Kingston upon Thames
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kingston upon Thames | |
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| Location | |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference: | TQ182693 |
| Latitude: | 51.410333° |
| Longitude: | -0.299539° |
| Administration | |
| London borough: | Kingston |
| County level: | Greater London |
| Region: | London |
| Constituent country: | England |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom |
| Other | |
| Ceremonial county: | Greater London |
| Historic county: | Surrey (1965) |
| Services | |
| Police force: | Metropolitan Police |
| Fire brigade: | London Fire Brigade |
| Ambulance service: | London Ambulance |
| Post office and telephone | |
| Post town: | KINGSTON UPON THAMES |
| Postal district: | KT1, KT2 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Politics | |
| UK Parliament: | Kingston and Surbiton, Richmond Park |
| London Assembly: | South West |
| European Parliament: | London |
| London | List of places in London | |
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in London, England.
It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a lively suburb situated 10 miles (16.1 km) south west of Charing Cross. It is one of ten major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan.
Contents |
[edit] History
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 Romans, 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, the first King of All England, and his son Ethelwulf of Wessex were present; and in this record it is styled Kyningestun famosa illa locus. In Old English, tun, ton or don meant farmstead - so the name Kingston may have been thought to mean farmstead of the kings. Seven Saxon 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 rumour that these Saxon coronations gave Kingston its name, but the records of the 838 council disprove this. (Dickens 1887)
The first charter was granted by King John in 1208 and this document still exists 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. Some interesting relics have been discovered to support this history, and statues of some of the Saxon kings and of King John were preserved in a chapel. 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. 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.
Kingston sent members to early parliaments, until a petition by the inhabitants prayed to be relieved from the burden.
Kingston was one of the boroughs to be reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, becoming a municipal borough. It retained this status until the London Government Act 1963 came into force in 1965, merging it to form part of the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames.
For much of the 20th century, Kingston was a major military aircraft manufacturing centre - first with Sopwith, then Hawker Aviation and eventually British Aerospace.
[edit] Kingston today
Central Kingston is a busy predominantly retail centre, with a small number of commercial offices and civic buildings. It has a great many car parks, connected by a notoriously difficult one-way system. It is one of the main centres of the south west London bus network, and it is connected to Twickenham, Richmond upon Thames, Wimbledon, and London Waterloo by overground train. Image:Kingston Bridge.jpg 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 called "The Bentall Centre" that contains 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 with a Waitrose supermarket in the basement. The "Rotunda" near the railway station 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 of Kingston (due to open in 2007 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, the magistrates' court, the county court, and a fine local museum and public library. The main offices of Surrey County Council are also in County Hall Kingston, even though Kingston is not administered by Surrey. Plans to move these offices to Woking have been scrapped.
One of the more unusual sights in Kingston is several disused red telephone boxes that have been tipped on their sides in a pattern resembling dominos. This sculpture by David Mach was commissioned in 1988, and is called Out of Order. The Druid's Head in Kingston is notable as one of the first taverns to make the famous syllabub dessert in the 18th century.
Another recent novelty is the Toilet Gallery, a minimalist art gallery housed in an ex-public lavatory near the Phone Box sculpture.
[edit] Education
There are many schools in Kingston including Surbiton High School, Hollyfield, Southborough, Chessington Community College, Richard Challoner, Kingston Grammar School, the Coombe Schools and the Tiffin Schools. Kingston is also home to Kingston University.
[edit] Transport
The town is served by two railway stations on a line into Waterloo Station via New Malden and Wimbledon or via Richmond-upon-Thames (the long way round). The local stations are: Kingston and Norbiton.
The A3 road runs from central London towards Kingston before by-passing the town to the east. Kingston is also severed by the A240, the A307, Portsmouth Road, A308 and A310.
Heathrow Airport is within six miles.
[edit] Sport
Kingston is the home of two non-league Association football clubs, Kingstonian F.C. and AFC Wimbledon, both of which play at The Fans' Stadium, Kingsmeadow.
[edit] Representatives
Kingston straddles two Parliamentary constituencies: the area north of the railway line is part of Richmond Park represented by Susan Kramer; the area south of the railway line (which includes the ancient town centre) is part of Kingston and Surbiton represented by Edward Davey. Both Members of Parliament are members of the Liberal Democrat party.
[edit] Bishop of Kingston
Ecclesiastically, Kingston lies in the Church of England Diocese of Southwark and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark. The suffragan or Area Bishop of Kingston is the Rt Rev. Dr Richard Cheetham.
[edit] Kingston Green Fair
Kingston Green Fair has been held annually since 1987 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 are allowed to be sold, and no electricity is permitted on the site unless generated by wind, sun, or bicycle power. See also the Fair's official web site.
[edit] Trivia
- Kingston is where the comic Victorian novel Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome begins.
- Kingston is referenced (and used as a filming location) in episodes of Monty Python.
- The popular police drama series, The Bill is often filmed in New Malden.
[edit] Notable people connected to the Kingston area
- Richard Butler and Tim Butler of rock band The Psychedelic Furs
- Fritha Goodey, actress
- Eadweard Muybridge
- Christian O'Connell, Virgin Radio DJ and television presenter
- Mary Seacole
- Simon May, playwright and composer. Taught at Kingston Grammar School.
- Michael Frayn, playwright. Educated at Kingston Grammar School.
- R. C. Sherriff, playwright. Educated at Kingston Grammar School.
- Neil Fox, Radio Jackie DJ. Educated at Kingston Grammar School.
- Matt Willis, rock singer and ex member of the pop band, Busted
- James Cracknell, Olympic rower. Educated at Kingston Grammar School.
- Rob Henderson, Irish International Rugby Union. Educated at Tiffin Boys School
- Jonny Lee Miller, Actor. Educated at Tiffin Boys School
- Eric Clapton, Musician. Educated at Hollyfield School
- Richard Briers, Actor. Educated at Rokeby Prep School
- Jacqueline Wilson, Author. Currently lives in Surbiton.
- Lawrence Dallaglio, Former English Rugby Union Captain. Attended Kingston University
- Samuel Green, rapper
- Jimmy Tarbuck, former television comdien
- Liza Tarbuck
- Debbie McGee
- Richard Archer, Lead Singer of Indie Band Hard-Fi. Attended Kingston University
[edit] References
- Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames 1887 ISBN 1-873590-12-1
[edit] External links
- Kingston Council official site
- Kingston On Thames - 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article
- Kingston Online - business and leisure information listings and links
- A Brief History of Kingston-upon-Thames by Tim Lambert
- Kingston Museum
- Kingston University official site
- Kingston On The Web Online Guide to Kingston upon Thames with local services, information and events
- Kingstonian FC official site
- Kingston Heritage Open Days, photos of Coombe Conduit and St Raphaels
| Section 8: | London Outer Orbital Path | Section 9: |
|---|---|---|
| Ewell | Kingston upon Thames | Hatton Cross |
