Kingston upon Thames
Encyclopedia
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
in southwest London
. It was the ancient market town
where Saxon
kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated 10 miles (16.1 km) south west of Charing Cross
. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan
.
kings are traditionally said to have been crowned at Kingston, while seated on a large stone – The Coronation Stone
– that stands outside the Guildhall. There is a local tradition that these Saxon coronations gave Kingston its name, but the records of the 838 council disprove this.Dickens 1887, op. cit. Kingston upon Thames appears in Domesday Book
of 1086 as Chingestone and Chingetun(e).
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, later Hawker Aircraft
, Hawker Siddeley and eventually British Aerospace
. The legendary Sopwith Camel
, Hawker Fury
, Hurricane
, Hunter
and Harrier
were all designed and built in the town and examples of all of these aircraft can be seen today at the nearby Brooklands Museum
in Weybridge. Well known aviation personalities Sydney Camm, Harry Hawker
and Tommy Sopwith were responsible for much of Kingston's achievements in aviation. British Aerospace finally closed its Lower Ham Road factory in 1992 part of the site was subsequently redeveloped for housing, the river side part of the site remains as a community centre and sports complex. The growth and development of Kingston Polytechnic and its transformation into Kingston University
has made Kingston a university town.
hundred of Surrey. The parish of Kingston upon Thames
covered a large area including Hook
, Kew
, New Malden
, Petersham
, Richmond and Surbiton
.
The town of Kingston was granted a charter
by King John
in 1200, but the oldest one to survive is from 1208 and this document is housed in the town's archives. Other charters were issued by later kings, including Edward IV's
charter that gave the town the status of a borough in 1481. 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 by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
, becoming the Municipal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
. It had been known as a Royal borough through custom and the right to the title was confirmed by George V in 1927. Kingston upon Thames has been the location of Surrey County Council
since it moved from Newington
in 1893.
In 1965 the local government of Greater London
was reorganised and the municipal borough was abolished. Its former area was merged with that of the Municipal Borough of Surbiton
and the Municipal Borough of Malden and Coombe
, to form the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames. At the request of Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council another Royal Charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth II entitling it to continue using the title "Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames" for the new borough.
Kingston was built at the first crossing point of the Thames
upstream from London Bridge
and a bridge still exists at the same site. Kingston was occupied by the Roman
s, and later it was either a royal residence or a royal demesne
. There is a record of a council held there in 838, at which Egbert of Wessex
, King of Wessex, and his son Ethelwulf of Wessex
were present. In the Domesday Book it was held by William the Conqueror. Its domesday assets were: a church, five mills
, three fisheries
worth 10s, 27 plough
s, 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of meadow
, woodland
worth six hogs. It rendered £30.
In 1730 the chapel containing the royal effigies collapsed, burying the sexton
, 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 early Parliament
s, until a petition by the inhabitants prayed to be relieved from the burden. Another chapel, 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 the Reformation
.
which is represented by Conservative
MP Zac Goldsmith
; the area south of the railway line (which includes the ancient town centre) is part of Kingston and Surbiton represented by Liberal Democrat
Edward Davey
.
Central Kingston is a busy predominantly retail centre, with a small number of commercial offices and civic buildings. It has a great amount of car parks, connected by a one-way system. It is one of the main centres of the south west London bus network, and it is connected to Twickenham
, Richmond, Wimbledon
, and London Waterloo
by National Rail
trains.
Shopping is well catered for and is generally towards the upper end of expectations, with a good mixture of familiar High Street chains and more select boutiques. The shopping centre includes a shopping mall, "The Bentall Centre", containing the Bentalls
department store and large branches of chain stores found in many British high streets. There is a large branch of the John Lewis
department store group, with a Waitrose
supermarket, located in the basement. The Rotunda, located in the former Bentalls furniture depository building (a local landmark), includes a bowling alley
, fitness centre, a 14-screen Odeon
multiplex cinema and some restaurants. Recent developments along the riverside south of Kingston Bridge have added bars, restaurants and a theatre, the Rose Theatre
which opened in 2008 with Sir Peter Hall as the director. The ancient market is still held daily in the Market Place.
Kingston's civic buildings include the Guildhall which houses Kingston Council
and the magistrates' court
, There is also the county court
, a local museum and public library
. A short distance away is the new crown court
building, adjacent to the County Hall Building which houses the main offices of Surrey
County Council. Until local government re-organisation in 1965 when Kingston became one of the 32 London borough
s of Greater London
, it was the County Town of Surrey. Guildford
now has this title as Kingston is no longer administered by Surrey. Plans to move these offices to Woking
have been scrapped.
Kingston's main open space is the River Thames, with its lively frontage of bars and restaurants. Downstream there is a walk through Canbury Gardens
towards Teddington Lock
. Upstream there is a promenade crossing the Hogsmill
river and reaching almost to Surbiton. Across Kingston Bridge is a tree lined river bank fronting the expanse of Hampton Court Park.
in the 18th century. There are several Chinese, Indian, Thai and Italian restaurants.
The local newspapers are the weekly paid-for Surrey Comet, which celebrated its 150th year in 2004, and the free Kingston Guardian.
In research from 2010 on retail footprint, Kingston upon Thames came out as 25th in terms of retail expenditure in the UK at £810 million. This puts it as generating the fifth most amount of money from the retail sector in the Greater London area, passing Croydon
. In 2005, Kingston was 24th with £864 million.
. This theatre opened on 16 January 2008 and seats approximately 899 people. The audience are arranged around the semi-circular stage, thus making the theatre feel cosy and enclosed. All Saints Church is host to classical choral and music concerts mostly on Saturdays and houses a Frobenius
organ
. There are a number of choral societies including the Kingston Orpheus Choir
and the Kingston 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. Kingston University runs the Stanley Picker Gallery and Kingston Museum has a changing gallery on the first floor. 'Singing it Back' singing groups come from Kingston Upon Thames and run in the local area.
John Galsworthy
the author was born on Kingston Hill and Jacqueline 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 photographer Eadweard 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. Sheriff the playwright is also associated with Kingston, writing his first play to support Kingston Rowing Club. An earlier writer born in Kingston was John Cleland
.
Kingston has been covered in literature, film and television. It is where the comic Victorian
novel Three Men in a Boat
by Jerome K. Jerome
begins; cannons aimed against the Martians in H. G. Wells
' The War of the Worlds are positioned on Kingston Hill; in The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence
the youngest Brangwen dreams of a job in Kingston upon Thames in a long, lyrical passage; Mr. Knightly in Emma by Jane Austen
regularly visits Kingston, although the narrative never follows him there.
Kingston is referenced (and used as a filming location) in episodes of Monty Python. More recently, a scene from Mujhse Dosti Karoge, a Bollywood
film starring Hrithik Roshan
as the leading actor, was filmed by the toppled telephone boxes sculpture in Old London Road. A scene in the television programme The Good Life sees Richard Briers
get on a 71 bus in 'The Avenue' towards Kingston town centre (albeit this route never served the east side of Surbiton where the series is set). Nipper
, the famous "His Master's Voice" (HMV
) dog, buried in the town under Lloyds Bank. His owners lived nearby in Fife Road. Also, the 2008 series of 'Primeval', shown on ITV1 in January, featured almost an entire episode filmed inside the Bentall Centre
and John Lewis
department stores. Kingston featured in Primeval again in May 2009 with several scenes shot in and around the Market Place. Most of the BBC program Vexed is filmed in Kingston.
Kingston Green Fair was held annually from 1987 to 2008 in Canbury Gardens, next to the river, on the Spring Bank Holiday
. The word "Green" in the title refers to the ethos of the fair as promoting sustainable 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. Kingston is also home to Crack Comedy Club which opened at The Grey Horse Pub in 2002.
One of the more unusual sights in Kingston is several disused red telephone box
es that have been tipped up to lean against one another in an arrangement resembling dominoes. This sculpture by David Mach
was commissioned in 1988 as part of the landscaping for the new Relief Road, and is called Out of Order.
via New Malden
and Wimbledon
or via Richmond upon Thames
(the long way round). The local stations are Kingston, Norbiton
and Hampton Wick
. Norbiton is east of the town centre near Kingston Hospital
, and Hampton Wick is to the west across the river Thames. Two additional railway stations are located on the main line in nearby Surbiton
(which has a more frequent service) and Berrylands
.
The town originally restricted the coming of the railways as much of its wealth and status were as a direct consequence of the road and stagecoach network developed as a result of its placing as a crossing on the Thames. Local landowners would not consent to the line coming through their land, and in 1838 the rail station was built a few miles out at Surbiton
, which was known as 'Kingston Upon Railway". This led to the development of Surbiton
. Kingston recognised the need for the railway, and in the 1860s Kingston opened. The line however, due to the landowners resistance, had to take a longer route via Richmond upon Thames
. Only later did the line get permission for a faster link, connecting to London Waterloo via Norbiton
.
The A3 road runs from central London towards Kingston before by-passing the town to the east. The "Kingston bypass road" was one of the first arterial roads to be built in Britain. It was originally proposed in 1912 to relieve the pressure of traffic in the town centre, but World War I delayed the start of work until 1924. It was opened by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin
on 28 October 1927. Kingston is also served by the A240
, the A307 (Portsmouth Road)
, A308
and A310.
Riverboats run regularly between Kingston and Hampton Court as well as Richmond all during the summer season. There are also direct services to Putney and Westminster from Hampton Court.
Kingston is the location of Kingston University
and Kingston College
.There are 34 Primary schools (including Infant and Junior), of which 14 are Church Schools,10 Secondary Schools and 14 Private schools which provide education for all age ranges. Some of Kingston's most notable Primary Schools include Latchmere Primary School, where the author Jacqueline Wilson
attended. It's most notable private secondary schools are Surbiton High School
and Kingston Grammar School
. The most notable public secondary schools include Tiffin School and Tiffin Girls' School
, 2 grammar schools.
Diocese of Southwark
and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark
. The suffragan or Area Bishop of Kingston
is the Rt Rev. Dr Richard Ian Cheetham
. Kingston is also the home of the Kingston Surbiton & District Synagogue and Kingston Liberal Synagogue. Kingston also has a Quaker meeting house, a Mosque and a Sikh Gurdwara
.
and Kingstonian F.C.
, both of which play at the Kingsmeadow Stadium, and Corinthian-Casuals F.C.
who play in nearby Tolworth. AFC Wimbledon will play in Football League Two
as of the 2011-12 season, whereas Kingstonian F.C. and Corinthian-Casuals F.C. are both non-league
clubs. Kingston Athletic Club and Polytechnic Harriers – as of 2009, competing in the National Two division of the British Athetics League – are based at the neighbouring Kingsmeadow athetics stadium. Kingston Rugby Club is based on the outskirts of the town and Kingston Rowing Club
is based on the River Thames. Kingston Regatta
takes place on the river at the town in July. Sport in Kingston is promoted and encouraged by Sport Kingston, an organisation funded by the Royal Borough of Kingston.
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,...
in southwest London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It was the ancient market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
where Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated 10 miles (16.1 km) south west of Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan
London Plan
The London Plan is a planning document written by the Mayor of London, England in the United Kingdom and published by the Greater London Authority. The plan was first published in final form on 10 February 2004 and has since been amended. The current version was published in February 2008...
.
Toponymy
In 838, it was styled Kyningestun famosa illa locus. In Old English, tun, ton or don meant farmstead – so the name Kingston may have meant farmstead of the kings. Seven SaxonAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
kings are traditionally said to have been crowned at Kingston, while seated on a large stone – The Coronation Stone
Coronation Stone
The Coronation Stone is an ancient stone block, located next to the Guildhall in Kingston upon Thames, England. Kingston is now a suburb of London and was once the county town of Surrey....
– that stands outside the Guildhall. There is a local tradition that these Saxon coronations gave Kingston its name, but the records of the 838 council disprove this.Dickens 1887, op. cit. Kingston upon Thames appears in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as Chingestone and Chingetun(e).
Economic development
Hawker Aircraft
Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history.-History:...
, Hawker Siddeley and eventually British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
. The legendary Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
, Hawker Fury
Hawker Fury
The Hawker Fury was a British biplane fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force in the 1930s. It was originally named the Hornet and was the counterpart to the Hawker Hart light bomber.-Design and development:...
, Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
, Hunter
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
and Harrier
Harrier Jump Jet
The Harrier, informally referred to as the Jump Jet, is a family of British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations...
were all designed and built in the town and examples of all of these aircraft can be seen today at the nearby Brooklands Museum
Brooklands Museum
Brooklands Museum is an independent charitable trust, established in 1987, whose aim is to conserve, protect and interpret the unique heritage of the Brooklands site. It is located south of Weybridge, Surrey and was first opened regularly in 1991 on of the original 1907 motor-racing circuit...
in Weybridge. Well known aviation personalities Sydney Camm, Harry Hawker
Harry Hawker
Harry George Hawker MBE, AFC, was an Australian aviation pioneer and co-founder of Hawker Aircraft, the firm that would later be responsible for a long series of successful military aircraft.-Early life:...
and Tommy Sopwith were responsible for much of Kingston's achievements in aviation. British Aerospace finally closed its Lower Ham Road factory in 1992 part of the site was subsequently redeveloped for housing, the river side part of the site remains as a community centre and sports complex. The growth and development of Kingston Polytechnic and its transformation into Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
has made Kingston a university town.
Local government
Kingston upon Thames formed an ancient parish in the KingstonKingston (hundred)
The Hundred of Kingston or Kingston Hundred was an ancient hundred in the north east of the county of Surrey, England. Its area has been mostly absorbed by the growth of London; with its name currently referring to both the suburban town of Kingston upon Thames and the larger Royal Borough of...
hundred of Surrey. The parish of Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames (parish)
Kingston upon Thames was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey, England. It contained the following areas which eventually became civil parishes in their own right:The ancient parish was roughly similar to the Kingston hundred of Surrey....
covered a large area including Hook
Hook, London
Hook is a place in south west London, England. It forms part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and is located 13.5 miles south west of Charing Cross....
, Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
, New Malden
New Malden
New Malden is a town and shopping centre in the south-western London suburbs, mostly within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and partly in the London Borough of Merton, and is situated from Charing Cross...
, Petersham
Petersham
Petersham is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the east of the bend in the River Thames south of Richmond, which it shares with neighbouring Ham. It provides the foreground of the scenic view from Richmond Hill across Petersham Meadows, with Ham House further along the River...
, Richmond and Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
.
The town of Kingston was granted a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
by King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
in 1200, but the oldest one to survive is from 1208 and this document is housed in the town's archives. Other charters were issued by later kings, including Edward IV's
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
charter that gave the town the status of a borough in 1481. 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 by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
, becoming the Municipal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Municipal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames was a local government district in north east Surrey, England from 1835 to 1965 around the town of Kingston upon Thames. It was alternatively known as Kingston on Thames. It was a municipal borough and also held the rarer status of Royal borough...
. It had been known as a Royal borough through custom and the right to the title was confirmed by George V in 1927. Kingston upon Thames has been the location of Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 80 elected councillors.The council is controlled by the Conservative party.The leader of the council is David Hodge....
since it moved from Newington
Newington, London
Newington is a district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It was an ancient parish and the site of the early administration of the county of Surrey...
in 1893.
In 1965 the local government of Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
was reorganised and the municipal borough was abolished. Its former area was merged with that of the Municipal Borough of Surbiton
Municipal Borough of Surbiton
Surbiton was a local government district in north east Surrey, United Kingdom from 1855 to 1965.Until 1855 Surbiton was administered as part of the parish of Kingston upon Thames. In that year a body of improvement commissioners was formed by a local act of parliament to govern the area...
and the Municipal Borough of Malden and Coombe
Municipal Borough of Malden and Coombe
Malden and Coombe was a local government district in Surrey, England from 1866 to 1965.New Malden Local Government District was formed in 1866 under the Local Government Act 1858 from part of the ancient parish of Kingston upon Thames...
, to form the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames. At the request of Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council another Royal Charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth II entitling it to continue using the title "Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames" for the new borough.
Urban development
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
upstream from London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
and a bridge still exists at the same site. Kingston was occupied by the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
s, and later it was either a royal residence or a royal demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
. There is a record of a council held there in 838, at which Egbert of Wessex
Egbert of Wessex
Egbert was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was Ealhmund of Kent...
, King of Wessex, and his son Ethelwulf of Wessex
Ethelwulf of Wessex
Æthelwulf, also spelled Aethelwulf or Ethelwulf; Old English: Æþelwulf, meaning 'Noble Wolf', was King of Wessex from 839 until his death in 858. He is the only son who can indisputably be accredited to King Egbert of Wessex. He conquered the kingdom of Kent on behalf of his father in 825, and was...
were present. In the Domesday Book it was held by William the Conqueror. Its domesday assets were: a church, five mills
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
, three fisheries
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
worth 10s, 27 plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
s, 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
, woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
worth six hogs. It rendered £30.
In 1730 the chapel containing the royal effigies collapsed, burying the sexton
Sexton (office)
A sexton is a church, congregation or synagogue officer charged with the maintenance of its buildings and/or the surrounding graveyard. In smaller places of worship, this office is often combined with that of verger...
, 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 early Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
s, until a petition by the inhabitants prayed to be relieved from the burden. Another chapel, 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 the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
.
Governance
Kingston straddles two Parliamentary constituencies: the area north of the railway line is part of Richmond ParkRichmond Park (UK Parliament constituency)
Richmond Park is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History and character:...
which is represented by Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Zac Goldsmith
Zac Goldsmith
Frank Zacharias Robin "Zac" Goldsmith, MP is an English environmental journalist, entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Richmond Park since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.Goldsmith is the middle child of the late financier Sir...
; the area south of the railway line (which includes the ancient town centre) is part of Kingston and Surbiton represented by Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Edward Davey
Edward Davey
Edward Jonathan "Ed" Davey is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Kingston and Surbiton since 1997, and in May 2010 was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
.
Geography
Twickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
, Richmond, Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
, and London Waterloo
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
by National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
trains.
Shopping is well catered for and is generally towards the upper end of expectations, with a good mixture of familiar High Street chains and more select boutiques. The shopping centre includes a shopping mall, "The Bentall Centre", containing the Bentalls
Bentalls
Bentalls is an English department store chain with branches in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, and Bracknell, Berkshire. The well regarded 'county' department store began as a drapery shop, founded by Frank Bentall in 1867...
department store and large branches of chain stores found in many British high streets. There is a large branch of the John Lewis
John Lewis (department store)
-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...
department store group, with a Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
supermarket, located in the basement. The Rotunda, located in the former Bentalls furniture depository building (a local landmark), includes a bowling alley
Megabowl
Megabowl is a trading name of Tenpin Ltd, a subsidiary of Essenden PLC .The "Megabowl" brand has gradually been replaced by the new "Tenpin" brand, with only a handful of Megabowl branded sites remaining....
, fitness centre, a 14-screen Odeon
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
multiplex cinema and some restaurants. Recent developments along the riverside south of Kingston Bridge have added bars, restaurants and a theatre, the Rose Theatre
Rose Theatre, Kingston
The Rose Theatre, Kingston is a theatre on Kingston High Street in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The theatre seats 899 around a wide, lozenge shaped stage....
which opened in 2008 with Sir Peter Hall as the director. The ancient market is still held daily in the Market Place.
Kingston's civic buildings include the Guildhall which houses Kingston Council
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,...
and the magistrates' court
Magistrates' Court
A magistrates' court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions...
, There is also the county court
County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of county courts held by the High Sheriff of each county.-England and Wales:County Court matters can be lodged...
, a local museum and public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
. A short distance away is the new crown court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
building, adjacent to the County Hall Building which houses the main offices of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
County Council. Until local government re-organisation in 1965 when Kingston became one of the 32 London borough
London borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
s of Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, it was the County Town of Surrey. Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
now has this title as Kingston is no longer administered by Surrey. Plans to move these offices to Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
have been scrapped.
Kingston's main open space is the River Thames, with its lively frontage of bars and restaurants. Downstream there is a walk through Canbury Gardens
Canbury Gardens
Canbury Gardens is a public space in Kingston upon Thames, along the Lower Ham Road, covering 14-and-a-half-acres area between the road and the towpath along the River Thames, downstream from Kingston Railway Bridge.-History:...
towards Teddington Lock
Teddington Lock
Teddington Lock is a complex of three locks and a weir on the River Thames in England at Ham in the western suburbs of London. The lock is on the southern Surrey side of the river....
. Upstream there is a promenade crossing the Hogsmill
Hogsmill
The Hogsmill River in Surrey is one of the tributaries of the River Thames; it rises in Ewell and flows into the Thames at Kingston upon Thames on the reach above Teddington Lock.-Course:...
river and reaching almost to Surbiton. Across Kingston Bridge is a tree lined river bank fronting the expanse of Hampton Court Park.
Economy
Kingston has many pubs and restaurants, though several public houses in the centre have closed in recent years to become restaurants or bars. The more traditional pubs tend to be in the northern part of the town (Canbury) and include the Park Tavern, Wych Elm and Willoughby Arms. Further south are found the Druid's Head, the Spring Grove, The Cricketers, The Duke Of Buckingham, and several small local pubs around Fairfield. The Druid's Head is notable as one of the first taverns to make the famous dessert syllabubSyllabub
Syllabub is a traditional English dessert, popular from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. It is usually made from rich milk or cream seasoned with sugar and lightly curdled with wine. Mrs Beeton gives two recipes...
in the 18th century. There are several Chinese, Indian, Thai and Italian restaurants.
The local newspapers are the weekly paid-for Surrey Comet, which celebrated its 150th year in 2004, and the free Kingston Guardian.
In research from 2010 on retail footprint, Kingston upon Thames came out as 25th in terms of retail expenditure in the UK at £810 million. This puts it as generating the fifth most amount of money from the retail sector in the Greater London area, passing Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
. In 2005, Kingston was 24th with £864 million.
Culture
The most notable dramatic arts venue is the Rose TheatreRose Theatre, Kingston
The Rose Theatre, Kingston is a theatre on Kingston High Street in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The theatre seats 899 around a wide, lozenge shaped stage....
. This theatre opened on 16 January 2008 and seats approximately 899 people. The audience are arranged around the semi-circular stage, thus making the theatre feel cosy and enclosed. All Saints Church is host to classical choral and music concerts mostly on Saturdays and houses a Frobenius
Frobenius Orgelbyggeri
-History:Frobenius Orgelbyggeri was founded in Copenhagen by Theodor Frobenius in 1909. The firm moved to Lyngby in 1925. Theodor's sons Walther and Erik joined the company in 1944, at the same time that they began to build organs in the classical tradition, with mechanical actions and slider...
organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
. There are a number of choral societies including the Kingston Orpheus Choir
Kingston Orpheus Choir
Kingston Orpheus Choir is an amateur mixed voice choir which rehearses at St John the Evangelist Church in Kingston upon Thames.It was formed as the Kingston Orpheus Society in 1944 by George Anderson, who continued as conductor until his final concert on 2 May 1981 at Kingston Parish Church.Susan...
and the Kingston 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. Kingston University runs the Stanley Picker Gallery and Kingston Museum has a changing gallery on the first floor. 'Singing it Back' singing groups come from Kingston Upon Thames and run in the local area.
John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
the author was born on Kingston Hill and Jacqueline Wilson
Jacqueline Wilson
Dame Jacqueline Wilson, DBE, FRSL is an award-winning English author, known for her vast and diverse work in children's literature. Her novels have been adapted numerous times for television, and commonly deal with such challenging themes as adoption, divorce and mental illness...
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 photographer Eadweard Muybridge
Eadweard Muybridge
Eadweard J. Muybridge was an English photographer who spent much of his life in the United States. He is known for his pioneering work on animal locomotion which used multiple cameras to capture motion, and his zoopraxiscope, a device for projecting motion pictures that pre-dated the flexible...
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. Sheriff the playwright is also associated with Kingston, writing his first play to support Kingston Rowing Club. An earlier writer born in Kingston was John Cleland
John Cleland
John Cleland was an English novelist most famous and infamous as the author of Fanny Hill: or, the Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure....
.
Kingston has been covered in literature, film and television. It is where the comic Victorian
Victorian literature
Victorian literature is the literature produced during the reign of Queen Victoria . It forms a link and transition between the writers of the romantic period and the very different literature of the 20th century....
novel Three Men in a Boat
Three Men in a Boat
Three Men in a Boat ,The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog! published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K...
by Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat.Jerome was born in Caldmore, Walsall, England, and was brought up in poverty in London...
begins; cannons aimed against the Martians in H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
' The War of the Worlds are positioned on Kingston Hill; in The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
the youngest Brangwen dreams of a job in Kingston upon Thames in a long, lyrical passage; Mr. Knightly in Emma by Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
regularly visits Kingston, although the narrative never follows him there.
Kingston is referenced (and used as a filming location) in episodes of Monty Python. More recently, a scene from Mujhse Dosti Karoge, a Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film starring Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai for which Roshan earned his Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut...
as the leading actor, was filmed by the toppled telephone boxes sculpture in Old London Road. A scene in the television programme The Good Life sees Richard Briers
Richard Briers
Richard David Briers, CBE is an English actor whose career has encompassed theatre, television, film and radio.He first came to prominence as George Starling in Marriage Lines in the 1960s, but it was in the following decade when he played Tom Good in the BBC sitcom The Good Life that he became a...
get on a 71 bus in 'The Avenue' towards Kingston town centre (albeit this route never served the east side of Surbiton where the series is set). Nipper
Nipper
Nipper was a dog that served as the model for a painting titled His Late Master's Voice. This image was the basis for the dog and trumpet logo used by several audio recording and associated brands: His Master's Voice, HMV, RCA, Victor Talking Machine Company, RCA Victor and JVC.- Biography :Nipper...
, the famous "His Master's Voice" (HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
) dog, buried in the town under Lloyds Bank. His owners lived nearby in Fife Road. Also, the 2008 series of 'Primeval', shown on ITV1 in January, featured almost an entire episode filmed inside the Bentall Centre
Bentalls
Bentalls is an English department store chain with branches in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, and Bracknell, Berkshire. The well regarded 'county' department store began as a drapery shop, founded by Frank Bentall in 1867...
and John Lewis
John Lewis (department store)
-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...
department stores. Kingston featured in Primeval again in May 2009 with several scenes shot in and around the Market Place. Most of the BBC program Vexed is filmed in Kingston.
Kingston Green Fair was held annually from 1987 to 2008 in Canbury Gardens, next to the river, on the Spring Bank Holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
. The word "Green" in the title refers to the ethos of the fair as promoting sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
. 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. Kingston is also home to Crack Comedy Club which opened at The Grey Horse Pub in 2002.
Landmarks
Red telephone box
The red telephone box, a public telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar, and despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, red boxes can still be seen in many places and in current or former...
es that have been tipped up to lean against one another in an arrangement resembling dominoes. This sculpture by David Mach
David Mach
David Mach is a Scottish sculptor and installation artist.Mach's artistic style is based on flowing assemblages of mass-produced found art objects. Typically these include magazines,vicious teddy bears,newspapers, car tyres, match sticks and coat hangers...
was commissioned in 1988 as part of the landscaping for the new Relief Road, and is called Out of Order.
Transport
The town is served by three railway stations on a line into Waterloo StationWaterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
via New Malden
New Malden railway station
New Malden railway station is in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in South London. The station is served by South West Trains, and is in Travelcard Zone 4.-History:...
and Wimbledon
Wimbledon station
Wimbledon station is a National Rail, London Underground, and Tramlink station located in Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton, and is the only London station that provides an interchange between rail, Underground, and Tramlink services...
or via Richmond upon Thames
Richmond station (London)
Richmond station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London which is managed by South West Trains....
(the long way round). The local stations are Kingston, Norbiton
Norbiton railway station
Norbiton railway station is in Norbiton, a suburb in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in south west London. It is on the Kingston Loop Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South West Trains...
and Hampton Wick
Hampton Wick railway station
Hampton Wick railway station is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, in south west London, and is in Travelcard Zone 6. The suburb of Hampton Wick is on the opposite bank of the River Thames from Kingston upon Thames and lies at the eastern end of Hampton Court Park...
. Norbiton is east of the town centre near Kingston Hospital
Kingston Hospital
Kingston Hospital is an acute NHS hospital in Kingston upon Thames, South West London. It has an Accident & Emergency Unit, a popular midwife-led Maternity unit, and an STD clinic known as the Wolverton Centre...
, and Hampton Wick is to the west across the river Thames. Two additional railway stations are located on the main line in nearby Surbiton
Surbiton railway station
Surbiton railway station is a National Rail station in Surbiton, south west London, in the Kingston upon Thames. The station is managed and served by South West Trains, and is in Travelcard Zone 6...
(which has a more frequent service) and Berrylands
Berrylands
Berrylands is a residential neighbourhood in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames only 24 minutes from Waterloo by train in south west London, that before 1965 formed part of the Municipal Borough of Surbiton. It is a suburban development situated south west of Charing...
.
The town originally restricted the coming of the railways as much of its wealth and status were as a direct consequence of the road and stagecoach network developed as a result of its placing as a crossing on the Thames. Local landowners would not consent to the line coming through their land, and in 1838 the rail station was built a few miles out at Surbiton
Surbiton railway station
Surbiton railway station is a National Rail station in Surbiton, south west London, in the Kingston upon Thames. The station is managed and served by South West Trains, and is in Travelcard Zone 6...
, which was known as 'Kingston Upon Railway". This led to the development of Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
. Kingston recognised the need for the railway, and in the 1860s Kingston opened. The line however, due to the landowners resistance, had to take a longer route via Richmond upon Thames
Richmond station (London)
Richmond station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London which is managed by South West Trains....
. Only later did the line get permission for a faster link, connecting to London Waterloo via Norbiton
Norbiton railway station
Norbiton railway station is in Norbiton, a suburb in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in south west London. It is on the Kingston Loop Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South West Trains...
.
The A3 road runs from central London towards Kingston before by-passing the town to the east. The "Kingston bypass road" was one of the first arterial roads to be built in Britain. It was originally proposed in 1912 to relieve the pressure of traffic in the town centre, but World War I delayed the start of work until 1924. It was opened by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
on 28 October 1927. Kingston is also served by the A240
A240 road
The A240 is a part primary A road in Surrey and Greater London , It connects the A217 with the A3 and beyond to Kingston upon Thames. It can be used to access parts of Greater London whilst avoiding the congested A24.-Route:...
, the A307 (Portsmouth Road)
A307 road
The A307 road is a link road running through SW London and NW Surrey, which is primary at the start but for the most part is now more local in character...
, A308
A308 road
The A308, is a road in England in two parts.*The Brompton to Fulham section starts at the A4 road by Brompton Oratory and Victoria and Albert Museum, and follows Fulham Road South West to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where it jumps south a block to follow Kings Road to meet the A219 road in...
and A310.
Riverboats run regularly between Kingston and Hampton Court as well as Richmond all during the summer season. There are also direct services to Putney and Westminster from Hampton Court.
Education
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
and Kingston College
Kingston College (England)
Kingston College is a College of Further and Higher Education based in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England. It has five campuses in the town of Kingston. The main campus is the tallest building in the town and is based on Kingston Hall Road. The second campus is based on Richmond Road and...
.There are 34 Primary schools (including Infant and Junior), of which 14 are Church Schools,10 Secondary Schools and 14 Private schools which provide education for all age ranges. Some of Kingston's most notable Primary Schools include Latchmere Primary School, where the author Jacqueline Wilson
Jacqueline Wilson
Dame Jacqueline Wilson, DBE, FRSL is an award-winning English author, known for her vast and diverse work in children's literature. Her novels have been adapted numerous times for television, and commonly deal with such challenging themes as adoption, divorce and mental illness...
attended. It's most notable private secondary schools are Surbiton High School
Surbiton High School
Surbiton High School is a private school in Surbiton in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England. It was founded in 1884 by a group of Anglican clergymen who instituted the Church Schools Company...
and Kingston Grammar School
Kingston Grammar School
Kingston Grammar School is an independent co-educational school in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London. The school was founded by Royal Charter in 1561 but can trace its roots back to at least the 13th century. It is a registered charity under English law....
. The most notable public secondary schools include Tiffin School and Tiffin Girls' School
Tiffin Girls' School
The Tiffin Girls' School is an all girls grammar school located in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. The school lies in over nine acres on the east side of Richmond Road.-History:...
, 2 grammar schools.
Religious sites
Ecclesiastically, Kingston lies in the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Diocese of Southwark
Anglican Diocese of Southwark
The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 44 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was formed on May 1, 1905 from part of the Diocese of Rochester...
and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark
Archdiocese of Southwark
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic archdiocese in England. The Archepiscopal see is St. George's Cathedral, Southwark and is headed by the Archbishop of Southwark...
. The suffragan or Area Bishop of Kingston
Bishop of Kingston-upon-Thames
The Bishop of Kingston-upon-Thames, often referred to simply as Bishop of Kingston, is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after Kingston upon Thames, a settlement in south-west...
is the Rt Rev. Dr Richard Ian Cheetham
Richard Ian Cheetham
Richard Ian Cheetham is the current Anglican Area Bishop of Kingston-upon-Thames. He was educated at Kingston Grammar School and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. After five years as a science teacher and two as an investment analyst he was ordained in 1987...
. Kingston is also the home of the Kingston Surbiton & District Synagogue and Kingston Liberal Synagogue. Kingston also has a Quaker meeting house, a Mosque and a Sikh Gurdwara
Gurdwara
A Gurdwara , meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib ....
.
Sports
Kingston is the home of three association football clubs, AFC WimbledonAFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is a professional English football club that traces its origins to Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton. Based at Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames, the club are members of Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football....
and Kingstonian F.C.
Kingstonian F.C.
Kingstonian Football Club are an English, semi-professional football club that are playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division for the 2011–12 season. The club has played at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames since 1989, after leaving their traditional Richmond Road ground...
, both of which play at the Kingsmeadow Stadium, and Corinthian-Casuals F.C.
Corinthian-Casuals F.C.
Corinthian-Casuals F.C. are a football club based in Tolworth in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The club was formed in 1939 by a merger of two amateur clubs: Corinthian, who formed in 1882, and Casuals, who formed in 1878.- History :Corinthian-Casuals were formed in 1939 following the...
who play in nearby Tolworth. AFC Wimbledon will play in Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
as of the 2011-12 season, whereas Kingstonian F.C. and Corinthian-Casuals F.C. are both non-league
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
clubs. Kingston Athletic Club and Polytechnic Harriers – as of 2009, competing in the National Two division of the British Athetics League – are based at the neighbouring Kingsmeadow athetics stadium. Kingston Rugby Club is based on the outskirts of the town and Kingston Rowing Club
Kingston Rowing Club
Kingston Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club, based in England, founded in 1858.The club is one of the world's oldest and most successful amateur rowing clubs...
is based on the River Thames. Kingston Regatta
Kingston Regatta
Kingston Regatta is a rowing regatta, on the River Thames in England which takes place at Kingston upon Thames, Surrey on the reach above Teddington Lock....
takes place on the river at the town in July. Sport in Kingston is promoted and encouraged by Sport Kingston, an organisation funded by the Royal Borough of Kingston.