Staines-upon-Thames

Coordinates: 51°26′00″N 0°31′01″W / 51.43327°N 0.5169°W / 51.43327; -0.5169

Staines-upon-Thames is a suburban town on the River Thames in the borough of Spelthorne in Surrey, England. Before 1 April 1965 it was in the historic county of Middlesex. Known to the Romans as Pontes or Ad Pontes, then as Stanes and subsequently Staines, the town officially adopted its longer current name on 20 May 2012. However the upon-Thames suffix is still often dropped in common usage.

The town is within the western bounds of the M25 motorway, 17 miles (27 km) west south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is within the London Commuter Belt of South East England, Greater London Urban Area and adjoins part of the Green Belt. Passing along the edge of the town and crossing Staines Bridge is the Thames Path National Trail.

Parts of the large Staines upon Thames post town are whole villages: Laleham, Stanwell and Wraysbury. The post town includes, due to the long association of Staines Bridge with a medieval causeway (levee) on the opposite bank of the river, half of a large locality of a neighbouring town, Egham, namely Egham Hythe, which contains a significant business area within the county, and some of the town's oldest listed buildings. The historic parish at no points exceeds 13 feet (4.0 m) above river level. It has no remaining woods, but a large number of parks, leisure centres, a football club which has reached the conference level and some multinational research/technology company offices. London Heathrow Airport is centred 3 miles (4.8 km) north and the railway station is a main stop on the London Waterloo to Reading Line.