Spelthorne K2

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The River Thames in Spelthorne

Spelthorne is a large borough lying to the West of London and immediately to the South of Heathrow Airport. It is effectively the northern tip of the County of Surrey, with the River Thames forming the southern Spelthorne boundary. Spelthorne is part of the administrative County of Surrey but traditionally was part of the old county of Middlesex. The borough contains several large suburban settlements, the largest being Staines upon Thames with the highest population, Sunbury on Thames, Ashford and Stanwell, and also the smaller charming riverside settlements of Laleham, Shepperton and Littleton, Halliford and Lower Sunbury.
The whole area is rich in archaeological evidence of early settlers, and it was discovered in the 1970s that Staines was established by the Romans when they built the first bridge across the Thames, and named the place 'Ad Pontes', or 'Pontibus'. The name Spelthorne is derived from the Saxon words meaning 'Speaking Tree', and relates to the strategic position of Staines in ancient times at a convergence of several significant boundaries. There are other interesting facts detailed in this link: History of Spelthorne.
A large area of the borough is taken up with vast storage reservoirs providing Londoners with their water supply but they have the benefit of providing Spelthorne residents with a variety of leisure facilities. Despite its proximity to London, parts of the area remain quite rural with large areas of accessible common land still preserved in the borough, a 9 mile length of the Thames footpath along the southern edge, and many attractive open spaces carefully preserved for the enjoyment of the community.

The view below is Sunbury Court Island, taken by Monica Jones. Photo courtesy of Village Matters.

The River Thames in Spelthorne