TQ0271 : London Stone Information Board

This was at Lammas Park, next to the River Thames. It was the site of The London Stone for 2 to 3 hundred years. The original stone is thought to be a Roman Altar stone and stood in Staines since 1285. It marked the Corporation of City of London’s former limit of jurisdiction on the Thames. They gained these rights in 1197, during the reign of Richard I, and held them until the formation of the Thames Conservancy in 1857. This was the highest point at which the tide could be detected (that pleasure now belongs to Teddington Lock). In the 18th Century the stone was moved upstream, to what is now Lammas Park, and this in turn was replaced by the replica in 1986. In 2012 the replica was moved back down river to where it is now, between the Town Hall and next the Town Pier, and near to its original site. You can now see the original stone in Spelthorne Museum, behind the library on Thames Street. According to the display at the museum: “… The London Stone is actually a stack of six layers of stones, of varying dates. The topmost one was reputed to be a Roman altar stone, although its actual origin is unknown. On the top part are the words “God preserve ye City of London AD 1285”.