1009 —
Sweyn Forkbeard's Danish army, which had been harrying (plundering) the Upper Thames valley, is said to have crossed the river at Staines to avoid an English force assembling in London. Middlesex marks the southern reach of the
Danelaw.[1]
1215 — Barons and Earls forced King
John to seal
Magna Carta at
Runnymede, between Windsor and Staines, some of the signatories stayed at Staines before signing.
1218 — Staines market, held regularly (with an 1862-1872 interruption) to the present day is documented: the King orders the Sheriff of Middlesex (at request of the Church) to ensure it is moved to Fridays.[4]
1222 — Staines Bridge was first mentioned after that of Roman times, when the king gave a tree from
Windsor Forest for its repair.[5]
1218 — Staines fair is allowed (franchised) by Westminster Abbey; first at Ascentiontide, then from 1241 on 7–10 September; by 1675 it has been cut to 8 September and in 1772 a second date is added back again, soon becoming 11 May and 19 September.[4]
1285 — Landmark, the
London Stone, installed to mark western limit of the
City of London's jurisdiction over the
River Thames. It originally stood upstream from Staines town centre and a replica marks the spot while the original undergoes restoration
1603 — Writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy and explorer Sir
Walter Raleigh committed by Staines Magistrates for trial for treason (involvement in the
Main Plot); tried and imprisoned until 1616.
He was often seated in his earlier acquisition at Stanwell Manor,
Stanwell and rented Knyvett House on the site of what later became 10 Downing Street, Westminster.
1613 — Following seizure by
Henry VIII and a temporary grant to
Sheen Priory the
manor was granted to the arrester in the Gunpowder Plot
Thomas Knyvet(t), who was elevated to the peerage. He left the manor to his nephew of the same name.[5]
1618 — A brief was issued authorising the collection of money in churches in the southern counties "for repairing the bridge and causeway" at Staines; this compensated for inadequate
tolls e.g. in 1619 (raised under the
Staines Bridge Tolls Act 1509 (
1 Hen. 8. c. 9)): £24 (equivalent to £5,980 in 2023)
1629 — Manor sold to Knyvet's relative Sir Francis Leigh of
Puttenham. It stays with this family of owners until 1669
1669 — Sir William Drake bought the manor, held it for ten years and then sold it to Richard Tayler, in whose family it remained, with substantial sales of part, until 1890. The
Middle Agesmanor house was abandoned before 1600. Richard Taylor (d.1792) sets up the
Lord of the Manor's main residence at Charlton House,
Charlton 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east.[5]
1725 — Staines Bridge was rebuilt in stone under an Act of 1719. It collapses almost immediately.[5]
As in the main period of
Roman occupation of Britain,
Staines Bridge was the main crossing on the road from London to much of Hampshire and to the south-western counties (excluding their northern parts such as
Gloucestershire, north
Somerset and north
Wiltshire which could be accessed via the
Bath Road). It returned to use for transport to
Salisbury,
Winchester, north
Hampshire,
Southampton,
Dorset,
Devon and
Cornwall from at least 1222 until the late 1940s. The town then became bypassed by long-distance road traffic using the
Runnymede Bridge (1961) designed by
Edwin Lutyens. It further became bypassed by long-distance traffic after the construction of the M4 in England in 1971 and most of the M3 by 1974.
1832 — The second stone version of Staines Bridge, its current version, was officially opened by
King William IV (formerly the Duke of Clarence). Clarence Street is laid out the approach to the bridge retaining some older buildings.
1842 — Staines parishioners commuted the tithes by a payment and award of land to the Coussmaker family.[5]
1848 — Railway line from
London Waterloo to Staines opened. It was extended in 1856, see below, and with shorter extensions to Windsor, Weybridge and a now-defunct one to West Drayton.
1851 — Staines Boat Club was founded
1856 — The Staines, Wokingham & Woking Junction Railway opened the line between
Staines and
Wokingham on 9 July.[7][8]
1862 — Opening of the Staines Linoleum Company, founded by businessman
Frederick Walton, to produce his new invention of
Linoleum floor covering.
1872 — The
vestry agree to demolish the 18th century market building and those next door and replace it with a Town Hall.
1877 — A curve linking the Ascot and Datchet railway lines was opened in April and remained in use until March 1965.[9]
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 won by Staines members in the
1908 Olympic Games
1896 —
Staines Urban District abolishes the annual fairs for clogging the main street and the town's small market square[4]
1901 — Twin
Staines Reservoirs in Stanwell and Staines parishes built by the Metropolitan Water Board, to provide consistent quality and supplies of drinking water for London
1906 — The American Wilbur Gunn founded the British car maker
Lagonda in Staines, making its first cars that year
1908 — The first
Scout Troop in Staines was formed, the 1st Staines & Egham Hythe Troop
1919 — The British car maker
Tamplin was founded in 1919 in Staines, and named after its founder, Edward Tamplin
1957 — Yeoveney Manor, from at least 1066 land of
Westminster Abbey (who kept rights until the 20th century), farmed by tenants, Greenwood Bros, reduced to 150 acres — earlier in the century a rifle range for training was set up here.
1965 — Staines Urban District was transferred from
Middlesex to
Surrey
1965 —
Staines West railway station closed. The station building survives intact and is
Grade II listed. The buffer stop still survived. The platform area is now part of a car park and the tracks have been removed to make way for a small building .
1972 —
British European Airways Trident One jet airliner
crashed on 18 June alongside the Staines bypass killing all 118 passengers and crew
1974 — Staines U.D. is merged with Sunbury (on Thames) U.D. to form
Spelthorne Borough and building commences for council offices at Knowle Green, Staines used funds of most of the Sunbury site
1980 — The Elmsleigh Centre was opened by
HM The Queen in February 1980
1980 — Spelthorne Museum is established in the Old Fire Station as a result of archaeological excavations during construction of the Elmsleigh Centre in the 1970s.[11][12]
1990 — Spelthorne Leisure Centre, Knowle Green opens
1993 — The disused Old Town Hall was converted to an Arts Centre. It was officially opened on 15 April 1994 by actor and director
Kenneth Branagh.
1996 — Planning permission was granted for Two Rivers shopping centre, cinema and gym in Staines Town Centre
1971 —
M4 motorway opened through
Berkshire, using the Maidenhead bypass built in 1961 to ease demand for the A4 route and to cater to an expected increase in motorised private and goods transport
1974 —
M3 motorway opened through
Surrey for the above reason and to ease demand for the Staines bypass and A30 route.
^Westminster Abbey remained technically rectors so appointed a Vicar, the arrangement nationally wherever vicars are appointed. Staines rectory did not remain with the Abbey, they sold it or were stripped of it.
^
abcdefReynolds, Susan, ed. (1962).
"Staines: Manors". 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. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
^Ashworth, Pat; Kinder, Jack (1998). Westwood, Normandy. The story of a Surrey estate. Guildford: Westwood Place.
ISBN978-0-9533-9060-1.
Mills, John (1993). A guide to the industrial history of Spelthorne. Guildford: Surrey Industrial History Group.
ISBN978-0-95-096976-3.
Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1989). Branch lines around Ascot : from Ash Vale, Weybridge, Staines and Wokingham. Midhurst: Middleton.
ISBN978-0-90-652064-2.
1009 —
Sweyn Forkbeard's Danish army, which had been harrying (plundering) the Upper Thames valley, is said to have crossed the river at Staines to avoid an English force assembling in London. Middlesex marks the southern reach of the
Danelaw.[1]
1215 — Barons and Earls forced King
John to seal
Magna Carta at
Runnymede, between Windsor and Staines, some of the signatories stayed at Staines before signing.
1218 — Staines market, held regularly (with an 1862-1872 interruption) to the present day is documented: the King orders the Sheriff of Middlesex (at request of the Church) to ensure it is moved to Fridays.[4]
1222 — Staines Bridge was first mentioned after that of Roman times, when the king gave a tree from
Windsor Forest for its repair.[5]
1218 — Staines fair is allowed (franchised) by Westminster Abbey; first at Ascentiontide, then from 1241 on 7–10 September; by 1675 it has been cut to 8 September and in 1772 a second date is added back again, soon becoming 11 May and 19 September.[4]
1285 — Landmark, the
London Stone, installed to mark western limit of the
City of London's jurisdiction over the
River Thames. It originally stood upstream from Staines town centre and a replica marks the spot while the original undergoes restoration
1603 — Writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy and explorer Sir
Walter Raleigh committed by Staines Magistrates for trial for treason (involvement in the
Main Plot); tried and imprisoned until 1616.
He was often seated in his earlier acquisition at Stanwell Manor,
Stanwell and rented Knyvett House on the site of what later became 10 Downing Street, Westminster.
1613 — Following seizure by
Henry VIII and a temporary grant to
Sheen Priory the
manor was granted to the arrester in the Gunpowder Plot
Thomas Knyvet(t), who was elevated to the peerage. He left the manor to his nephew of the same name.[5]
1618 — A brief was issued authorising the collection of money in churches in the southern counties "for repairing the bridge and causeway" at Staines; this compensated for inadequate
tolls e.g. in 1619 (raised under the
Staines Bridge Tolls Act 1509 (
1 Hen. 8. c. 9)): £24 (equivalent to £5,980 in 2023)
1629 — Manor sold to Knyvet's relative Sir Francis Leigh of
Puttenham. It stays with this family of owners until 1669
1669 — Sir William Drake bought the manor, held it for ten years and then sold it to Richard Tayler, in whose family it remained, with substantial sales of part, until 1890. The
Middle Agesmanor house was abandoned before 1600. Richard Taylor (d.1792) sets up the
Lord of the Manor's main residence at Charlton House,
Charlton 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east.[5]
1725 — Staines Bridge was rebuilt in stone under an Act of 1719. It collapses almost immediately.[5]
As in the main period of
Roman occupation of Britain,
Staines Bridge was the main crossing on the road from London to much of Hampshire and to the south-western counties (excluding their northern parts such as
Gloucestershire, north
Somerset and north
Wiltshire which could be accessed via the
Bath Road). It returned to use for transport to
Salisbury,
Winchester, north
Hampshire,
Southampton,
Dorset,
Devon and
Cornwall from at least 1222 until the late 1940s. The town then became bypassed by long-distance road traffic using the
Runnymede Bridge (1961) designed by
Edwin Lutyens. It further became bypassed by long-distance traffic after the construction of the M4 in England in 1971 and most of the M3 by 1974.
1832 — The second stone version of Staines Bridge, its current version, was officially opened by
King William IV (formerly the Duke of Clarence). Clarence Street is laid out the approach to the bridge retaining some older buildings.
1842 — Staines parishioners commuted the tithes by a payment and award of land to the Coussmaker family.[5]
1848 — Railway line from
London Waterloo to Staines opened. It was extended in 1856, see below, and with shorter extensions to Windsor, Weybridge and a now-defunct one to West Drayton.
1851 — Staines Boat Club was founded
1856 — The Staines, Wokingham & Woking Junction Railway opened the line between
Staines and
Wokingham on 9 July.[7][8]
1862 — Opening of the Staines Linoleum Company, founded by businessman
Frederick Walton, to produce his new invention of
Linoleum floor covering.
1872 — The
vestry agree to demolish the 18th century market building and those next door and replace it with a Town Hall.
1877 — A curve linking the Ascot and Datchet railway lines was opened in April and remained in use until March 1965.[9]
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 won by Staines members in the
1908 Olympic Games
1896 —
Staines Urban District abolishes the annual fairs for clogging the main street and the town's small market square[4]
1901 — Twin
Staines Reservoirs in Stanwell and Staines parishes built by the Metropolitan Water Board, to provide consistent quality and supplies of drinking water for London
1906 — The American Wilbur Gunn founded the British car maker
Lagonda in Staines, making its first cars that year
1908 — The first
Scout Troop in Staines was formed, the 1st Staines & Egham Hythe Troop
1919 — The British car maker
Tamplin was founded in 1919 in Staines, and named after its founder, Edward Tamplin
1957 — Yeoveney Manor, from at least 1066 land of
Westminster Abbey (who kept rights until the 20th century), farmed by tenants, Greenwood Bros, reduced to 150 acres — earlier in the century a rifle range for training was set up here.
1965 — Staines Urban District was transferred from
Middlesex to
Surrey
1965 —
Staines West railway station closed. The station building survives intact and is
Grade II listed. The buffer stop still survived. The platform area is now part of a car park and the tracks have been removed to make way for a small building .
1972 —
British European Airways Trident One jet airliner
crashed on 18 June alongside the Staines bypass killing all 118 passengers and crew
1974 — Staines U.D. is merged with Sunbury (on Thames) U.D. to form
Spelthorne Borough and building commences for council offices at Knowle Green, Staines used funds of most of the Sunbury site
1980 — The Elmsleigh Centre was opened by
HM The Queen in February 1980
1980 — Spelthorne Museum is established in the Old Fire Station as a result of archaeological excavations during construction of the Elmsleigh Centre in the 1970s.[11][12]
1990 — Spelthorne Leisure Centre, Knowle Green opens
1993 — The disused Old Town Hall was converted to an Arts Centre. It was officially opened on 15 April 1994 by actor and director
Kenneth Branagh.
1996 — Planning permission was granted for Two Rivers shopping centre, cinema and gym in Staines Town Centre
1971 —
M4 motorway opened through
Berkshire, using the Maidenhead bypass built in 1961 to ease demand for the A4 route and to cater to an expected increase in motorised private and goods transport
1974 —
M3 motorway opened through
Surrey for the above reason and to ease demand for the Staines bypass and A30 route.
^Westminster Abbey remained technically rectors so appointed a Vicar, the arrangement nationally wherever vicars are appointed. Staines rectory did not remain with the Abbey, they sold it or were stripped of it.
^
abcdefReynolds, Susan, ed. (1962).
"Staines: Manors". 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. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
^Ashworth, Pat; Kinder, Jack (1998). Westwood, Normandy. The story of a Surrey estate. Guildford: Westwood Place.
ISBN978-0-9533-9060-1.
Mills, John (1993). A guide to the industrial history of Spelthorne. Guildford: Surrey Industrial History Group.
ISBN978-0-95-096976-3.
Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1989). Branch lines around Ascot : from Ash Vale, Weybridge, Staines and Wokingham. Midhurst: Middleton.
ISBN978-0-90-652064-2.