Stanwell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stanwell is a suburban village in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne. It is located 15.7 miles (24.8 km) west south-west of Charing Cross and half a mile (0.8 km) from the southern boundary of London Heathrow Airport and the London Borough of Hillingdon. The census area Stanwell North has a population of 7,301[1] and the census area Stanwell South has a population of 4,766.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
Mentioned as a hamlet in the Domesday Book of AD 1086, Stanwell is named after St Anne's Well. In 1603, Lord Knyvett was granted the manor of Stanwell. Lord Knyvett was the man who arrested Guy Fawkes in his attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Stanwell's 12th century St Mary's church contains monuments to Lord and Lady Knyvett. It has Norman and Gothic architectural elements.In 1838, an unknown species of rose was found in a local garden and given the name of Stanwell Perpetual.
From 1930 Stanwell formed part of the Staines Urban District of Middlesex. In 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, most of the rest of Middlesex became part of Greater London while the Staines Urban District was transferred to Surrey.
After the Second World War, large scale housing society and council house building began, mostly to house airport workers.
In 2004, the village won a Bronze Medal in the national Britain In Bloom[3] competition in the Urban Community category.
[edit] Famous Residents
- Thomas Knevytt, Member of Parliament in 1601, was given the manor of Stanwell for uncovering the Gunpowder Plot in 1603
- Nicholas Hilliard, painter leased Poyle Manor
- Richard Cox, British horticulturist, created Cox's Orange Pippin apple, first grown in his garden on the Bath Road
- Gary Numan, singer, was raised in Stanwell, attending the local Abbotsford School
- Pete Shaw, author and theatrical producer, was raised in Short Lane, Stanwell
