About the town » Stanwell, Surrey, England, Great Britain

Stanwell is an urban and suburban village in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne 15.7 miles (24.8 km) WSW of Charing Cross and centred half a mile (0.8 km) from the southern boundary of London Heathrow Airport, adjoining its cargo depot.The 'village' of Stanwell Moor, a semi-rural neighbourhood has broken away from Stanwell by having its own village association, and is separated from the village centre by a field, large reservoir and dual carriageway, which includes most of the remaining village farms. However it is included within a ward and parish of Stanwell. In common, both localities have large areas of reservoir and are within 2 miles (3.2 km) of a junction of the M25 London Orbital Motorway. To the west of the village proper stretch further areas of open land, much of which is part of the Metropolitan Green Belt and is important primarily for fish and bird life, including the Staines Moor SSSI and the Colne Valley regional park.Stanwell lost land to a fraction of the adjoining airport and to Berkshire in the mid and late 20th century respectively. Its main industrial and business area, Poyle, broke away to join Colnbrook, Berkshire in 1995 due to the completion of the M25 London Orbital Motorway. Stanwell is adjoined by two towns and includes Ashford Hospital and the Staines Reservoirs named after these. The largest of its neighbours is Staines upon Thames which is a retail, entertainment, dining and leisure venue and has corporate offices. The nearest railway station is centred 1 mile (1.6 km) south, or 1.5 miles south of the parish church in the conservation area of the village.