In the shadow of the plane paths flying over Heathrow Airport, and near the quiet and understated village of Stanwell, hide the remains of a property that was once one of the region's most prominent country mansions.
It is "Stanwell Place", which was once a luxurious palace and the residence of King Faisal II, the last king of Iraq, before its features gradually disappeared and what remains of it today are only scattered fragments and memories that tell chapters of a long history that extended from the life of the English nobility to the years of World War II, and then was associated for a short period with royal exile, according to the London newspaper "Metro".
Stanwell Place has witnessed successive expansions and changes over the centuries, with ownership of the property changing hands between several families. But the most notable urban transformations occurred at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the Gibbons family undertook the development of the main house and the construction of the palace, which became the center of the property. The property's lands extended over a wide area of gardens, pastures, and farms that were rented by local residents, in a way that reflected the traditional lifestyle of the landowning class and nobility in the English countryside. It is believed that the green spaces surrounding the palace were designed in the eighteenth century and extended over hundreds of acres. But the area of the property began to gradually shrink as parts of its land were sold and used for various projects, including the construction of water reservoirs and the development of small plots of agricultural land, thus beginning the end of a long era of the expansion of “Stanwell Place.”
In 1933, ownership of Stanwell Place passed to Sir John Gibson, a prominent civil engineer who was later knighted in recognition of his contributions during World War II. Gibson was not just a country estate owner; He played an important role in a number of major engineering projects in Britain during the war. Among his works was contributing to the “Queen Mary Tank” project, and he also served as Deputy Director and Chief Civil Engineer in the British Ministry of Supply, but his most prominent role came in a top-secret military project known as “Mulberry Harbours.” These huge artificial harbors were part of the preparations for the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944; It helped create temporary infrastructure to facilitate the landing of troops, equipment and supplies on the French coast. Thus, for a period of time the quiet country mansion was associated with one of the most important engineering and military projects of World War II.
After the war, the name “Stanwell Place” was associated with a completely different guest than the engineers and aristocratic families who had inhabited the property throughout its history. King Faisal II of Iraq became among those associated with the palace, which provided him with a headquarters far from his country. Faisal II was the last king of Iraq, and he assumed the throne at a young age, under the regency and then at a stage in which Iraq witnessed profound political transformations. But his relationship with Stanwell Place did not last long. In 1958, a military coup overthrew the monarchy in Iraq, and the life of King Faisal II ended with assassination during the bloody events that took place in Baghdad. With his death, the palace’s connection to the Iraqi king was cut off, and it was not long before the property entered a new phase of neglect.
By the 1960s, the effects of neglect were beginning to appear clearly on Stanwell Place. The palace, which witnessed centuries of history, was no longer able to withstand the transformations that were taking place around it. Eventually, the main house was demolished to make way for gravel quarrying, leaving most of the palace's physical features gone. Thus, “Stanwell Place” is no longer a palace that can be visited or wandered around its corridors, but rather it has become a name hiding behind the modern landscape of the area surrounding Heathrow Airport. In the place that once embraced the life of the English aristocracy, and then hosted the King of Iraq, modern aircraft now cross the sky over a land that carries a completely different memory.
Although the summer cinema season in Egypt is approaching its end, cinemas are receiving a number of new films this September, looking for their share of the revenues before the end of the season. Perhaps the most prominent of these films are “Red Flag” and “Shish Do.” Yasser Shafi’i’s “Complaint 713317” is expected to be shown at the end of this month, and Ahmed Helmy’s film “History.”
The movie “Red Flag” will be shown on September 9. It stars Ahmed Hatem, Gamila Awad, Sherif Mounir, Nisreen Amin, and Intisar. Its events revolve around the pilot Hisham, who has many relationships, and his wife, who works as a director of an advertising company. The film was written by Ahmed Mohy, based on the idea of Kero Ayman, and directed by Mahmoud Karim.
The promotional advertisement for the movie “Shish Do” received remarkable attention on social media. Tweeters praised the artist Bassem Samra's return to comedy, through the film starring opposite Bayoumi Fouad, Ahmed Siam, Malek Imad, Bassant Abu Basha, Rahma Ahmed, and Mahmoud Azab, and produced and directed by Akmal Shahir.
The film “Complaint 713317” by director Yasser Shafi’i is expected to be shown at the end of this month. It is his first feature film, and it witnessed its opening screening at the Cairo Film Festival. It won the Best Screenplay Award in the “Arab Cinema Horizons” competition. Co-starring is Mahmoud Hemida and Sherine.
The film “History” by artist Ahmed Helmy is also expected to be shown during the coming period, without a final date for its release being set yet. Co-starring is Amina Khalil, Majed Al-Masry, Khaled Al-Sawy, Rahma Ahmed, and Mohamed Abdel Azim.
Egyptian art critic Sayed Mahmoud Salam believes that “screening new films at the end of the summer season will have a weak chance of generating significant revenues,” adding that “films by big stars during this season did not achieve the expected revenues, which prompted a number of production and distribution companies to withdraw from the idea of releasing their films now.”
Indian director Gurvinder Singh said that his choice of mercy, rather than revenge, as the emotional driving force of his film “Rehmat” came from a desire to challenge the narratives presented by many films that deal with revenge and cover it with national and religious ideas.
Singh explained in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that the Punjab region has always been part of a syncretic culture in which religions coexisted, pointing out that British colonial rule, which led to the division of the region in 1947 on religious grounds, radically changed that reality. The events of “Rahma” take place in Punjab, India, through three interconnected stories: The first is about a woman hiding an injured stranger inside her home, the second is about a family living under the weight of the disappearance of one of its members, and the third story revolves around a mysterious old man.
