This section of our walk is the shortest at only 1.15 miles. It takes us over Staines Bridge to the south bank of the River Thames through The Hythe, along the Thames Towpath and back along The Causeway. It takes in some of the oldest places in Staines, tells some stories of past industries, asks a few questions, but also tries to also answer a few. I really hope you enjoy this short walk.

For an interactive map of Part 2 of the Staines Historic Walk visit the link at MapMyWalk.com. I apologise as the photos have not come out below, However, you can also download the full route description with photos as a Word doc at the bottom of this page.

At the end of the last stage we crossed over Bridge Street by the pelican crossing, turned right then left past the white / pink building on the corner. Just after a few yards along Clarence Street, we turned right to cross over via a pelican crossing and finished on Clarence Street and in front of Thames Edge Court.

If you look back across Clarence Street, at the corner with Bridge Street is the Headquarters of The Showmen’s Guild.

Showmen’s Guild

The pink building on the corner of Clarence Street and Bridge Street dates from 1835. It was built as the Literary and Scientific Institution and H G Wells is amongst those who lectured here. In the late 19^th century it was a Liberal Club and later became a piano shop, then offices of a newspaper and printers. By 1933 it was an antique shop named Griffyn Gallery, and from 1950 to 1979 it was Staines first library. Since then it has been occupied by the Showmen's' Guild.

TO START this stage of our walk, turn right and follow the pavement around to the left and over Staines Bridge.

Cross over Staines Bridge

As you cross over Staines Bridge there is a good view downstream past Thames Edge and the Memorial Gardens towards the railway bridge, and with the spire of St Peters Church in the distance. On the south bank you can see the Swan Hotel and the houses on the Hythe which back onto the River Thames. It is this area of the south bank where we are now headed.

The photo below, is courtesy of Keith Jaggers, and was taken in 1962 from Staines Bridge looking downstream, the landing stage is on the left bank, just beyond the old timber (Morgan & Sons) and corn warehouses behind the town hall. The office of one of the boatyards is visible on the right, with the towpath crossing its dock entrance by a flimsy iron foot bridge.

Once over Staines Bridge turn left, and slightly downhill, into The Hythe and continue straight on through, soon past Farmers Road and then Chertsey Lane to your right.

Corporation of London Coal Post

As we turn left into The Hythe, to the right is a white metal post with the crest of the Corporation of London on the front. This is a coal & wine tax post and was erected here in 1861. Most of the posts were a result of the “London Coal & Wine Duties Continuance Act of 1861”. They formed an irregular loop of about 12 to 18 miles from London. Their purpose was to collect taxes for the Corporation of London, for coal and wine cargo passing these points. This paid for building parts of the City of London, bridges over the River Thames, and by the 1870s to free from toll a number of bridges over the Thames – including Kingston, Hampton Court, Walton-on-Thames, & Staines bridges. There were originally about 280 in total and 211 still exist. They are all grade II listed and their story gives a great insight into how London prospered in those days. You can read more about these posts at http://rhaworth.net/cowi/postlist.php, or at Wikipedia.

The Hythe

The Hythe (meaning “Landing Place on the river, island post”) is one of the best preserved areas of Staines. Evidence of a Roman settlement has been found here. In Saxon Times it was listed as a port on the River Thames and is mentioned in the 12^th century Charter of Chertsey Abbey. The main road from Staines to Chertsey ran through here until 1937, bargees (river-men) frequented the inns and diarist Samuel Pepys (1633 – 1703) often visited the Swan Inn. There are some wonderful buildings dating back to the 16^th and 17^th, 18^th centuries. The old houses and inns probably owe their existence to the older bridges which crossed the Thames to The Hythe. It was only with the building of the present Staines Bridge when much traffic stopped passing through The Hythe and thus allowed it to be preserved in the way we see it today. On 24^th February 1970 the Hythe was designated a Conservation Area and all of the buildings are grade II listed.

Cottages on The Hythe

As you walk onto The Hythe, to your left is a row of small cottages dating from the 18^th century. A plaque on the first house has a ???? coat of arms and the inscription stating “Building of Historical Interest”. This plaque applies to the full row of cottages. These all back onto the Thames and were most probably built as homes for people who worked on the river.

Old Wall Post Box & Hythe Conservation Area Notice

On the wall to the right as we walk along The Hythe, and just before Farmer’s Road is an old red George V wall mounted post box. Next to it is an information board showing the history of The Hythe. Farmer’s Road takes its name from an old farm and cottages which it led to and was here for many years until the mid-20^th century. The farm was replaced by the new road to Chertsey and the large offices to the south of the road. At Britain from Above an aerial photo, taken in 1921, shows The Hythe, the main road to Chertsey running through it and the old farm.

Jolly Farmer Pub

The Jolly Farmer Public House dates from the 17^th & 18^th centuries and is on the corner of Farmers Road and The Hythe. It has retained its character over the years. However, the last time I visited was in 2012 and it was closed and up for sale. Apparently, the pub lost its licence due to loud music being played late at night and is up for sale as a potential residence.

The Swan Hotel

Soon to the left is the The Swan Hotel with a decent sized public bar area, but is small for a hotel with only 14 rooms. It is a Fullers Brewery managed house and dates from at least the 18^th century. The bar has a pleasant beer garden / terrace to the rear, overlooking the Thames and Staines Bridge. Inside is cosy with lots of old features preserved such as log burning fires and wooden beams. On the western side of the hotel’s you can still see want was once an old coaching arch. The main entrance is topped by a life-size sculpture of a white swan, and as you’ll see below, there was also a much older Swan Inn very close by and backing onto the river.

“Swan Upping” dates back to the 12^th century, when The Crown claimed ownership of all mute swans in open water. This “swan marking” event which takes place in the third week of July each year, starts at Sunbury Lock on the Monday and proceeds up river to finish at Abingdon on the Friday. In the Swan Upping ceremony, The Queen's Swan Marker, the Royal Swan Uppers and the Swan Uppers of the Vintners' and Dyers' livery companies are all dressed in traditional clothing and use six traditional Thames rowing skiffs. They mark the swans, check their health and record all their findings. It is traditional for the flotilla to stop at The Swan Hotel on the second day for lunch. On flickr.com you can see a photo from 2009 of the Swan Uppers leaving The Swan Hotel after having lunch.

Anne Boleyn Hotel

Parts of the Anne Boleyn Hotel date from the 16^th century and it sits facing The Swan. Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, does have connections with Staines. Apparently, c1530 she often stayed at Staines, when the King was at Windsor. At the time they were having an affair whilst he was seeking an annulment of his marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon, thus allowing him to marry Anne. The young Miss Boleyn and the King meet, in secret, half way at the old Ankerwyke Yew near Wraysbury. Later, when Anne was married to Henry, they often travelled along the Thames from Hampton Court to Windsor via barge. I expect at times they may have stopped off at Staines on their journey. If you visit the link to Anne Boleyn on Wikipedia, you will see that Henry didn’t often keep a wife for very long and within three years he would have her head removed and their marriage annulled.

The Anne Boleyn Hotel is AA 3 stars and has quite a fancy Indian Restaurant named Saffron. It is a much larger hotel than The Swan, having 45 rooms. I’m not sure when the hotel name was changed to “Anne Boleyn”, but as you can see from a photo on the Francis Frith website, dated 1895, it was then named “Ye Olde Bridge House”. The east side of the hotel is 17^th century and was once a public house, aptly named “The Young Elizabeth” after Anne’s only child Princess Elizabeth and later Queen Elizabeth I.

From the Exploring Surreys Past website, during excavations carried out in the grounds of the hotel in 1982, there were lots of evidence of Prehistoric, Roman, Saxon and Medieval activity unearthed. This is not really surprising as the hotel is almost directly opposite the point where old bridges crossed the Thames.

Immediately after the Anne Boleyn Hotel we go straight on along the Hythe and past Chertsey Lane to our right. You can see by road marking the main road through here turns right and follows Chertsey Lane. As mentioned above, until 1937, the main route from Staines to Chertsey followed this route. Luckily, a new road (still named Chertsey Lane) was built just south of here and diverts traffic from The Hythe.

"Old Bridge Cottage"

To our left after passing Chertsey Lane is Old Bridge Cottage. This was built in c1791 as part of a toll-house on the site of an earlier Swan Inn which dated from the 15^th century. In the late 18^th century this inn was demolished to make way for a new bridge linking Staines to Egham and replacing the earlier wooden bridge. The bridge was made from stone, but soon developed cracks. It was replaced by a metal bridge, but this also failed. By 1808 the Government admitted defeat and reverted to using the old wooden bridge, which luckily had not yet been demolished. The abutment of one of the two failed bridge remains as part of the river wall. The photo below is from the Surrey History Service and shows the northern approach to an old Staines Bridge in 1828.

When the present Staines Bridge was opened in 1832 it was obvious the toll-house would no longer be used for its original use and was sold. Today it still stands as a private residence named “Old Bridge Cottage”.

Soon after 1791 a new Swan Inn was built 50 yards upstream from the site of the older inn. This now still exists as The Swan Hotel.

Old Houses and Fire Marks on The Hythe

To our right along this part of The Hythe are some beautiful old houses. The first few form a red-brick terrace dating from 1755. Numbers 23 & 24 are quite unique with three fire marks on the front wall. This meant they were insured if their house went on fire, and the local fire service would come to your rescue and try to save your house. Just past this, the row of three cottages (22 – 20) were built in 1640 and retain many of their original features, including original fronts, sash windows and beamed ceilings. The centre of the three is named “Boatman’s Cottage” and this possibly provides an insight into their origins.

The last house on this side of the street (No. 17) also has a fire mark on the front wall of the house. Like many of the buildings in this small area, all are grade II listed as being historical buildings.

On reaching the end of The Hythe, and in front of the red brick office block of K2M office block, turn left towards the River Thames. At the river, turn left along the towpath and soon past the back of the Swan Hotel.

Footpath along River Thames

From the towpath there are good views across to Staines. You can see the Memorial Gardens, the back of the Town Hall, the London Stone, Staines Pier (see photo below), the footbridge over the River Colne, where it joins the Thames, Thames Edge Court and Staines Bridge.

The towpath soon goes behind Old Bridge Cottage, past the stone abutments of the earlier Staines Bridge built between 1791 and 1797 by Thomas Sandby (see photo above and historical record at SHHER_10365) and then past the beer garden / terrace of The Swan Hotel

Footbridge to under Staines Bridge

Follow the towpath over a footbridge and under Staines Bridge. This footbridge dates back to at least 1832 as it appears in a sketch of “Staines New Bridge 1832” on “Where Thames Smooth Waters Glide” (see photo below). You can also read a lot more stories about Staines Bridge at the link. There is a wonderful photo on Francis Frith from 1907 with two beautifully dressed ladies walking over this footbridge.

Staines Bridge 1932 from “Where Thames Smooth Waters Glide”

Some evidence of the origins of the footbridge appears to exist in old writings and maps. British History Online (1962) states:

“Staines lies on the east bank of the Thames, which separates it from Surrey, while the branch of the Colne known as the Shire Ditch divides it from Buckinghamshire. The town lies at the narrowest point of the parish, with two wider and roughly equal portions extending to north and south along the Shire Ditch and the river. By the bridge a piece of the Surrey bank, which was once an island, forms part of the parish and is technically in Middlesex.... changes in the river's course within historic times have been the disappearance of islands: the part of the parish across the river on the Surrey shore was an island as late as 1754,.”

From studying boundaries on old maps it appears a stream may have exited the Thames about 400m upstream from Staines Bridge and rejoined the river at this point. If this is so, it would have formed a small island to the north of The Causeway, on the Surrey bank in the area which is now Watermans Business Park. Another possibility is this may have been a docking area for river craft.

I’m not 100% sure what the purpose of this footbridge was as some sources claim it to be the entrance to an old marina or an old landing place for boats to hide from bad weather. However, on researching this, I tend to go with the first claim of a stream running through here. Maybe, someone reading this knows better and can clarify when it was first built and what its original purpose was.

Over entrance to marina

After 250m, and directly across from the east tip of Church Island (as can be seen from the photo below), the towpath crosses over the entrance to a small marina via an old wooden footbridge. A photo from Francis Frith dated c1890, and entitled Parris’ Bridge, may help to provide more information about the history of this footbridge and the small marina next to it. The same photo, this time dated 1870 and named Paris Bridge, is also on English Heritage Archives. Another clue may come from flickr.com and a photo entitled Biffin Bridge. This last one is a real possibility as Biffin’s Boathouse sat for decades on the south side of the Thames and just upstream from Staines Bridge.

Coal Post

Church Island remains to our RHS for 150m and past this is the Ashby Recreation Grounds. On reaching a coal & wine tax post turn left through a gap in the trees and along River Park Avenue. It is at this point across the Thames that the London Stone stood from the 18^th century and the replica from 1986. If you look carefully you can also see where the Shire Ditch enters the Thames. It seems the presence of the coal post here may mark the old boundary referring to Staines Parish (or even Surrey / Middlesex) mentioned above.

Refreshments in Homebase Car Park

River Park Avenue leads past the Halfords and then Homebase to your LHS. Immediately past the main entrance to the Homebase car park, and in the car park, backing onto the hedgerow is a mobile “Refreshment” bar named “Hog Roast” (the link is to the company which owns the bar). It has been here for many years and provides refreshments plus hot food.

On reaching the T-junction with The Causeway, turn left along the pavement and continue straight on until you reach Staines Bridge.

The Causeway

The elevated pavement is what is left of an old causeway which leads from The Hythe to The Glantly at Egham. It was built in the 13^th century in the reign of Henry III (1216 – 1272) by a merchant named Thomas de Oxenford. This was for the safe conveyance of his wool and other merchandise to and from London markets. The causeway supported a road above the Egham flood-plain and also acted as a dyke to protect the surrounding area from flooding. Some sources (see one) also credit de Oxenford for building a bridge over the River Thames from Staines to Egham Hythe in the early 13^th century.

One record I have found from a court hearing of 1369 states (see the link for a full version of this):

“… there never was a causeway there before the time of King Henry III, but a moor by which no one could pass in winter, and at a time one Thomas de Oxenford, merchant, made a causeway there to carry his wool and merchandise, …”

It is known a Roman Road from London ran through Staines and onto the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum at Silchester. However, the route seems to disappear at the Egham flood-plain and there is some disagreement as to where it is thought to have run. The banking visible today is from the 13^th century, but there is some evidence to suggest the Roman Road followed a similar route along the causeway as far as The Glantly. It then may have turned south-west through Egham, past St John’s Church, near or along Egham High Street, on through the grounds of Royal Holloway College, then on through what is now the man-made lake of Virginia Water (dug out in 1746). One source for this information can be read at a link entitled, ”The LOST STRETCH OF THE ROMAN ROADFROM LONDON TO SILCHESTER”

At the south side of Virginia Water Lake are remains of a Roman Temple transported here in 1818 from Leptis Magna, a prominent city of the Roman Empire on the Mediterranean coast of Libya and now named Khoms. It maybe by luck that in 1818 these ruins were put here, but at that time there would have been more evidence than nowadays of the route of the road. Digging out the lake at Virginia Water and landscaping the lands around it most likely destroyed evidence of the old road. Archaeological finds suggest it’s almost certain that the Roman Road passed very close to where the Roman remains are now, then on through the grounds of Fort Belvedere (a Royal residence) and across a private horse track. However, there is no conclusive route between Staines and Sunningdale.

On OS Maps, immediately south of Holy Trinity Church at Sunningdale, the Roman Road is well defined and labelled “The Devil’s Highway”. It is marked as going straight on through Bracknell Forest, as far as the A332 where it veers right, staying immediately north of Broadmoor Hospital, then straight on through Crowthorne, Risley and onto Silchester. The road is thought to be older than Roman, a Prehistoric track so named it was believed that anything so naturally straight must have been the work of the Devil.

For further information about possible Roman roads in the Egham, Thorpe and Staines areas visit Jim Goddard’s website at The Egham & Thorpe Virtual Roman Museum where the interactive map is well researched. The site provides links to evidence uncovered over the years and educated arguments as to the routes of the Roman roads.

British Gas

Milestone

Twenty yards after the roundabout at the entrance to Sainsbury’s and just before the bus-stop on the opposite side of the road is a milestone inscribed “17 MILES FROM HYDE PARK CORNER”. I found this whilst looking for the Hounslow to Basingstoke Milestone listed at Exploring Surrey’s Past. I’m not 100% sure why there is a discrepancy in the records, but on the A30 between Egham and Virginia Water there is a Hounslow to Basingstoke milestone, see SHHER_16876 at Exploring Surrey’s Past..

Lagonda, Petters and now Sainsbury’s

On the other side of the roundabout is a Sainsbury’s superstore. This was the site of Lagonda, makers of motorcycles and cars. The company was started by Wilbur Gunn (1859 – 1920) a native of Springfield, Ohio who came to England in 1891. He was an accomplished engineer and a keen opera singer. Through a local operatic group he met Constance Gray who lived with her husband in a large house in extensive grounds on the site. Constance was widowed in 1896 and the following year she married Wilbur. He moved in with her and used their greenhouse as his workshop for manufacturing small steam engines for riverboats. His introduction to road vehicles was in 1898 when he made himself a petrol engine, which he attached to the front wheel of his bicycle, thus making it easier for him to get about. After this he went on to produce more motorcycles. He named his company Lagonda, after his father’s engineering company back in Springfield, “The Lagonda Corporation”. The name originates from the Shawnee Indian name of a stream (now Buck Creek) which flows through his hometown of Springfield. For the next seven years, as he continued to produce motorcycles, the company expanded in the grounds of their home. In 1905 the Lagonda works at Staines produced its first three-wheeled car, and eventually went on to produce high quality four wheeled cars. Below are photos of an early Lagonda badge on front of a car and the Lagonda Motors Factory in 1931.

From 1914 to 1918 the factory was used to help with the British war effort. Up to 800 local women worked here, replacing the male car workers and showing they could be just as useful operating the huge machinery to make munitions for the war effort. The photo below was taken shortly before the end of World War I and shows some of the workforce from Lagonda.

After the war the factory went back to making cars. It became the second largest employer in the area and its most famous moment was in 1935 when a 4.5 litre Lagonda M45R Rapide, made at Staines, won the Le Mans 24 hour race. In the same year the company went into receivership, but was saved by Alan Good who reformed it as LG Motors. During World War 2 production was once again turned over to the war effort, and again the local women of the day worked the machinery whilst their menfolk were on the battlefield.

With the end of the war in 1945, car production recommenced and continued until 1948 when David Brown bought the company, merged it with Aston Martin and moved work to Feltham. The Staines factory was sold to Petters, a manufacturer of small diesel engine company, originally founded in Yeovil in 1896. Petters were very successful and in 1962 gained a Queens Award for Industry. They factory continued to work until 1989, but due to competition from abroad, they left Staines and the site was sold to the supermarket company. An aerial photo of the Lagonda Motor Works, taken in 1928, can be viewed by following the link to “Britain from Above”. The photos below are of Sainsbury’s in 2012 and Petters, just before it closed, in 1989.

Negan Stanes

Immediately south of Staines Bridge is a large roundabout. This is thought to be the site of an ancient stone circle, sometimes called “The Old Stones of Staines” and (from some sources) where the town is believed to get its name. The group of nine stones is mentioned in the 12^th century charter of Chertsey Abbey.

“Down to that Eyre that stands in the Thames at Lodders Lake and so along Thames by mid-stream to Glenthuthe, from Glenthuthe by mid-steam along Thames to the Huthe before Negen Stanes”

“Negen Stanes” is Saxon for “nine stones”, “Glenthuthe” is “Glanty” (now an M25 junction at Egham) and “Huthe” is “Hythe” (now called Staines Hythe). The photo on the right below and the information above is thanks to the Addlestone History Society.

Coal Post

At the entrance to the modern office block, immediately before Staines Bridge, embedded in a hedge is a Corporation of London “Coal and Wine Tax Post”. It would have been erected here in the early 1860s. Most of the posts were a result of the “London Coal & Wine Duties Continuance Act of 1861”. They formed an irregular loop of about 12 to 18 miles from London. Their purpose was to collect taxes for the Corporation of London, for coal and wine cargo passing these points. This paid for the building parts of the City of London, bridges over the River Thames, and by the 1870s to free from toll a number of bridges over the Thames – including Kingston, Hampton Court, Walton-on-Thames, & Staines bridges. There were originally about 280 in total and 211 still exist. They are all grade II listed and their story gives a great insight into how London prospered in those days. You can read more about these posts at http://rhaworth.net/cowi/postlist.php, or at Wikipedia. There is also a photo at Francis Frith from 2004 when the gardeners from the nearby offices would cut the hedge and make the post clearly visible.

Back Over Staines Bridge

On approaching Staines Bridge, stay left along the pavement and go back over the river. As you cross over look left to see the view upriver. This has changed greatly in recent years. Gone has the old boat-works of Taylors and Biffins. The Ship Inn which sat on the south side of The Causeway near Lagonda was …. And the …. Pub, now replaced by the Watermans Business Park

The two photos below were taken in February 1963 and are from Keith Jaggers. The Thames was frozen over and locals used it as an ice-rink. The first photo is taken from where you are now on Staines Bridge. It looks towards Church Island and shows the old gasometer which dominated the south bank of the river from it was built in 1927 until it was demolished in 1986. Apparently when built it was the largest in the world. The second is taken from the south bank looking downstream towards Staines Bridge. The old Regal (or ABC) cinema can be seen clearly towering over the bridge.

On reaching the northern side of Thames Bridge, and opposite the Showman’s Guild, turn left up three steps, signed Thames Path, and then left down a flight of steps and stay straight on to the river.

At the bottom of the steps, to the left are arches supporting the bridge, some you can walk through, and some have doors closing off small industrial units. On reaching the River Thames an arch to the left provides pedestrian access under Staines Bridge and to Thames Edge. However, we have already been there, so on our next part of the walk we start it by turning right to follow the path west, keeping the Thames to your LHS.

Where we have finished is just a few yards away from where we started part two of our walk. It was short, but I hope you enjoyed it. From the directions above you can read where we are going next, on part three of our walk around Staines.

Metropolitan Police Gallantry Awards (1939 – 1945) King's Police and Fire Service Medal (KPFSM)

As we look back at Staines Bridge, there is one other story which is worth a mention. In World War II, the King's Police Medal became the Kings Police and Fire Service Medal, principally as recognition of the undoubted heroism shown by Fire Service officers during war time. When the George Cross and George Medal were instituted in 1940, the KPFSM was then reserved for cases not connected with war activities.

There were only 44 awards of the KPFSM between 1941 and 1953. This included four police officers (George Sidney Grant, Charles Lindsell, Percy Henry Slater and Reginald Carpenter) who manned a road block at Staines Bridge to capture a Canadian soldier driving a stolen lorry, and armed with machine gun and revolver. You can see all four listed at Metropolitan Police Gallantry Awards 1939 – 1945.

You can download a Word Doc with pictures and full instructions below. A word of WARNING. When you click to download the Word Doc, Google gives you a Google Doc. You need to then click on the download arrow in the top right hand menu to get the proper Word Doc.