Kingston upon Thames is in southwest London, beautifully situated on the banks of the River Thames. The town is notable as the site in which eight Saxon kings were crowned, beginning in the tenth century. The earliest record of Kingston is from 838 AD, when it hosted a meeting between King Egbert of Wessex and Ceolnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury. A large stone played an integral part in the coronations; the stone currently resides on the grounds of the Guildhall, directly across from the Rose Theatre. A center of shopping and commerce over centuries, Kingston’s Ancient Market is still held daily in the Market Place, where dozens of shops offer fish, jewelry, locally-grown produce, artisanal coffee, rare foods and flowers. Kingston’s main open space is the River Thames, with its lively frontage of bars and restaurants.


In the 13th century, Kingston became the first crossing point of the Thames upstream from London Bridge; its bridge, in fact, gave it great importance. In 1989, major shopping streets in the town center were turned into pedestrian zones. In the early 2000s, the Charter Quay development completed the riverside walk, as well as adding bars, restaurants and the Rose Theatre, which opened in 2008. Other cultural organizations in the area include the Kingston Orpheus Choir, the Kingston Museum, the Stanley Picker Gallery, the Kingston Philharmonia, and a number of annual arts festivals. Kingston is featured regularly in literature, film and television. It is where the comic Victorian novel Three Men in a Boat begins; cannons aimed against the Martians in H. G. Wells‘ The War of the Worlds are positioned on Kingston Hill. Actor Tom Holland, musician Eric Clapton, author P.D. James, photographer Eadweard Muybridge, and rapper Stormzy were born in Kingston and its surrounding areas.