1. Start of route at Staines bus station

It seems that Staines is famous for its swans, which goes back to the 12th century when the swan was given royal status. By 1378, there was a Keeper of the King’s Swans. A law in 1482 stated that the “Dyers and Vintners Companies were the only owners of private swans on the Thames”. To this day, all swans are owned by these companies and the monarch. Each year, on a stretch of the River Thames at Staines, there is an annual census of the swan population, known as Swan Upping where their number is counted and health is checked.

With this in mind, it explains why there are so many references to swans throughout the Staines area. Near the bus stop is a Mexican restaurant and above it is a frieze of a swan. The building dates back to the 19th century and had been the Staines depot of Stansfield & Co. of the Swan Brewery at Fulham. The swan seen on the building represents its original owners. A little further on and you’ll walk under an iron bridge, where you’ll find two bright murals on the bridge walls. The design of the murals was created with input from residents on what they felt was important to them about the town. And yes, a swan features here too.

Walk on a bit further until you find yourself at Staines Market, where there are a couple things of interest to see. First is a pavement mosaic with the words Ad Solem Prospicimus, the Latin for We look towards the sun. It’s with the Spelthorne coat of arms, Spelthorne being a local government district with its council based in Staines.

At the other end of the market is the Lino statue. The Staines Linoleum Factory was situated near this spot and had been established by Frederick Walton who was the inventor of linoleum. Through experimenting with some skin of dried oil, he discovered it could be used for waterproofing, much like india rubber.

He took out a patent for the floor covering product which he originally called Kampticon, but soon changed it to ‘Linoleum’ based upon the Latin linum, (flax or linseed), and oleum, (oil). He bought a vacant water-powered mill in Staines to manufacture his patented product and by 1864, he floated a new company and called it The Linoleum Manufacturing Company.

Now walk round the corner and you come to Spelthorne Museum, with its elephant mosaic showing you the way to the entrance. Despite its (small) size, there is a lot to take in once you’re inside. From a reconstructed head of the earliest known inhabitant of Spelthorne around 3500 BC, through a replica of the London Stone (more about the original stone later), to posters telling about the Lagonda car’s manufacture in the area. There’s even some information about Roman Staines, being the biggest Roman town in Surrey.

And we still haven’t finished exploring this part of Staines. Head now towards the river and you’ll find out just how pretty this area is. The Thames looks lovely around here and a short walk away is Staines Bridge. The one you see today is the fourth attempt at building a suitable structure over this part of the river. The foundation stones were laid on each side of the river in September 1829 and William IV opened the bridge in April 1832. Tolls for crossing the bridge were introduced to help pay for its building and were abolished in 1871. Riverside at this spot is a statue of a Swan Upper, the Swanmaster, holding a swan and a catching stick.

Just along from our Swanmaster, is the London Stone, as referenced earlier. In Saxon times, the control of the Thames and the revenue it could generate was in the hands of the Crown. In 1197, Richard I needed money to pay for his crusades so he sold the rights over the River between the estuary at Staines to the Corporation of the City of London. In 1285, the limits of the jurisdiction were marked with boundary stones and the London Stone has this date carved on the uppermost section.

Just east of Staines bridge, by a small wooden footbridge over the River Colne as it meets the Thames, is a curious stone sculpture of a bird marking the confluence of the rivers. It is The River Guardian by Simon Buchanan. It’s seen as a benign marker for river traffic and pedestrians on the Thames Path. 

Next to see in Staines is The Swan Arches sculpture, which is in the form of two stainless steel arches marking the entrance to the Memorial Gardens. Each arch depicts a solitary swan flying overhead. The reliefs on the arch legs each contain an image linked to the identity and history of the town.

Final place to visit before getting on the bus at the start of the route is Staines Town Hall. This Renaissance style building is grade II listed and was completed in 1880. It has had various uses over the years, from council offices, to an assembly hall and an arts centre. Owing to its façade and interior, it has been used for films including Gandhi by Richard Attenborough. On one of the walls is a plaque commemorating the 200th anniversary of the 20th stop that Lt John Richards Lapenotière, of HMS Pickle, made on his journey to report the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The building has recently been converted into 13 residential apartments.

2. Staines railway station bus stop

It’s quite remarkable that there is so much to see before getting on the 117. The only other place similar to this is Kingston-upon-Thames.

And so to the railway station which dates back to the mid 19th century. Just outside the station is a community food growing garden. The garden provides fresh produce and enhances local biodiversity. The initiative was set up by Talking Tree charity. There is also a Welcome to Staines sign, with the obvious swans taking centre stage.

Hop over the road and you’ll see some derelict buildings – these belonged to the Harris Knowle Green Brewery. This was operated by the Harris family until 1903, when the brewery and its 94 licensed houses were bought by the Ashby Staines Brewery. One of the buildings is the Oast House which these days is an adult learning centre. Brewing started in Staines as early as 1796, by Robert Harris. The pure water of the area attracted brewers & mineral water makers to Staines. They sank artesian wells into the chalk. Barred from university and the professions as Quakers they became prominent businessmen, building substantial homes in the town.

3. Ashford War Memorial bus stop

As the stop suggests, this is where you’ll find the War Memorial. It has a stone winged figure of Victory on a tall stone plinth with a three-stepped base. The WWII stone is in the shape of an open book on its own two-stepped base in front of the WW1 memorial.

Near here is the first of several churches along the 117 route. It’s St Michael’s Catholic church and was built in 1858. The first mention of a chapel in this location was in 1293, although even further back in 1215, tradition has it that the Knights on their way to Runnymede to the signing of the Magna Carta stopped to pray at the Shrine of St. Michael.

A second church is St Matthew’s, which was open on the day of my visit. The interior has some lovely stained glass windows. At the east window is a triptych of Fides, Caritas and Spes (faith/charity/hope). The miniatures underneath these three are Biblical references and are noted for their vibrant colours. At the west window are more stained windows, representing St George: The Presentation in the Temple; and St David. The church was consecrated in 1858 and is grade II listed. The tower was erected a few years later. Its tympanum above the door is an attractive and unusual addition. Inside the church, as well as the stained glass windows, the reredos with its ornate woodwork is worth seeing as is the pretty font.

4. Chertsey Road bus stop

Here we find another interesting church – that of St Dunstan’s. This one dates back to 1802 with the tower being part of what’s left of the original building. It has been awarded Grade II* listed status, on account of its Georgian character. The arched door on the west side has a matching arched window above and the door on the south-east side is similarly arched and is in the neo-Romanesque style. The overwhelming impression of the exterior of the church is that it’s deserving of its listed status and is worth a visit. The church was closed but it looks as if the interior also has plenty of things of interest to see.

5. Feltham Station/Victoria Road bus stop

Stop here to see the memorial to Freddie Mercury who had lived in Feltham in the 1960s for 4 years. The original memorial reads “Freddie Mercury – Resident of Feltham”, along with dates of birth and passing, 05/09/1946 to 24/11/1991. At the unveiling of the memorial in 2009, which was attended by hundreds of fans, fellow Queen bandmate Brian May paid tribute to Freddie. More recently, a small memorial garden has been added, with a tree that had been planted by Freddie’s mother.

6. West Thames College bus stop

Near the bus stop is Spring Grove House, now a part of West Thames College. It was once the country residence of Sir Joseph Banks, who is famed for having sailed round the world with Captain Cook. He was passionate about botany and in fact was instrumental in setting up Kew Gardens.

Opposite the house is Banksian Walk, which you enter through a magnificent gateway arch, which is assumed to be the original entrance to the Banks’ residence. Set within the Walk are rocks that could also date back to the days of the manor house and several very tall trees that would have lined the driveway to the manor.

7. St John the Baptist bus stop

Here is another old church along the 117 route. For some reason, there are quite a number of pretty churches that are worth looking at. This is St John the Baptist in Isleworth. Built as a chapelry in 1856, after about ten years of effort, on a site given by the Duke of Northumberland along with £2,000 towards the building. It was designed in a fifteenth century style and is built of ragstone with an aisled nave, chancel, north porch, vestries, and a battlemented north-west tower. The adjacent vicarage was paid for by the Farnell family who owned Isleworth Brewery (now a housing estate).

Opposite the church is St John’s Centre, built in 1897 as the Isleworth School for Boys on land that had been given by Mr Andrew Pears, owner of Pears Transparent Soap Company.

8. Mandeville Road bus stop

There are a couple of interesting things to see here so you need to have enough energy to keep going. From the bus stop, find your way to Mill Plat, which is in essence a long passage. Some way in, you’ll come across Ingram’s almshouses, which were founded and endowed in 1664 by Sir Thomas Ingram, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the reign of Charles II, for six women. A notice on one of the walls states “this almshouse was founded by the right Hono. Sir Thomas Ingram KC, Chancell of the Duchy of Lancaster. One of His Majesty’s Hono. Privy Council 1664.”

They were constructed in the Dutch style with shuttered horizontal sliding sashes and separate half doors to the front doors which could have been some measure of flood prevention or half height screens for the occupants. 

At the other end of Mill Plat is Mill Bridge, which was built over the Duke of Northumberland’s river in the 16th century. This river provided water for the local flour mill which, having been made of timber, was destroyed by fire in 1795.

Now walk round the corner and you’ll find yourself at the London Apprentice pub, situated on the banks of the Thames. It’s steeped in history, having at one time been patronised by no other than Henry VIII and Charles I. It gets its name from the London apprentices, who were young men from all over England and who played a leading role in the political activity of the era. The current building dates to the early 18th century and it is said that it has a secret tunnel that was once used by smugglers to move goods from the Thames to the nearby churchyard. 

More recently, in the 1970s and 80s, it gained a reputation as a suitable meeting place for the gay community and so it attracted many a gay celebrity including Jean-Paul Gautier, Marc Almond, Lily Savage, Sir Ian McKellen, and Freddie Mercury. 

Opposite the pub is Isleworth Ait, which is covered by densely packed trees, and provides a sanctuary for a variety of wildlife. It floods regularly, but is home to more than 57 species of bird life.

And so to the final church of note on this route, that of All Saints. The 14th century tower is part of the first known building dedicated to All Saints. By the end of the 17th century, the medieval church no longer met the Parish needs. Sir Christopher Wren’s plans to expand proved too costly, but a legacy of £500 was received from Sir Orlando Gee which enabled work to start in 1706 to modify Wren’s original design.

Finally go back down Mill Plat to the bus stop and on one of the walls is a plaque for Warkworth House. This house was built in 1866 and became known as Little Warkworth in 1920, when the local workhouse took the title Warkworth. Little Warkworth later became a nursing home and barely anything survives from this.

I wasn’t expecting to, but I really enjoyed this route. I was astounded by the number of interesting places to see in Staines even before I got on the 117 at the start of the route. I was intrigued by the many references to the swan and enjoyed finding out why. There were also several historic churches – more than is usual.

The one thing to be aware of, if you intend to do this route and start in Staines – the train station doesn’t accept Freedom Passes as it is outside TfL boundaries, even though the bus is obviously inside the boundary. So if you’re an oldie, beware!

Toilets that are open to the public and free:

• Staines station
• Spelthorne Museum
• The London Apprentice pub