The London Stone, Staines-upon-Thames

Image: © Mike Quinn Taken: 8 Aug 2018

The original location of the London Stone, dating from 1285, is not known, but was probably close to where the River Colne currently joins the Thames, near Image This was the (then) tidal limit of the Thames, and the upstream limit of the control of the river by the Corporation of the City of London. On the sides of the Stone are carved the coat of arms of the City of London Image and the monogram "R" Image In the early 17th C, the Stone was moved to where the Shire Ditch joined the Thames in what is now the Lammas Recreation Ground - see Image and http://yorkramblers.org.uk/OS/Chadwick.html?lat=51.436067&lon=-0.522260&lz=15&rz=18<=OS&rt=satellite&lov=None&rov=None&lgrat=None&rgrat=None . It was moved from there in 1986, and has been in the Spelthorne Museum since 2004 http://www.spelthornemuseum.org.uk/2exhibits2.html . A replica was put in the recreation ground - see Image (photographed by Roger W Haworth) - but it too was moved, and is now (2018) on the river bank behind the town hall - see Image (photographed by Colin Smith) and a wider view Image (photographed by Alan Hunt). The stone is listed, but - somewhat surprisingly - only Grade II https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1187015 . The London Stone is no.83 in Nail's list of Coal Tax Posts http://www.coaldutyposts.org.uk/cityposts.html .

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