby Stanwell. Others believe the name to derive from 'St Anne's in the Thames'.
A border stana, or stone, on the bank of the River Thames, dated 1280, still remains, indicating the to mark the western limit of the City of London's jurisdiction over the Thames. Known as the London Stone
The situation of Staines on the main road from London to the south-west, combined with its proximity to Windsor, has involved the town in national affairs. The barons assembled there before they met King John at Runnymede in 1215, and Stephen Langton held a consecration there shortly after the issue of Magna Carta. Kings and other important people must have passed through the town on many occasions: the church bells were rung several times in 1670, for instance, when the king and queen went through Staines.
During the period 1642-48 there were skirmishes on Staines Moor and numerous troop movements over Staines Bridge during the Civil War.
Chronology
- 1086 - Domesday Book Survey provides much documentary evidence of local area.
- 1285 - Famous landmark, the London Stone, erected to mark western limit of the City of London's jurisdiction over the Thames. It originally stood upstream from Staines town centre, although a replica now marks the spot, as the stone was removed for restoration.
- 1803 - The Lucan family moved into Laleham.
- 1832 - Staines Bridge officially opened by King William IV (formerly the Duke of Clarence, and after whom Clarence Street was named).
- 1848 - Railway line from Waterloo to Ashford and Staines opened.
- 1862 - Opening of the Staines Linoleum Company, founded by businessman Frederick Walton, to produce his new invention of Linoleum floor covering.
- 1890 - Staines Hockey Club was formed, making it one of the oldest hockey clubs in the world. Its early years were very illustrious with several internationals playing for the club and a number of gold medals being won by Staines members in the 1908 Olympic Games.
- 1892 - Staines Town Football Club formed as Staines Albany.
- 1902 - Twin back-to-back Staines Reservoirs built by the West Middlesex Water Company, the first major reservoirs in the Borough, were opened.
- 1908 - The very first Scout Troop to be formed in Staines was the 1st Staines & Egham Hythe Troop.
- 1925 - Queen Mary Reservoir opened
- 1935 - Le Mans 24-hour race won by 4.5 litre Lagonda car built at Staines.
- 1965 - Staines West Railway station closed. Station building intact listed grade ll, a section of platform track and buffer stop remain, platform area now a car park.
- 1972 - British European Airways Trident One jet airliner crashed on 18 June alongside the busy A30 Staines bypass killing all 118 passengers and crew.
- 1980 - The Elmsleigh Centre shopping complex opened by HM The Queen.
- 1985 - Staines section of M25 opened.
- 1990 - Spelthorne Leisure Centre in Knowle Green, Staines opened.
- 1993 - The Old Town Hall opened as new Arts Centre; officially opened on 15 April 1994 by actor and director Kenneth Branagh. (Its now a pub)
- 1996 - Planning permission granted for new "Two Rivers" retail and leisure development for Staines Town Centre.
The administrative offices of Spelthorne Borough Council are located in the town.
External links
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