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River Thames, which was likely to be the reason for the creation and growth of such towns as Staines and Sunbury, formed on its present course at end of last Ice Age (circa. 10,000 BC).
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Stone Age
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Neolithic (New Stone Age) people settled in what is now Spelthorne between circa. 4,000-3,000 BC. Human remains of lake or pile dwellers discovered in 1926 when the new Sunbury Lock was made.
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Bronze Age
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Ancient burial ground dated circa. 1,700 BC, belonging to the Bronze Age period, discovered on Sunbury Common.
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Iron Age
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Evidence accumulating of intensive occupation in higher areas such as Stanwell and Heathrow (circa. 750 BC), possibly due to flooding of low lying land.
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Roman invasion
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Area now known as Spelthorne formed part of the territory of the Catuvellauni, a tribe ruled by a chieftain named Cassivelaunus.
Claudius led the Romans into Britain in 43 AD. Soon after this invasion first Staines Bridge constructed to provide important Thames crossing point on main road from Londinium (London) to Silchester, near Reading. Although much evidence of burning suggests local Britons resented the presence of the Romans, their military occupation did not end until circa. 406 AD.
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Saxon period
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Between circa. 400-600 AD the Saxons, farming people from northern Europe, started to migrate into Britain and Spelthorne and to co-exist amongst the Romano-British locals. These Saxon settlements spread throughout the Borough, and it is from this period that many local place names derive.
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Norman period
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1086: Domesday Book Survey provides much documentary evidence of local area. County divided into six "Hundreds" (later to be known as Boroughs), with the Hundred of Spelthorne (Spelethorne) covering Staines (Stanes), Ashford (Exeford), Stanwell (Stanwelle), Laleham, Shepperton (Scepertone), Sunbury (Sunbarie), Chenetone (Kempton) and Charlton (Cerdentone). Although no longer covered by the Borough of Spelthorne, up until 1894 the old Spelthorne Hundred included Teddington, Bedfont, Feltham, Hanworth, Hampton and Hampton Wick which are now contained within surrounding London Boroughs.
1215: Magna Carta sealed at Runnymede, with the barons and their many soldiers billeted in Staines.
1228: First annual fair held in Staines on 11 May, granted by Henry III to the Abbot and Convent of Westminster, Lords of the Manor. Used mainly for the sale of horses, sheep and black cattle. The charter allowed fairs to be held for four days twice a year, and although the timing was reduced to 11 May and 19 September over the years, the tradition continued up until the mid-19th Century.
1285: Famous landmark, the London Stone, erected to mark western limit of the City of London's jurisdiction over the Thames. It originally stood upstream from Staines town centre, although a replica now marks the spot, as the stone was removed for restoration.
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Tudor period
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Following Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, in 1536 "Honor of Hampton Court" created to transfer ownership of Spelthorne from the Abbot of Westminster to the Crown. As Henry VIII was anxious to add to his lands in south west Middlesex he also exerted his powers in 1543 when he took over the Manor of Stanwell which for many centuries had belonged to the Fitz Others (who later took the name of Windsor), compelling the then Lord of Windsor to exchange Stanwell Manor for Bardesley Abbey in Worcestershire.
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Stuart period
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1603: Freehold of Stanwell Manor granted to Sir (later Lord) Thomas Knyvett, who in 1605 was accredited with arresting Guy Fawkes. Lord Knyvett was also granted the Manor of Staines in 1613, along with additional honours and possessions. When Lord Knyvett died in July 1622 his Will provided for the foundation of a free-school in Stanwell, and the Lord Knyvett School was founded in 1624.
During the period 1642-48 there were skirmishes on Staines Moor and numerous troop movements over Staines Bridge during the Civil War.
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House of Hanover - from George I (1714) to Victoria (1837-1901)
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1766:The then Lord of Stanwell Manor, Sir William Gibbons, fenced off Stanwell Moor having calculated that this extremely fertile land's close proximity to London made it a potentially very profitable stretch of farmland from which to supply the capital's population with farm produce. The Stanwell villagers, however, would not accept this enclosure and put up a strong fight against it, tearing the fence down, and employing their own Counsel to represent them. In 1767 the Stanwell villagers marched to London and successfully overthrew an application by the Lord of the Manor to pass a private Act in order to authorise the enclosure. Twenty-two years later, however, the Act was successfully passed and the commonland around the village was enclosed.
1803: The Lucan family moved into Laleham.
1832: Staines Bridge officially opened by King William IV (formerly the Duke of Clarence, and after whom Clarence Street was named).
1848: Railway line from Waterloo to Ashford and Staines opened
1862: Opening of the Staines Linoleum Company, founded by businessman Frederick Walton, to produce his new invention of Linoleum floor covering.
1864: Passenger services started on new Thames Valley Railway link from Waterloo to Sunbury and Shepperton.
1878: First horse race meeting held at Kempton Park Racecourse, with a specially built railway station opened later in the same year.
1892: Staines Town Football Club formed as Staines Albany.
1894: Spelthorne Hundred replaced by the Staines Urban District Council, the Staines Rural District Council and the Sunbury Urban District Council.
1896: Spelthorne's first manual telephone exchange went into operation in Staines, with only 9 subscribers.
1897: Sunbury Clock erected in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
1898: Daniel Manson Sutherland invented woodfibre board (hardboard) at Sunbury Common, and formed the Patent Impermeable Millboard Company to market and develop his invention.
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From King Edward VII
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1902: Twin back-to-back Staines Reservoirs built by the West Middlesex Water Company, the first major reservoirs in the Borough, were opened.
1906: First car off the production line at Lagonda car company in Staines.
1917: Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later BP) move their research laboratory to former Cadbury family owned house, "Meadhurst" in Sunbury.
1924: Huge fire at the Candle Factory on corner of High Street and Kingston Road (opposite Police Station), which took three hours and 400 gallons of water to put out. Melted wax blocked the drains and firefighters and policemen had to wade up to their knees in molten wax. Although the factory itself was remarkably little damaged, candle manufacturing was never resumed at the site.
1925: Queen Mary Reservoir opened.
1928: Littleton Park Estate bought by Norman Laudon's company, Sound City Films and established into what is now known as Shepperton Studios.
1930: Staines Rural District Council disbanded.
1932: London Irish Rugby Club ground, Sunbury, opened.
1935: Le Mans 24-hour race won by 4.5 litre Lagonda car built at Staines.
1947: Serious flooding throughout many residential areas of Spelthorne and Army 'Duck' amphibious vehicles brought in to rescue stranded householders.
1955: Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 opened as the "Europa" building.
1961: Opening of first stage of Staines By-Pass.
1962: Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 opened as the "Oceanic" terminal.
1965: Staines and Sunbury Councils transferred the NEW Administrative County of Surrey.
1968: Heathrow Airport Terminal 1 opened; inaugurated by HM The Queen on 17 April 1969.
1972: British European Airways Trident One jet airliner crashed on 18 June alongside the busy A30 Staines bypass killing all 118 passengers and crew.
1974: Amalgamation of Staines and Sunbury Councils to form Spelthorne Borough Council.
1974: M3 motorway completed from Sunbury.
1977: L M Benen-Stock OBE, BSc made Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Spelthorne.
1978: Start of Spelthorne Lottery.
1980: The Elmsleigh Centre shopping complex opened by HM The Queen.
1980: A T J Goddard MBE, JP made Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Spelthorne.
1985: Staines section of M25 opened.
1986: Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 opened on 1 April by Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales.
1990: Spelthorne Leisure Centre in Knowle Green, Staines opened.
1990: Spelthorne became twinned with Melun in France.
1993: J E F Wright DFC made Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Spelthorne.
1993: D J Squire made Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Spelthorne.
1993: First meeting of the Spelthorne Business Forum on November 5th.
1993: The Old Town Hall opened as new Arts Centre; officially opened on 15 April 1994 by actor and director Kenneth Branagh.
1994: Sunbury Leisure Centre in Nursery Road, opened.
1994: First Spelthorne Festival.
1995: HM The Queen opened London Water Ring Main.
1995: Launch of Spelthorne Chamber of Commerce.
1996: Spelthorne's Council housing stock transferred to Spelthorne Housing Association.
1996: Russell Grant became Lord of Ashford.
1996: Leasehold interest in the Elmsleigh Centre acquired by Dusco (UK) Ltd and Clerical Medical & General Life Assurance Society, with plans for major refurbishment and extension enhancement programme.
1996: Planning permission granted for new "Two Rivers" retail and leisure development for Staines Town Centre.
2001: HM The Queen visits the Sunbury Millennium Embroidery.
2001: Peter Williamson JP and Geoffrey Kaye JP made Honorary Aldermen of the Borough; Ian Allen OBE and Fred Smith JP made Honorary Freemen of the Borough.
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