Stanwell Village lies west of central London, half a mile from London Heathrow Airport. Stanwell Village was once part of the former county of Middlesex but when most of Middlesex became part of Greater London in 1963, Stanwell was transferred to Surrey. The ancient settlement, named after ‘St. Anne’s Well’, was mentioned in the Doomsday Book (commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086). In 1603 the manor of Stanwell was granted to Lord Thomas Knyvett, who was responsible for arresting Guy Fawkes in 1605.
Guy Fawkes was the most notorious conspirator of the Gunpowder Plot, which attempted to blow up King James I and the Houses of Parliament in 1605. Stanwell’s 12th century St Mary’s church (with leaning spire) contains monuments to Lord and Lady Knyvett. It has Norman and Gothic architectural elements. In 1838, an unknown species of rose was found in a local garden and given the name of Stanwell Perpetual. After World War II Stanwell grew rapidly in size, mostly to provide homes for workers at nearby London Heathrow Airport.
