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Staines-upon-Thames

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Staines
Population24,097 
OS grid referenceTQ045715
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSTAINES
Postcode districtTW18
Dialling code01784
PoliceSurrey
FireSurrey
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Surrey

Staines is a Thames-side 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 located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in London. Jonny Roy is now living in Staines, he is a wasteman.

History

Main article: History of Staines

Early history

There has been a crossing of the River Thames at Staines since Roman times. The emperor Claudius sent the Romans into Britain in 43 A.D 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 Calleva Atrebatum, near the present-day village of Silchester. It is thought that the name 'Staines' has derived from the original St.Annes. The Roman name for Staines was "ad Pontes" (plural "at the bridges") implying that there was more than one bridge and it is believed that these bridges traversed Church Island.[1]

Staines appears on the Middlesex domesday map in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Stanes. It was held by Westminster Abbey. Its domesday assets were: 19 hides. It had 6 mills worth £3 4s 0d, 2 weirs worth 6s 8d, 24 ploughs, meadow for 24 ploughs, and some cattle. It rendered £35.[2]

A border stana, or stone, on the bank of the River Thames, dated 1280, still remains, indicating the western limit of the City of London jurisdiction over the Thames. (Although familiarly known as the 'London Stone', it is not to be confused with the more famous (and probably more ancient) London Stone in Cannon Street in the City of London).

The situation of Staines as a major crossing point over the River Thames, its position on the main road from London to the southwest, and its proximity to Windsor has led to the town being involved 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. Sir Thomas More was tried in 1535 in a Staines public house, to avoid the outbreak of plague in London at that time. 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.[3]

During the period 1642–48 there were skirmishes on Staines Moor and numerous troop movements over Staines Bridge during the Civil War.

Modern history

Staines was the major producer of linoleum, a type of floor covering, after the formation of the Linoleum Manufacturing Company in 1864 by its inventor, Frederick Walton. Linoleum became the main industry of the town and was a major employer in the area up until the 1960s. In 1876 about 220 and in 1911 about 350 people worked in the plant. By 1957 it employed some 300 people and in 1956 the factory produced about 2.675 m2. of linoleum each week. The term 'Staines Lino' became a worldwide name but the factory was closed around 1970 and is now the site of the Two Rivers shopping centre. A bronze statue of two lino workers in Staines High Street commemorates the Staines Lino Factory. The Spelthorne Museum in Staines has a display dedicated to the Linoleum Manufacturing Company.

Staines was the site of the Staines air disaster in 1972, at the time the worst air crash to have occurred on British soil, until the Lockerbie disaster of 1988. The crash was commemorated in June 2004, with the opening of a dedicated garden, created at the request of relatives, near to the crash site, and the unveiling of a stained glass window at St. Marys Church, where a memorial service was held.

Staines Urban District

In 1894, the Local Government Act 1894 created the Staines Urban District of Middlesex. In 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, most of the rest of Middlesex became part of Greater London while Staines Urban District was transferred to Surrey. In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the Staines Urban District was abolished and its area combined with that of the former Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District to form the present-day borough of Spelthorne.

Economy

The proximity to London and Heathrow have attracted a number of companies: BUPA (healthcare), LogicaCMG (telecommunications and IT consultants) have major offices, NDS (conditional access DRM provider), Siemens Building Automation Division and British Gas (part of Centrica) have their national headquarters here. Samsung Electronics Research Institute (SERI), Samsung's U.K R&D Division, is based in Staines.

Culture

Staines is the home of the fictional character Ali G and rock band Hard-Fi who have been influenced lyrically by the surroundings and everyday lifestyle in Staines.

Exterior shots of the ITV sitcom Is It Legal? were filmed in Staines.

The old opening sequence for ITV's GMTV morning program was filmed at the old market square outside the former Town Hall.

An episode from series 4 of the sitcom Men Behaving Badly in which Tony goes to an optician was filmed at an optician next to Debenhams on the High Street, with a streetscene which shows Tony standing next to the post box outside Debenhams.

The administrative offices of Spelthorne Borough Council are located at Knowle Green. The town has recently unveiled a revitalised Thames-side with landscaping and sculptures. The Town Hall (now a bar) is a pleasant Victorian blend of Italian and Flemish influences set in a small square. Some well preserved Georgian town houses line Clarence Street (named after the Duke of Clarence). Church Street and The Lammas house some lovely Georgian and Victorian properties clustered around the parish church of St Mary. Most housing in the town is middle class in nature with plenty of green spaces (Staines Moor, Shortwood Common, Knowle Green, Leacroft, The Lammas and Laleham Abbey to the immediate south). Staines Bridge spans the Thames with a graceful three arch structure completed in 1832. Until the 14th century Staines was the tidal limit, now downstream at Teddington.

Thorpe Park, an amusement park with several distinctly themed areas, is near to the town.

Shopping

Staines has a fairly compact town centre mainly focused on a wide pedestrianised High Street, housing most familiar names such as Waterstones, Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, T.K. Maxx, JD Sports, Sony, McDonald's, Argos, PC World, Tesco, Waitrose, Monsoon and HMV where Hard-Fi organised a C.D signing on 10 March 2008. Smaller independent units can be found in Church Street including Iris Bloomfield Florists and Refresh Juice Cafe, Clarence Street and the eastern end of the High Street. A market in the pedestrianised High Street is held every Wednesday and Saturday. It is one of the largest and busiest street markets in Surrey. A moderately-sized shopping centre (Elmsleigh) is directly behind the High Street. A retail park was opened in 2002 called Two Rivers which is bisected by the confluence of the rivers Wraysbury and Colne. Retailers include Waitrose as well as a Vue cinema, gym and cafes.

Outside the High street there are also many other parades of shops like Stainash and Edinburgh drive.

Best Buy, the largest electrical chain in the U.S, and the Carphone Warehouse, their UK partner, announced that one of the first UK Best Buy stores will be opened in Staines in early 2009.

Education

Staines has two secondary schools and two independent schools:

Sport

Staines has two football clubs; Staines Town F.C. and Staines Lammas F.C.. Staines Town play at the newly rebuilt Wheatsheaf Park ground and have recently been promoted to the Conference South. Staines Town enjoy a strong rivalry with Hampton & Richmond Borough. Staines Lammas were champions of the Combined Counties League Division One in the 2007-08 season and additionally run various age group teams. Staines is also home to a number of successful junior football clubs: Staines Town, Staines Lammas and Staines Albion, as well as girls clubs — Colne Valley and the U11, one of the best girls junior clubs in Surrey.

There are also many local gyms in the area including the recently revamped Matthew Arnold Sports Centre which is home to a Lifestyle fitness suite. Based along the Kingston road the centre's revamp has included a cv suite, spinning studio and dedicated free weights room. There are also local sports clubs including tennis, rowing and various football and rugby teams.

Transport

The nearest station is Staines railway station serving London Waterloo, Weybridge, Windsor and Eton Riverside and Reading. Taxis are available from the station. The bus station is a five-minute walk from the railway station. Staines is also a short ride south of Heathrow Airport.

There are proposals to build a new line, called Heathrow Airtrack, from Staines to Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 station. As part of these proposals a new station, to be called Staines High Street railway station was due to be built between the existing Staines station, and Wraysbury railway station although planners have now decided that this will not go ahead and the existing station at Staines would have an additional platform built instead.

Nearest places

Staines neighbouring towns and villages are Egham, Wraysbury, Ashford, Stanwell, Laleham and Chertsey. About 6 k.m north east of Staines is the large Heathrow airport.

The area between Egham and Staines town centres is known as Egham Hythe.

Famous residents

Local media

A number of local newspapers are available in Staines, these include:

References

  1. ^ Fred. S. Thacker The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles
  2. ^ Surrey Domesday Book
  3. ^ 'Staines: Introduction', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 13-8. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22225. Date accessed: 4 February 2006.
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