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ADPONTES-STAINES ~ The STAINES Arts & Lifestyle Magazine |
THE
ARTWALK-STAINES
Start the Staines Artwalk at the Roman Frieze, LONDON ROAD (figure 1) .
Locate the first piece easily- it is opposite the Three Tuns public
house. Please note: The official 'start' of the Art Walk is at
Centurion House, London Road at The Roman Shields. We could not easily
find this, [the shileds are at the far end of the Centurion House car
park opposite the 'crooked billet' roundabout, ] and so we have started
our wander through the history
&
art of Staines town at the Roman Frieze.
[Figure 1: Roman
Frieze, London Road- Jeff
Salter]
Jeff Salter's Roman Frieze depicts the first bridge that the Romans
built across the River Thames (at a similar time to the construction of
Hadrian's Wall.) Inspiration was taken from artwork decorating Roman
pottery found locally.
Now carefully cross the road so that you are opposite Kingston Road and
the old Metropolitan Police station (The new Surrey Police Station is
further down Kingston Road.)
The second piece is the Roman Horse, London Road. figure 2.
[Figure 2: Roman
Horse, London Road - Belinda
Rush Jansen]
This bronze relief carving of a Roman horse is a direct reference to
Staines and its historical context. It also acknowledges Roman remains
found at the building’s site.
Now walk around into Fairfield Avenue - to the rear of the large
commercial office block to find piece 3, the statue of a Swan Upper.
[Figure 3: The
Swan Master, Fairfield Avenue- Diana
Thomson]
Swan Upping dates back from medieval times, when the Crown claimed
ownership of all mute swans at a time when swans were considered an
important food source for banquets and feasts. Today, the Crown retains
the right to ownership of all unmarked Mute swans in open water, but
the Queen ( Seigneur of the Swans) only exercises her ownership on
certain stretches of the River Thames and its surrounding tributaries.
This includes the Staines part of the Thames from Sunbury (the
traditional start of the ‘upping’- although in 2007
the
event started at Walton-on-Thames). The ownership of the swans is
shared with the Vintners’ and Dyers’ Companies, who
were
both granted rights of ownership by the Crown in the fifteenth century.
Nowadays, the swans are counted and marked, but rarely eaten except
perhaps occasionally at State Banquets.
The Queen’s Swan Marker and Swan Uppers, accompanied by the
Swan
Uppers of the Vinters’ and Dyers’ livery companies
use six
traditional Thames rowing skiffs in their five day journey upstream as
far as Abingdon. By tradition, scarlet uniforms are worn by The
Queen’s Swan Marker and Swan Uppers, and each boat flies
their
appropriate flags and pennants. One boat (the royal skiff) flies the
sovereigns pennant.
At one time any unauthorised person found guilty of killing a swan
could be sentenced to transportation for seven years and even in 1895
could receive seven
years hard labour.
The Swan Upping event normally takes place during the third week of
July when cygnets are about 2 months old. The tradition dates
back to the 12th century.
The Swan Master by Diana Thomson was installed in 1983.
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Now, to see the next piece, you will need to walk under the Railway
Bridge to the very start of the High Street where the 'pedestrianised
area' starts.
Here, you will find the Small Mosaics.
 
[Figure 4: Small
Mosaics, High Street - Gary
Drostle]
The gateways at either end of the High
Street and the four lamp-posts outside the entrance to the Elmsleigh
Shopping Centre feature mosaic panels illustrating local history. Stone
tree surrounds have mosaic inlaid details. The High Street mosaic
illustrates the Staines Fair- an ancient market & fair has been
held in the town since at least 1228.
Near to the small mosaics you will find the Metropolitan Drinking
Fountain figure 5.
[Figure 5:
Metropolitan Drinking Fountain, High Street- Mosaic by Gary
Drostle]
The late 19th Century drinking fountain used to be located in Market
Square. It was moved to Moor Lane in the 1950s and finally located to
the High Street in 2002. The mosaic surround by Gary Drostle [http://www.drostle.com/staines.html]
represents the abundant life-giving fresh waters of Staines.
Now walk along the High Street to the open space at the front of the
Elmsleigh Centre. This is where buskers or street entertainers often
perform. You will see the Borough Arms figure 6.
[Figure 6: Mosaic
Borough Arms, High Street- Gary
Drostle]
This 9m2 mosaic arms of the Borough was awarded the top prize in the
2003 'Art in Development' section of the Spelthorne Design Awards'
Unveiled in August by Penelope Keith, Sheriff of Surrey, this mosaic
coat of arms forms the centre piece of the refurbishment of Staines
town centre. The town centre was pedestrianised in a design by
Scott-Allen Partnership for Spelthorne Council which features Drostle
mosaics as a key design element.
In the middle of the arms can be seen a swan representing the river
Thames, an important factor in the life of the Borough. Whilst the
swords suggest two former Middlesex authorities, the new Borough in
Surrey is symbolised by two sprigs of oak, each of two acorns, from the
Surrey County Council's arms. The motto is a combination of
the
historic Staines motto- Ad Pontes Prospicimus ("At the Bridges we look
forward") and Sunbury's Sol Et Pastor Deus ("God is my Sun and my
Shepherd") in the sentence Ad Solem Prospicimus. Literally "We look
towards the Sun", the motto implies that "We face the dawn of a new
civic era".
The mosaic was created using traditional mosaicing techniques similar
to those used by the Roman settlers of Staines.
Now start to walk up Norris Road towards the Two Rivers car park to see
the next piece.
[Figure 7: Brick
Carving, Norris Road]
This is an allegorical representation of 2 boats coming together
depicting the Two Rivers
Now pass into the Two Rivers near and you will see the Time Continuum-
figure 8.
[Fig 8-Time
Continuum
David
Backhouse]
This sculpture symbolises the life and vitality of Staines from Roman
times to the end of the second Millennium AD. It is in the
form
of a simple sundial and the figures cast their shadows to the north at
midday Greenwich Mean Time. The sculptor, David Backhouse, is famous
for his Memorial to Animals in War which was unveiled at Brook Gate,
Park Lane, by HRH The Princess Royal in November 2004. This is one of
the largest and most significant new monuments to be erected in London
in recent years and is well worth visiting.[
http://www.backhousesculptures.com ]
Now stroll around the rear of the shops as if you are heading towards
the cinema to see the next piece, figure 9.
[Figure 9: Water
Sprites, Two Rivers David
Backhouse]
Two river sprites emerge from the water, hands linked, their meeting
symbolic of the vitality and life of the waterways which converge on
the site. Also by David Backhouse.
A water sprite (also called a water fairy or water faery) is a general
term for a legendary creature, an elemental spirit associated with
water. Water sprites are said to be able to breathe water or air and
are mostly harmless unless threatened.
Now walk a little closer to the cinema to find the next piece.
[Fig 10; Sweeps
Ditch Stone]
Sweeps Ditch was one of three mill streams that flows through the town,
which also and derives from the Colne and was a southern boundary. The
main stone and a further 15 round plaques denote the route of the
ditch, across the Two Rivers car park.
Now you will need to stroll into Tilly's Lane and look up to see the
next piece.
[Figure 11: Water
Nymphs, Tillys Lane- Mrs C
Bigger]
This stainless steel sculpture depicts two water nymphs believed by the
Romans to inhabit all rivers and streams. They are said to bring wealth
and prosperity to the surrounding area.
Now you need to walk down Tillys Lane and look up on the corner to see
the next piece.
[Fig 12: Brick
Carving, Tillys Lane
Mr
McKenna]
Two ladies represent the Colne and Wraysbury Rivers which flow in to
the Thames. The man is Old Father Thames. The Staines civic coat of
arms is represented by the swan.
Now pass through back to the High Street pedestrianised area near to
the Angel Pub.- now Baroosh. Sir Thomas More was tried in 1535 in a
Staines public house, to avoid the outbreak of plague in London at that
time, and it is likely that The Angel was used for this
purpose.
Outside the public house you will see the tribute to the Linoleum
Factory.
Staines was the major producer of linoleum, a type of floor covering,
after the formation of the Linoleum Manufacturing Company in 1864 by
its inventor, Frederick Walton. Linoleum became the main industry of
the town and was a major employer in the area right up until the 1960s.
By 1957 it employed some 300 people and in 1956 the factory produced
about 3,200 sq yd. of linoleum each week. The term 'Staines Lino'
became a world-wide name but the factory was closed around 1970 and is
now the site of the Two Rivers shopping centre.
[Figure 13:
Release Every Pattern, High Street- David
Annand]
The bronze statue of two lino workers in Staines High Street
commemorates the Staines Linoleum Factory which was situated
where
the Two Rivers Shopping Centre now stands, and was a major employers in
the area at the turn of the century. With this sculpture,
people
have to make a physical effort to read the poem as it curves round the
stainless steel roll of lino. This provokes a response, involvement and
debate. [http://www.davidannand.com]
Now the Staines Art Walk takes us to the 'Memorial Gardens' by the side
of the Thames. Cross at the traffic lights near to the department store
Debenhams. And stroll down the new buildings to the gardens. Go
directly into the first entrance to see the next piece.
[Fig 14; Dove of
Peace]
The Staines Methodist church can trace its origins back to John
Wesley’s visits to the town from 1771 onwards. The
first
chapel was erected in 1854 and the congregation moved to the present
attractive building in Thames Street in 1987. The relief carving of the
dove that symbolises peace in biblical times looks out over the
Memorial Gardens.
Now walk towards the riverside to see the next piece.
[Figure 15:
Origami Swans, Staines Memorial Gardens - Tom
Brown]
The swan and her cygnet represent the swan which appears in the borough
coat of arms. They are made from folded polished stainless steel. The
steel mirrors and reflects the sparkling waters.
You may have passed one of the famous 'Swan Arches' into the memorial
gardens opposite the main car park. But to find the other
arch
walk, around the Memorial Gardens towards the old Town Hall.
The
Old Town Hall (formerly the Staines Arts Centre), Market Square,
Staines was the original council HQ until the council moved to Knowle
Green. The building was restored and opened in 1994 as a
theatre
and function room. It was used in the film Ganhi to represent the
courtroom, where Judge Broomfield (Trevor Howard) sentences Gandhi (Ben
Kingsley) to six years imprisonment for sedition. The building has
since been seen in Ali G Indahouse.
[Fig 16: Swan
Arches, Nr. Town Hall- Antony
and Simon Robinson]
The small reliefs on the arches’ legs were designed by
children
from Kingscroft Primary School, Staines and depict images linked to
Staines’ rich heritage. Look straight up and you’ll
see a
soaring swan.
Now walk past the Old Town Hall and look towards the Blue Anchor public
house (now called The Boundary). Count how may windows you can see...
[Figure 17: The
Boundary, Formerly The Blue Anchor Pub, Market Square]
This old inn dates from the 15th Century, note the five false windows,
painted on to the wall where real windows were bricked up to avoid tax.
' Window Tax' was a glass tax which was a significant social, cultural,
and architectural force in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and then
Great Britain during the 17th and 18th centuries. Some houses from the
period can be seen to have bricked-up windows, as a result of the tax.
The term 'daylight robbery' is said to some from this tax. Amazingly,
the tax was not repealed until 1851 when it was replaced by something
similar to todays Council Tax.
You are now standing in the ancient market square. A weekly market has
been held here since at the thirteenth century. More recently the
weekly market has moved to the High Street.
[Figure 18: War
Memorial, Market Square]
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The war
memorial
commemorated the First World War dead and features members of the armed
forces as engaged statues as well as a statue of an angel with a torch
and wreath. The annual remembrance day service on November 11th still
centres on the memorial and now members of the armed forces involved in
all conflicts are remembered.
Whilst you are standing in the Market Square look up and past the
memorial and you will see the top of the Brewery Tower, Church Street.
Ashby's Ales was one of the largest breweries in Staines and
the
decorated ironwork supports a flag pole on this late 19th Century
brewery building. The building is now the HQ for Courage Breweries.
In the Staines memorial gardens you will also see the most recent
'resting place' for David Wynne's very valuable sculpture presented to
the town on the opening of the Elmsleigh Centre by the Queen. (Figure
19).
Why this sculpture did not figure in Spelthorne's official art-walk
guide is a mystery but the circumstances about the disappearence of
this piece for several years (and, allegedly, its abandonment in a
stone-yard) may help to explain the borough's feelings about this work.
The statue is now in a fountain area in the gardens but was originally
located indoors as the centre-piece of the Elmsleigh Centre shopping
mall.
David Wynne was born in London in 1926, and seems to have had no formal
art training. His figurative sculpture concentrates on movement, and
includes most notably 'Girl With Doves' (1970), 'The Dancers' (1971)
and 'Dancer with Bird' (1975), all to be found in Cadogen Square
Gardens. Other works in London are 'Girl with a Dolphin' Chelsea Bridge
and 'Boy with a Dolphin', the latter being at the Chelsea School of
Art. In the 1950s Wynne was concerned mainly with animal sculptures,
and his 'Guy the Gorilla' is in the Crystal Palace Gardens.
Wynne
is also credited with designing the 'joined hands' on the modern 50
pence piece to represent European accord.
[Figure 19: David
Wynne,
Memorial Gardens]
For full details of the public Art Walk contact :
http://www.spelthorne.gov.uk/
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