Here are some facts about the Borough of Spelthorne in Surrey. Spelthorne has been part of our Common Bond area for over ten years.
- Spelthorne was mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086 as “Speletorne”, one of six “hundreds” in the county of “Midelsexe”. In Medieval times, Middlesex included most of what is now west London, all the way from Spelthorne to Edmonton in the north and so Spelthorne was an significant part of the county.
- Water is an important feature of Spelthorne – The River Thames flows through the borough and there are 5 major reservoirs. The reservoirs together supply about a third of London’s water – about 850 million litres per day. They are also used for other things though – you can go sailing, SUPing or canoeing on Queen Mary Reservoir, bird watching at Staines and see a flock of sheep on the banks of Wraysbury Reservoir.
- All the water takes up a lot of space – approximately 15% of the land. That’s the highest percentage of any local authority in Great Britain!
- Both Sunbury and Shepperton feature in Charles Dickens’ book – “Oliver Twist”.
- Lino, the popular floor covering, was first manufactured in a factory in Staines from 1864.
- The annual ceremony of “swan upping” starts in Sunbury each year in July. Several boats row up the Thames catching and ringing swans for the Queen.
- Staines was the scene of England’s worst aircraft accident in 1972 in which 118 people died. It was also the place where the barons met before agreeing to the Magna Carta with King John at Runnymede in 1215.
- Many famous films have been shot at Shepperton Studios including many of the Avengers and Harry Potter films, Star Wars, The Omen, Gandhi, Alien and Mamma Mia.
- Kempton Park Racecourse has an artificial track and so they can run racing all the way through the winter, including the historic King George VI Chase every Boxing Day.
Sources: Wikipedia, ONS.