| Kingston upon Thames | |
|---|---|
    Clockwise from top: Kingston Market Square; Church Street;Kingston Bridge at night; Shrubsole Memorial water fountain | |
  Kingston upon Thames Location withinGreater London | |
| Population | 54,925 (Post town) 168,063 (Borough)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TQ182693 |
| • Charing Cross | 10.0 mi (16.1 km) NE |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | KINGSTON UPON THAMES |
| Postcode district | KT1, KT2 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°24′37″N0°17′58″W / 51.4103°N 0.2995°W /51.4103; -0.2995 | |
Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known asKingston, is a town in theRoyal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on theRiver Thames, 10 miles (16 km) south-west ofCharing Cross. It is an ancientmarket town, notable as the place where someSaxon kings were crowned.
Historically in the county ofSurrey, the ancientparish of Kingston covered both the town itself and a large surrounding area. The town was anancient borough, having been formally incorporated in 1441, with a long history prior to that as aroyal manor. From 1836 until 1965 the town formed theMunicipal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames. From 1893 to 2020 Kingston was the seat ofSurrey County Council. The town became part ofGreater London in 1965, when the modern borough was also created as one of the 32London boroughs.
Kingston is identified as a metropolitan centre in theLondon Plan and is one of the biggest retail centres in the UK,[2] receiving 18 million visitors a year.[3] It is also home toKingston University.
The Kingston upon Thamespost town corresponds to theKT1 and KT2 postcodes. The wider borough also includes the post towns ofNew Malden,Surbiton,Chessington, parts ofWorcester Park and peripheral parts of several other post towns based outside the borough. The Kingston upon Thames post town roughly corresponds to the sixwards of Canbury Gardens, Coombe Hill, Kingston Gate, Kingston Town, Norbiton and Tudor, which had a combined population of 54,925 at the2021 census, while the borough overall counted 168,063.[1]
Kingston was calledCyninges tun in 838 AD,Chingestune in 1086,Kingeston in 1164,Kyngeston super Tamisiam in 1321 andKingestowne upon Thames in 1589. The name means 'the king's manor or estate' from the Old English wordscyning andtun. It belonged to the king in Saxon times and was the earliest royal borough.[4]
There was historically some variation between authorities as to whether Kingston was 'on' or 'upon' Thames, and whether the name should be hyphenated or not.[5][6] ThePost Office initially adopted 'Kingston-on-Thames',[7] theOrdnance Survey used 'Kingston upon Thames',[8] and the old borough council preferred the hyphenated 'Kingston-upon-Thames'.[9] As late as 1959 the borough council was petitioning the other bodies to standardise the name as 'Kingston-upon-Thames'.[10] The London Borough created in 1965 used the form 'Kingston upon Thames' without hyphens, since when that form has been used by the council, Ordnance Survey, and as the post town.[11]
The first surviving record of Kingston is from AD 838 as the site of a meeting between KingEgbert of Wessex andCeolnoth,Archbishop of Canterbury.[12] Kingston lay on the boundary between the ancient kingdoms ofWessex andMercia, until in the early tenth century when KingÆthelstan united both to create the kingdom of England. According to theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle, two tenth-century kings were consecrated in Kingston: Æthelstan (925), andÆthelred the Unready (978). There are certain other kings who are said to have been crowned there, but for whom the evidence (including the writings ofFlorence of Worcester andRalph de Diceto) is less substantial:Edward the Elder (902),Edmund I (939),Eadred (946),Eadwig (956),Edgar the Peaceful (c. 960) andEdward the Martyr (975). It was later thought that the coronations were conducted in the Chapel of St Mary, which collapsed in 1730. Tradition dating to the 18th century holds that alarge stone recovered from the ruins played a part in the coronations. It was initially used as a mounting block, but in 1850 it was moved to a more dignified place in the market before finally being moved to its current location in the grounds of theGuildhall.[13][14][15][16]
From Medieval timesShrovetide Football was played annually at Kingston upon Thames and in surrounding towns includingRichmond andTwickenham. The windows of the houses and shops were boarded up and from 12 noon the inhabitants would kick several balls around the town before retiring to the public houses.[17] The last game was played in 1866, by which time the urban development of the town meant it caused too much damage and the custom was outlawed.[18]
Kingston upon Thames formed an ancient parish in theKingstonhundred of Surrey. Theparish of Kingston upon Thames covered a large area including numerouschapelries andtownships which subsequently became separate parishes, includingHook,Kew,New Malden,Petersham,Richmond,Surbiton,Thames Ditton andEast Molesey.[19]
Kingston was a royal manor. It was granted variouscharters allowing it the right to hold markets and fairs, with the oldest surviving charter being fromKing John in 1208. A subsequent charter in 1441 formally incorporated the town as a borough.[20][21]
The borough covered a much smaller area than the ancient parish, although as new parishes were split off the borough and parish eventually became identical in 1894. The borough was reformed to become amunicipal borough in 1836 under theMunicipal Corporations Act 1835, becoming theMunicipal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames. It had been long been known as a royal borough through custom; its right to the title was formally confirmed byGeorge V in 1927.[22][23] Kingston upon Thames was the seat ofSurrey County Council from 1893, when it moved fromNewington to a new headquarters atCounty Hall. The county council remained based at County Hall until 2020, despite Kingston having been removed from its administrative area in 1965.[24]
In 1965, Greater London was created and the old municipal borough was abolished. Its former area was merged with that of theMunicipal Borough of Surbiton and theMunicipal Borough of Malden and Coombe, to form theLondon Borough of Kingston upon Thames.[11] At the request ofKingston upon Thames London Borough Council another royal charter was granted byQueen Elizabeth II entitling it to continue using the title "Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames" for the new borough.[25]
Kingston was built at the first crossing point of theThames upstream fromLondon Bridge and abridge still exists at the same site. It was this 'great bridge' that gave it its early importance in the 13th century.[12] Kingston was occupied by theRomans, and later it was either a royal residence or a royaldemesne. There is a record of a council held there in 838, at whichEgbert of Wessex, King of Wessex, and his sonEthelwulf of Wessex were present. In the Domesday Book it was held byWilliam the Conqueror. Its domesday assets were: a church, fivemills, fourfisheries worth 10s, 27ploughs, 40 acres (16 ha) ofmeadow,woodland worth sixhogs. It rendered£31 10s (£31.50).[27]
In 1730, the chapel containing the royal effigies collapsed, burying thesexton, who was digging a grave, the sexton's daughter and another person. The daughter survived this accident and was her father's successor as sexton. Kingston sent members to earlyParliaments, until a petition by the inhabitants prayed to be relieved from the burden. Another chapel, the collegiate chapel of St Mary Magdalene, The Lovekyn Chapel, still exists. It was founded in 1309 by a former mayor of London,Edward Lovekyn. It is the only private chantry chapel to survive theReformation.[28]
With the coming of the railway in the 1830s, there was much building development to the south of the town. Much of this became the new town ofSurbiton, but theSurbiton Park estate, built in the grounds of Surbiton Place in the 1850s, remained part of Kingston during the period of theMunicipal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames.
A permanent military presence was established in the borough with the completion ofThe Barracks in 1875.[29]
Kingston evolved as a market town from the Saxon period, with goods transported on the Thames and over land via the crossing point.[30]Rights to hold markets were amongst the liberties granted by the royal charter of 1208 and the market formally established in 1242.[31] A horse fair was held at a site on the downstream side of the river north of the bridge and a market extended from there to around the church by the 17th century and further south towards the course of the Hogsmill River. Goods traded included oats, wheat, rye, malt, apples and other fruit, flowers, wool, leather and cheese. Cattle, meat and fish were also traded. The regular Saturday market was supplemented by a Wednesday market in 1662. In addition to markets, regular fairs were held.[31] Local industries included pottery, brick making, tanning, leather-working, fishing, milling, brewing and boat-building.[32][33]
The presence of fabric and wood-working craft skills associated with boat-building was a factor in the choice of Kingston as the site chosen byTommy Sopwith to expand production of early aircraft fromSopwith Aviation's origins atBrooklands.[34] Well known aviation personalitiesSydney Camm,Harry Hawker and Tommy Sopwith were responsible for much of Kingston's achievements in aviation. For much of the 20th century, Kingston was a major military aircraft manufacturing centre specialising in fighter aircraft – first with Sopwith Aviation, H G Hawker Engineering, laterHawker Aircraft,Hawker Siddeley and eventuallyBritish Aerospace. The renownedSopwith Camel,Hawker Fury,Hurricane,Hunter andHarrier jump jet were all designed and built in the town and examples of all of these aircraft can be seen today at the nearbyBrooklands Museum inWeybridge. British Aerospace finally closed its Lower Ham Road factory in 1992;[35] part of the site was subsequently redeveloped for housing but the riverside part houses a community centre and sports complex.
Following the construction of the Kingston Relief Road (commonly known as the "Kingston one-way system") in 1989,[36] major shopping streets in the town centre and the historic Market Place werepedestrianised.[37] Two major commercial developments were also built in Kingston town centre - withJohn Lewis Kingston department store opening in 1990[38] and theBentall Centre shopping centre opening in 1992.[39] In the early 2000s, the Charter Quay development south of Kingston Bridge completed theriverside walk,[40] as well as adding bars, restaurants and theRose Theatre, which opened in 2008 withSir Peter Hall as the director.[41] In 2001, the old Kingston bus garage and bus station, closed the previous year, was demolished and the site redeveloped as the Rotunda complex, with anOdeon Cinema, restaurants and tenpin bowling.[42]
Kingston straddles two Parliamentary constituencies: the area north of the railway line is part ofRichmond Park, which is represented bySarah Olney of theLiberal Democrats, and the area south of the railway line (including the ancient town centre) is part ofKingston and Surbiton which is represented byEd Davey of the Liberal Democrats.
Kingston is part of theKingston Gate andKingston Town wards for elections toKingston upon Thames London Borough Council.[43]
Central Kingston is a busy, largely pedestrian and predominantly retail centre, with a small number of commercial offices and civic buildings.
The shopping centre includes a shopping mall, "The Bentall Centre", containing theBentalls department store and large branches ofchain stores found in many British high streets. There is a large branch of theJohn Lewis department store group, with aWaitrose supermarket in the basement. A smaller 1960s shopping centre calledEden Walk exists nearby. The Rotunda, in a former Bentalls furniture depository building (a local landmark), includes abowling alley, fitness centre, a 15-screenOdeon multiplex cinema and a few restaurants.
The ancient market is still held daily in the Market Place, including such produce as fish, jewellery, exotic foods, local foods and flowers.
Kingston's civic buildings includeKingston Museum,public library, modernCrown Court, smallerCounty Court andthe Guildhall. The Guildhall is located by the part-culverted mouth of theHogsmill River, and housesKingston Council andmagistrates' court. A short distance away is theCounty Hall Building which houses the main offices ofSurrey County Council. From 1893 to 1965, before Kingston became one of the 32London boroughs ofGreater London, it was the county town of Surrey following the period of 1791–1893 whenNewington had this role.Guildford has officially reclaimed this ancient, now ceremonial title as Kingston is no longer administered by Surrey.[44]
Kingston's main open space is theRiver Thames, with its lively frontage of bars and restaurants. Downstream there is a walk throughCanbury Gardens towardsTeddington Lock. Upstream there is a promenade crossing theHogsmill river and reaching almost to Surbiton. Eagle Brewery Wharf is a council-owned public space located on the riverside.[45] Across Kingston Bridge is a tree lined river bank fronting the expanse of Hampton Court Park.
Kingston has many pubs and restaurants and several public houses in the centre have become restaurants or bars. The more traditional pubs tend to be in the northern part of the town (Canbury) and include The Canbury Arms, Park Tavern, The Wych Elm and Willoughby Arms. Further south are found theDruid's Head, the Spring Grove, The Cricketers, The Albion Tavern, The Duke of Buckingham, and several small local pubs around Fairfield. The Druid's Head is notable as one of the first taverns to makesyllabub, the famous dessert, in the 18th century.[46] There are several Chinese, Indian, Thai and Italian restaurants.
The local newspapers are the weeklySurrey Comet, which celebrated its 150th year in 2004,[47] and theKingston Guardian.
In 2010 retail footprint research, Kingston ranked 25th in terms of retail expenditure in the UK at £810 million, equal toCovent Garden and just ahead ofSouthampton. This puts it as generating the fifth highest level of retail sales inGreater London, passingCroydon, with just four West End alternatives ahead.[48] In 2005, Kingston was 24th with £864 million, and 3rd in London.[49] In a 2015 study by CACI, Kingston was ranked 28th in the UK in the Hot 100 Retail Locations - and the second highest in Greater London after Croydon.[50] In 2018, Kingston was ranked joint 5th in the UK byKnight Frank in the "High Street Investment Ranking", only bettered byCambridge,Bath,Chichester andReading.[51]
In 2013 Kingston became the location for alocal currency scheme, designed to boost and strengthen the local economy in Kingston,[52][53] as part of theTransition towns initiative. The Kingston pound began as adigital currency, and from 2018 existed in paper format, with denominations of K£1;K£5;K£10;and K£20 designed by graphic design students fromKingston University. These were taken out of circulation in 2021, but have been sold to many collectors all over the world. The Kingston Pound is a 'tagged' sterling that can be exchanged either way on a 1 for 1 basis without any penalty.[54][55]
As of 2011, Kingston upon Thames has the fourth highest retail turnover for comparison goods in Greater London, £432 million annually, only bettered by theWest End,Shepherd's Bush andStratford. As of 2012, Kingston has 276,438 square metres (2,975,550 sq ft) of total town centre floorspace, the 3rd highest in London.[56]
A notable dramatic arts venue is theRose Theatre, opened on 16 January 2008 and seating about 900 people. The audience are arranged around the semi-circular stage. All Saints Church is host to classical choral and music concerts mostly on Saturdays and houses aFrobenius organ. There are a number of choral societies including theKingston Orpheus Choir and theKingston Choral Society, an amateur symphony orchestra the Kingston Philharmonia, and the Kingston and District Chamber Music Society. A number of annual festivals are organised by the Council and Kingston Arts Council including Kingston Readers' Festival, Think-in-Kingston and the Festival of the Voice.[citation needed] Kingston University runs the Stanley Picker Gallery and Kingston Museum has a changing gallery on the first floor. A regular singing group at the Rose Theatre caters to schools and families.[57]
John Galsworthy the author was born on Kingston Hill andJacqueline Wilson grew up, and went to school in Kingston and still lives there today. Both are commemorated at Kingston University – Galsworthy in the newest building and Wilson in the main hall. Also commemorated at the university is photographerEadweard Muybridge who was born at Kingston and changed the spelling of his first name in reference to the name of the Saxon king on the Coronation Stone. He was a pioneer in the photography of the moving image.R. C. Sherriff the playwright is also associated with Kingston, writing his first play to support Kingston Rowing Club.[58] An earlier writer born in Kingston wasJohn Cleland.[59]
Kingston has been covered in literature, film and television. It is where the comicVictorian novelThree Men in a Boat byJerome K. Jerome begins; cannons aimed against the Martians inH. G. Wells'The War of the Worlds are positioned on Kingston Hill; inThe Rainbow byD. H. Lawrence the youngest Brangwen dreams of a job in Kingston upon Thames in a long, lyrical passage; Mr. Knightly inEmma byJane Austen regularly visits Kingston, although the narrative never follows him there.
Fine art is also a prominent feature in the history of Kingston. BothJohn Hoyland andJeremy Moon worked from permanent studios in Kingston and many artists and designers have studied at the university includingFiona Banner,John Bratby,David Nash andJasper Morrison.
Early in his music career, the guitarist and singer-songwriterEric Clapton spent timebusking in Kingston upon Thames,[60] having grown up and studied in the area.[61] Rock bandCardiacs were formed in the town.
Recently,[when?] a scene fromMujhse Dosti Karoge, aBollywood film starringHrithik Roshan as the leading actor, was filmed by the toppled telephone boxes sculpture in Old London Road.[citation needed]
The 1974Doctor Who story "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" used several locations in the town for filming.[62] The 2008 series ofPrimeval, shown on ITV1 in January, featured almost an entire episode filmed inside theBentall Centre andJohn Lewis department stores. Kingston featured inPrimeval again in May 2009 with several scenes shot in and around the Market Place.Nipper, the famous "His Master's Voice" dog, is buried in the town under Lloyds Bank. His owners lived nearby in Fife Road.[citation needed]
Kingston Green Fair was held annually from 1987 to 2008 in Canbury Gardens, next to the river, on the SpringBank Holiday.[63] The word "Green" in the title refers to the ethos of the fair as promotingsustainable development. For instance no meat or other products derived from dead animals were allowed to be sold, and no electricity was permitted on the site unless generated by wind, sun, or bicycle power.[64]
One of the more unusual sights in Kingston isOut of Order byDavid Mach, a sculpture in the form of twelve disusedred telephone boxes that have been tipped up to lean against one another in an arrangement resembling dominoes. The work was commissioned in 1988 as part of the landscaping for the new Relief Road, and was described by its creator as "anti-minimalist".[65][66]
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Kingston is principally served byKingston railway station, which opened in 1863.
The station is inLondon fare zone 6 and is served bySouth Western Railway trains fromLondon Waterloo.[67][68] Trains to Waterloo link Kingston directly to destinations such asWimbledon,Clapham Junction andVauxhall. Eastbound trains travel toShepperton viaTeddington,Hampton andSunbury. Eastbound trains also travel on theKingston loop line towards Teddington,Strawberry Hill,Twickenham andRichmond, after which trains continue towards Waterloo. From Waterloo, trains to Kingston are advertised towards "Shepperton" and "Strawberry Hill".[67][68]
A nearby station inNorbiton (infare zone 5) is on the same lines.[67]
NearbySurbiton station – originally named Kingston when it opened in 1838 – is on theSouth West Main Line in London fare zone 6. Surbiton is also served by South Western Railway trains from Waterloo. Southbound services link Surbiton to destinations inSurrey andHampshire, such asHampton Court,Guildford,Woking andBasingstoke.[67] The station building at Surbiton was built in 1937, designed in anArt Deco style byJames Robb Scott. It has beenGrade II listed since 1983.[69]
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Kingston is served by two bus stations,Cromwell Road andFairfield, and a large number of bus stops, with destinations across Greater London and Surrey including links directly toHeathrow Airport.[70]
The Kingston Bypass passes to the south and east of Kingston. The bypass carries theA3, which links the area toMerton,Wandsworth,Clapham and theCity of London to the north. To the south, the A3 runs toPortsmouth viaGuildford andPetersfield.
A portion of the bypass carries theA309 toThames Ditton,Hampton Court and theA308.
There are several radial routes including:
In the 1960s, planners proposed a partially elevatedring road encircling the town centre, to alleviate congestion on major shopping streets and traffic heading towardsKingston Bridge.[37] After objections from local residents, an interim one-way system was implemented in July 1963.[71] Following this, the Kingston Relief Road was constructed in Kingston town centre in the late 1980s.[37] Commonly known as the "Kingston one-way system",[36] the road encircles the town centre, allowing for major shopping streets such as Clarence Street to bepedestrianised.[72] On the western side of the town centre, the road passes underneathJohn Lewis Kingston before crossing theRiver Thames via Kingston Bridge.[73] As part of the project, twobus stations were constructed, cycle lanes installed and several artworks commissioned includingOut of Order byDavid Mach andRiver Celebration byCarole Hodgson.[65][66]
Kingston Town End and Kingston Turks piers are situated in Kingston. Turk Launches operates a Summer-only river tour between Hampton Court and Richmond St Helena.[74]
There is a network of cycle lanes throughout Kingston linking the area to destinations throughout south-west London and England.
Key routes include:
Kingston is the location ofKingston University andKingston College. Primary schools in the town include Latchmere School, Fernhill School, St Luke's School, King Athelstan School and St Agatha's Catholic Primary School. Secondary schools in the town includeThe Kingston Academy,Tiffin School,Tiffin Girls' School andKingston Grammar School, all of which have large catchment areas acrossGreater London andSurrey.[78][79]
The growth and development of Kingston Polytechnic, and its transformation intoKingston University in 1992, has made Kingston a university town.[80]
The 12th-centuryAll Saints Church serves theChurch of England parish of Kingston which lies ecclesiastically in theDiocese of Southwark, although there has been a church in Kingston since at least 838.[81] Thesuffragan or AreaBishop of Kingston is the Rt Rev DrRichard Cheetham. Other Anglican churches in Kingston, of more recent date, areSt John the Evangelist andSt Luke.
Kingston lies in the Roman CatholicArchdiocese of Southwark, and there is aRoman Catholic Church dedicated toSaint Agatha.
Kingston is also the home of the Kingston Surbiton & District Synagogue. It also has a Quaker meeting house, a Mosque and a SikhGurdwara.
Lady Booth Road, formerly Fairfield Road, is named to commemorate the former location of theSalvation Army citadel.
Kingston is the home of four association football clubs,Chelsea F.C. Women who play at theKingsmeadow Stadium,[82]Corinthian-Casuals[83] andKingstonian who play inTolworth,[84] andChessington & Hook United who play inChessington.[85] Chelsea F.C. Women play in theFA Women's Super League, whereas Kingstonian, Corinthian-Casuals and Chessington & Hook United arenon-league clubs.
Kingston Athletic Club and Polytechnic Harriers are based at the neighbouring Kingsmeadow athletics stadium.[86] This stadium has a 400m track which is floodlit, a gym and 5-a-side football facilities.[87] Kingston Rugby Club is based on the outskirts of the town, andKingston Rowing Club (founded in 1858) is based in Canbury Gardens on the River Thames.[88] The Club holds two large timed race events (HEADs) in the Spring and Autumn.Kingston Regatta takes place on the river just above the bridge over a weekend in early July.[89][90]
The town has a large leisure centre next to Fairfield named the Kingfisher Centre, which contains an indoor swimming pool and gymnasium.[91] Sport in Kingston is promoted and encouraged by Sport Kingston, an organisation funded by the Royal Borough of Kingston.[92]
Kingston Wildcats School of Basketball is a communitybasketball development club that practices and plays its home fixtures at Chessington School,[93] competing in the Surrey League and Basketball England National League.
Old Kingstonaian Hockey Club,Old Cranleighan Hockey Club,Surbiton Hockey Club andTeddington Hockey Club are localfield hockey clubs that compete in theWomen's England Hockey League, theMen's England Hockey League and theLondon Hockey League.[94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101]
Prior to the opening of thegames, Kingston hosted the2012 Summer Olympics torch relay[102] on two occasions with the flame travelling through the borough on 24 July 2012 and aboard theGloriana in a cauldron on 27 July 2012 en route to theOlympic Stadium for theopening ceremony. The borough was the setting for four cycling events during the Olympics, themen's road race,women's road race,men's road time trial andwomen's road time trial.
Following the games, theLondon–Surrey Classic professionalroad bicycle race ran through the town from 2013 to 2018, using a similar course to the Olympic road race.[103] Following theCOVID-19 pandemic, the race will not return to Kingston, with theRideLondon festival using the roads ofEssex instead.[104]
Kingston is 3 miles (5 km) south-east ofTwickenham, 5 miles (8 km) north-east ofWalton-on-Thames, and 6 miles (10 km) north-west ofSutton.
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Kingston upon Thames has beentwinned withOldenburg in Germany since 2010.[105] It also has been historically twinned withDelft in theNetherlands.Since 2016, Kingston upon Thames has beentwinned withJaffna in Sri Lanka.[106]
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