Fencing Suppliers Staines Surrey

Approximate Population: 24,097

Staines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and part of the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in London.

The name Staines is thought to derive from Old English for ’stones’, due to a long-lost site of monoliths in nearby Stanwell. Others believe the name to derive from ‘St Anne’s in the Thames’.

There has been a crossing of the River Thames at Staines since Roman times. Claudius led the Romans into Britain in 43 A.D and they settled in Staines the same year. Soon after this invasion the first Staines Bridge was constructed to provide an important Thames crossing point on main road from Londinium (London) to Calleva Atrebatum, near the present-day village of Silchester. The Roman name for Staines was “ad Pontes” (plural “at the bridges”) implying that there was more than one bridge and it is believed that these bridges traversed Church Island.

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 up until the 1960s. In 1876 about 220 and in 1911 about 350 people worked in the plant. By 1957 it employed some 300 people and in 1956 the factory produced about 2.675 m2. 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. A bronze statue of two lino workers in Staines High Street commemorates the Staines Lino Factory. The Spelthorne Museum in Staines has a display dedicated to the Linoleum Manufacturing Company.

Staines was the site of the Staines air disaster in 1972, at the time the worst air crash to have occurred on British soil, until the Lockerbie disaster of 1988. The crash was commemorated in June 2004, with the opening of a dedicated garden, created at the request of relatives, near to the crash site, and the unveiling of a stained glass window at St. Marys Church, where a memorial service was held.

Staines has a fairly compact town centre mainly focused on a wide pedestrianised High Street, housing most familiar names such as Waterstones, Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, T.K. Maxx, JD Sports, Sony, McDonald’s, Argos, PCworld,Tesco, Waitrose Monsoon and HMV where Hard-Fi organised a C.D signing on 10 March 2008. Smaller independent units can be found in Church Street including Iris Bloomfield Florists and Refresh Juice Cafe, Clarence Street and the eastern end of the High Street. A market in the pedestrianised High Street is held every Wednesday and Saturday. It is one of the largest and busiest street markets in Surrey. A moderately-sized shopping centre (Elmsleigh) is directly behind the High Street. A retail park was opened in 2002 called Two Rivers which is bisected by the confluence of the rivers Wraysbury and Colne. Retailers include Waitrose as well as a Vue cinema, gym and cafes.

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Fencing Suppliers Wigan Greater Manchester

Approximate Population: 81,203

In the Anglo-Saxon period, the area of Wigan was probably under the control of the Northumbrians and later the Mercians.   In the early 10th century there was an influx of Scandinavians expelled from Ireland.   This can be seen in place names such as Scholes – now a part of Wigan – which derives from the Scandinavian skali meaning “hut”.   Further evidence comes from some street names in Wigan which have Scandinavian origins. Although Wigan parish church was mentioned in the Domesday Book, the current building dates to the 15th century.

Although Wigan is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, possibly because it was included in the Neweton barony (now Newton-le-Willows), it is thought that the mention of a church in the manor of Neweton is Wigan parish church.  The rectors of the parish church were lords of the manor of Wigan, a sub-manor of Neweton, until the 19th century.  

The incorporation of Wigan as a borough happened in 1246 following the issue of a Charter by King Henry III to John Maunsel, the local church rector and lord of the manor.  The borough was later granted another Charter in 1257–1258, allowing the lord of the manor to hold a market on every Monday and two annual fairs.

Edward II visited Wigan in 1323 in an effort to stabilise the region which had been the source of the Banastre Rebellion in 1315.   Edward stayed in nearby Upholland Priory and held court in the town over a period of several days.  During the medieval period Wigan expanded and prospered and in 1536, antiquarian John Leland described the town, saying “Wigan paved; as big as Warrington and better builded.   There is one parish church amid the town. Some merchants, some artificers, some farmers”.

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Fencing Suppliers Ely Cambridgeshire

Approximate Population: 15,102

Sir Clive Woodward, rugby union player and Rugby World Cup 2003 winning manager with England national rugby union team was born in Ely, as was Autogiro world record holder Ken Wallis and actor Simon MacCorkindale. Other notable people from Ely include The Sisters of Mercy singer Andrew Eldritch, and Australian émigrée actor Guy Pearce.   Folk singer Boo Hewerdine and crime writer Jim Kelly both currently live in Ely.

Former England football player Gary Lineker currently lives in Ely with Model girlfriend Danielle Buxton.   Noted press photographer Gareth Iwan Jones, lived in Ely between 1989-1999.   The creators of Lethal Cocktail, Alexander and James Andrews and Carl Skipper are also based within Ely.

In the spring of 2008 a competition was held to find an official anthem for the City of Ely.   The competition was sponsored by The Ely Standard, ADEC and Star 107 radio.   Judges from around the town and local music scene evaluated the entries and after much deliberation chose Ship of the Fens as the winner.   Written by local song writing duo Graham Brown and Geoff Meads, “Ship of the Fens” (a local nick-name for Ely Cathedral) describes life in Ely from the point of view of an elderly resident returning to the city.

Using a modern folk style in a homage to the popular Ely folk festival and recorded using all local musicians and singers, “Ship of the Fens” was first aired on Star 107s Mark Peters breakfast show on 19 June 2008 and performed live at the 2008 Ely Aquafest on 6 July 2008.

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Fencing Suppliers Gillingham Kent

Approximate Population: 99,773

Gillingham is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is part of the ceremonial county of Kent. The town includes the settlements of Brompton, Hempstead, Rainham, Rainham Mark, Twydall and Lidsing. Gillingham means a homestead of Gylla’s family, from Old English ham (village, homestead) and ingas (family, followers), and was first recorded in 10th century as Gyllingeham.

Within Gillingham there are many churches from different denominations of Christianity.   In 1896, Our Lady of Gillingham Roman Catholic Church was built close to the site of the Saint Mary Magdalene Church, which overlooks the River Medway.

It followed after other Catholic churches in the area, the closest, St Michael’s in Chatham (built 1863).   Our Lady of Gillingham was built on the town of New Brompton, as Gillingham was then called, to mainly cater for the new workforce – those employed at Chatham Dockyard.   The church itself was started in 1890, and was completed by 1896, being opened on 12 May 1896.

A local Catholic school was established on the site of the church in 1894.   The schoolrooms were used until 1972, when the infant section of the school relocated to nearby Greenfield Road.   In 1988, after more building work on the new site, the whole school was reunited on its new site at Greenfield Road. The Church celebrated its centenary in May 1996, two years after the local school.  Gillingham also has the Jāmi’ah mosque and a Hindu Sabha Mandir.

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Fencing Suppliers Harrow Greater London

Approximate Population: 213,800

Harrow is a town in the London Borough of Harrow, North West London. It is a suburb situated 12.2 miles (16.4 km) west northwest of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan.

Harrow is widely known for Harrow School, attended by Winston Churchill and Indian Prime Minister Nehru, however Harrow County School also had a tradition of noted staff and pupils, e.g. Sir Paul Nurse, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Michael Portillo, Clive Anderson and Geoffrey Perkins. Harrow is home to a large University of Westminster campus near Northwick Park Hospital (although both these landmarks actually lie within the London Borough of Brent). Harrow was a municipal borough of Middlesex before its inclusion in Greater London in 1965.

Harrow’s name comes from Old English hearg = “(heathen) temple”, which was probably on the hill of Harrow, where St. Mary’s Church stands today.

The town centre also has a major bus station adjacent to Harrow-on-the-Hill station that serves as an important hub for buses in the area. Many routes to North and West London pass through this station. Notable routes serving Harrow include:

* The 140 route starting and terminating at Harrow Weald and Heathrow Airport
* The 182 route starting and terminating at Harrow Weald and Brent Cross
* The 183 route starting and terminating at Pinner and Golders Green Bus Station
* The N18 nightbus which starts at Trafalgar Square and terminates at Harrow Weald
* The 258 route starting and terminating at Watford Junction and South Harrow Station
* The 114 route starting and terminating at Ruislip Station and Mill Hill.

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Fencing Suppliers Eastbourne East Sussex

Approximate Population: 94,816

Eastbourne is a large town and borough of East Sussex, on the south coast of England, with an estimated population of 94,816 as of 2007. The area has seen human activity since the stone age and it remained one of small settlements until the 19th century when its four hamlets gradually merged to form a town. Assisted by the arrival of the railway, Eastbourne became a prime Victorian seaside resort. It has since suffered from the general trend away from taking holidays within the United Kingdom.

Eastbourne is situated at the eastern end of the South Downs alongside the famous Beachy Head cliff. The sheltered position of the main town behind the cliff contributes to Eastbourne’s title of sunniest place in Great Britain.

Although Eastbourne has some industrial trading estates, it is essentially a seaside resort and derives its main income from tourism. Its facilities include four theatres, numerous parks, a bandstand and museums. The focus of the tourism trade is the four miles (6 km) of shingle beach, lined with a seafront of hotels and guest houses.

The area around Eastbourne is known to have been settled throughout history. Flint mines and other Stone Age artefacts have been found in the surrounding countryside, and there are Roman sites within the modern boundaries of the town. In 1717, a Roman bath and section of pavement were discovered between the present pier and the redoubt fortress in the hamlet then known as Sea Houses, while in 1841, the remains of a Roman villa were found near the entrance to the pier and lie buried near the present Queens Hotel. An Anglo-Saxon charter, circa 963 AD, describes a landing stage and stream at Bourne. Following the Norman Conquest, the Hundred of what is now Eastbourne, was held by Robert, Count of Mortain, William the Conqueror’s half brother. The Domesday Book lists 28 ploughlands, a church, a watermill, fisheries and salt pans.

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Fencing Suppliers King’s Lynn Norfolk

Approximate Population: 34,564

King’s Lynn is a town and port in Norfolk, England. Over the years, the town has been known variously as Bishop’s Lynn and Lynn Regis, while it is frequently referred to by locals as simply Lynn, the Celtic word for lake.

King’s Lynn is the third largest settlement in Norfolk after the city of Norwich and the town of Great Yarmouth. Sandringham House, the Norfolk residence of the British Royal Family, is 6 miles (9.7 km) north-east of King’s Lynn. It is best known as the birthplace of Captain George Vancouver RN (June 22, 1757 – May 12, 1798) an officer in the Royal Navy who was the first to explore the Pacific coast of the modern day Canadian province of British Columbia and the American states of Alaska, Washington and Oregon and also the southwest coast of Australia. It is also the place of the first school attended by Diana, Princess of Wales.

While it is believed there has been some form of habitation at King’s Lynn for well over a thousand years, it was not until St Margaret’s Church was founded in 1101 by Bishop Herbert de Losinga that the town started appearing on records. The town would originally have been named something like Llyn, after the Brythonic (Celtic) for ‘lake’. Later, it acquired the prefix ‘Bishop’s’ as the town was part of the manor of the Bishop of Norwich in the 12th century.

By the 14th century, the town ranked as the third port of England – and is considered as important to England in Medieval times as Liverpool was during the Industrial Revolution. It retains two buildings that were warehouses of the Hanseatic League that were in use between the 15th and 17th centuries. They are the only remaining building structures of the Hanseatic league in England.

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Fencing Suppliers Cheshunt Hertfordshire

Approximate Population: 51,998

Cheshunt is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of around 52,000 according to the United Kingdom’s 2001 Census. It is a dormitory town and part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt served by Cheshunt railway station. The town is located 14 miles (23 km) from Charing Cross, making it one of the closest parts of Hertfordshire to Central London.

The town name comes from the Old English name (as recorded in the Domesday Book) for the area, Cestrehunt, which probably refers to a “castle, erected by the romans”, the word word cestre (along with the form ceastre), or even its modern forms, chester and caster being derived from the Latin castrum meaning “fort”. The town Chester also derives from this root and it is an element in various places. This is commemorated in the arms of the former Cheshunt urban district council.

Cheshunt is famous in several ways. Richard Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, died here in 1712. The town’s Bury Green neighbourhood was once the home of singer Cliff Richard. Lotus Cars as well as the nationally famous Debenhams were also founded in Cheshunt, and the headquarters of Tesco, the UK’s largest and most profitable supermarket chain, is also located here. The nearby village of Goffs Oak is the original home of Victoria Beckham of Spice Girls fame. In 2002, Cheshunt hosted the only officially licensed European BotCon convention ever.

In 1825, Cheshunt was also the location of the Cheshunt Railway. Running from the town’s High Street to the River Lea near the present-day Cheshunt railway station, this 0.75 mi (1.21 km) horse-drawn line was the first passenger-carrying monorail and the first railway line to be built in Hertfordshire.

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Fencing Suppliers Waterlooville Hampshire

Approximate Population: 10,000

Waterlooville is a town in Hampshire, England approx 8 miles north of Portsmouth.

The town has a population itself of about 10,000 and is surrounded by Purbrook, Blendworth, Cowplain, Lovedean, Clanfield, Catherington, Crookhorn, Denmead, Hambledon, Horndean and Widley. It forms part of the South Hampshire conurbation. The old A3 London to Portsmouth road still goes through the town.

The town is twinned with Maurepas, Yvelines in France and Henstedt-Ulzburg in Germany.

Legend has it that it was named after the pub that stood at the centre of town, then known as Waitland End. The Heroes of Waterloo was named because on its opening day a long column of weary soldiers, who had just disembarked at Portsmouth returning home from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, decided to stop there and celebrate their victory. According to local legend, many of them settled there; at any rate the public house was renamed in their honour and the area around the pub became known as Waterlooville.

The main shopping precinct is served by First in Hampshire & Dorset bus routes 40/X40, 41, 45 and 45A, and Stagecoach services 37 and 39. The A3 Bus Corridor priority route (being constructed between 2003-2007) serves the town. As of 2006, the shopping precinct is closed to all road traffic other than buses.

The nearest train station is located in Bedhampton[2] and is on the main train route between London and Portsmouth. South West trains provide a direct bus link to Petersfield railway station via Horndean, enabling quick access to fast London-bound trains.

The town’s senior non-league football side is Havant & Waterlooville F.C. Havant & Waterlooville F.C. was drawn against Liverpool FC in the FA Cup in the 2007/08 season. Liverpool won the match 5-2, after Havant & Waterlooville had taken the lead with a goal from Richard Pacquette in the 8th minute. With Havant & Waterlooville F.C. twice leading Liverpool, the match was promoted by the English FA as a fine example of what the FA Challenge Cup is all about. Waterlooville also has a swimming pool which is home to Havant & Waterlooville Swimming Club.

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Fencing Suppliers Bedford Bedfordshire

Approximate Population: 79,190

Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to Bedfordshire County Council’s estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town of Kempston. The wider borough, including a rural area, had a population of 153,000.

Bedford was a market town for the surrounding agricultural region from the early Middle Ages. The Anglo-Saxon King Offa of Mercia was buried in the town in 796.[1] In 886 it became a boundary town separating Wessex and Danelaw.[2][3] It was the seat of the Barony of Bedford. In 919 Edward the Elder built the town’s first known fortress, on the south side of the River Ouse and there received the area’s submission. This fortress was destroyed by the Danes. William II gave the barony of Bedford to Paine de Beauchamp who built a new, strong castle. The new Bedford Castle was razed in 1224 and today only a mound remains.

Bedford is the largest settlement in Borough of Bedford. The borough council is led by a directly elected mayor who holds the title ‘Mayor of Bedford’. the current mayor is Frank Branston, who is an Independent (affiliated to no political party).

Bedford itself is divided into 10 wards: Brickhill, Castle, Cauldwell, De Parys, Goldington, Harpur, Kingsbrook, Newnham, Putnoe and Queens Park. Brickhill elects its own parish council, while Queens Park and Kingsbrook & Cauldwell have their own urban community councils (which have similar powers to a parish council). The rest (and majority) of Bedford is an unparished area.

Bedford forms part of the Bedford and Kempston constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Parliament. The current MP for Bedford and Kempston is Patrick Hall, who is a member of the Labour Party.

The town of Bedford is divided into 10 wards or areas: Brickhill, Castle, Cauldwell, De Parys, Goldington, Harpur, Kingsbrook, Newnham, Putnoe and Queens Park.

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