E-brochure Kingston - 2022 (All Countries) - Catalog - Page 8
Living in Kingston upon Thames
On the banks of the Thames and just a short 12-mile hop from Central London, Kingston is a vibrant
market town and one of the liveliest London boroughs.
The town was established in 1838 as the coronation place for English Kings. Today, Kingston is a rich
mix of retail, arts & culture and food & drink making it a highly desirable place to live and work.
A Historic Town
Kingston upon Thames, also simply known as Kingston, 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. Kingston is situated 10 miles (16.1 km) southwest of Charing Cross and is one of
the major metropolitan centres in London.
Kingston was built at the first crossing point of the Thames upstream from London Bridge and a bridge
still exists at the same site. It was this 'great bridge' that gave it its early importance in the 13th
century. 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, King of Wessex,
and his son Ethelwulf of Wessex were present.
The population of the town itself, comprising the four wards of Canbury, Grove, Norbiton and Tudor,
was 43,013 in the 2011 Census.
The Coronation Stone, in the
grounds of the Guildhall
Clattern Bridge in Kingston has been
mentioned in documents dating back to 1293
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