Staines
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| Staines | |
|---|---|
| OS Grid Reference: | Template:Gbmappingsmall |
| Administration | |
| Borough: | Spelthorne |
| County: | Surrey |
| Region: | South East England |
| Nation: | England |
| Other | |
| Ceremonial County: | Surrey |
| Traditional County: | Middlesex |
| Post Office and Telephone | |
| Post town: | STAINES |
| Postcode: | TW18 |
| Dialling Code: | 01784 |
Staines is a town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and part of the London Commuter Belt of South East England.
As a commuter town, a significant proportion of the town's population finds employment in London. However, a number of larger companies, such as insurance company BUPA and telecommunications and IT consultants LogicaCMG, have major offices in Staines.
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). A border stana, or stone, on the bank of the River Thames, dated 1280, still remains, indicating the extent of the jurisdiction of the City of London.
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.
Staines is in the traditional county of Middlesex, but rather than becoming part of Greater London with most of the rest of Middlesex in 1965, it was ceded to the administrative county of Surrey.
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'.
The administrative offices of Spelthorne Borough Council are located in the town.
StainesStatueUK.JPG
External links
- Open Directory category: Staines (http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/England/Surrey/Staines/)
- Staines Guardian (http://www.stainesguardian.co.uk/)
- Staines Rugby Football Club (http://www.stainesrugby.co.uk/)