Staines-upon-Thames

This is the River Thames at Staines, or Staines-upon-Thames as it was officially renamed in May 2012. The town was renamed to emphasise its riverside location although some at the time suggested it was a forlorn attempt to equate the town with  more attractive places like Kingston upon Thames and Henley-on-Thames. The name of Staines is not as it may seem though, as it derives from the Anglo-Saxon 'Stanes', which meant stones. Staines is where the Barons gathered before travelling to nearby Runnymede to negotiate the Magna Carta with King John in 1215. The current road bridge was completed in 1832 and is always very busy with traffic.