Editing Kingston upon Thames (section)

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Coronation Stone - geograph.org.uk - 664311.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Coronation Stone (Kingston upon Thames)|Coronation Stone]] in the grounds of the Guildhall]]
The first surviving record of Kingston is from AD 838 as the site of a meeting between King [[Egbert of Wessex]] and [[Ceolnoth]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]].<ref name=VCH>{{harvnb|Malden|1911|pp=487–501}}</ref> Kingston lay on the boundary between the ancient kingdoms of [[Wessex]] and [[Mercia]], until in the early tenth century when King [[Æthelstan]] united both to create the kingdom of England. According to the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'', two tenth-century kings were consecrated in Kingston: Æthelstan (925), and [[Æthelred the Unready]] (978). There are certain other kings who are said to have been crowned there, but for whom the evidence (including the writings of [[Florence of Worcester]] and [[Ralph de Diceto]]) is less substantial: [[Edward the Elder]] (902), [[Edmund I]] (939), [[Eadred]] (946), [[Eadwig]] (956), [[Edgar the Peaceful]] ({{circa|960}}) and [[Edward 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 a [[Coronation Stone, Kingston upon Thames|large 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 the [[Kingston upon Thames Guildhall|Guildhall]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Foot |first=Sarah |author-link=Sarah Foot |year=2011 |title=Æthelstan: the first king of England |url=https://archive.org/details/thelstanfirstkin00foot |url-access=limited |publisher=Yale University Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/thelstanfirstkin00foot/page/n94 74] |isbn=978-0-300-12535-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Simon |last=Keynes |author-link=Simon Keynes |encyclopedia=The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England |year=1999 |article=Kingston-upon-Thames |editor-first=Michael |editor-last=Lapidge |display-editors=etal |isbn=978-0-6312-2492-1 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |page=272}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Butters |first1=Shaan |title=The Book of Kingston |publisher=Baron |isbn=0860235629 |year=1995 |pages=29–30, 184 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hilliam |first1=David |title=Crown, Orb and Sceptre: The True Stories of English Coronations |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fKYTDQAAQBAJ&q=how+many+kings+were+crowned+in+kingston&pg=PT13 |via=Google Books |date=16 September 2011 |publisher=The History Press |isbn=9780752470795 |access-date=25 September 2019 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307204948/https://books.google.com/books?id=fKYTDQAAQBAJ&q=how+many+kings+were+crowned+in+kingston&pg=PT13 |url-status=live }}</ref>

From Medieval times [[Medieval football|Shrovetide Football]] was played annually at Kingston upon Thames and in surrounding towns including [[Richmond, London|Richmond]] and [[Twickenham]]. 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.<ref>Football at Kingston, https://web.archive.org/web/20080105043230/http://www.uab.edu/english/hone/etexts/edb/day-pages/046-february15.html</ref> 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.<ref>Surrey Comet, 9 March 1867</ref>

===Local government===
[[File:Kingston-upon-Thames MB Ward Map 1868.svg|thumb|left|A map showing the wards of Kingston-upon-Thames Municipal Borough as they appeared in 1868.]]
Kingston upon Thames formed an ancient parish in the [[Kingston (hundred)|Kingston]] [[Hundred (country subdivision)|hundred]] of Surrey. The [[Kingston upon Thames (parish)|parish of Kingston upon Thames]] covered a large area including numerous [[chapelry|chapelries]] and [[Township (England)|townships]] which subsequently became separate parishes, including [[Hook, London|Hook]], [[Kew]], [[New Malden]], [[Petersham, London|Petersham]], [[Richmond, London|Richmond]], [[Surbiton]], [[Thames Ditton]] and [[East Molesey]].<ref name="Youngs">{{cite book |first=Frederic A. |last=Youngs |year=1979 |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England |volume=I: Southern England |place=London |publisher=[[Royal Historical Society]] |isbn=978-0-9010-5067-0}}</ref>

Kingston was a royal manor. It was granted various [[charter]]s allowing it the right to hold markets and fairs, with the oldest surviving charter being from [[John of England|King John]] in 1208. A subsequent charter in 1441 formally incorporated the town as a borough.<ref>{{cite book |title=Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Reports from places in any district |date=1834 |page=2892 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hs9OAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA2892 |access-date=21 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3 |date=1911 |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |pages=487–501 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol3/pp487-501 |access-date=21 April 2024 |archive-date=21 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421082406/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol3/pp487-501 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 a [[municipal borough]] in 1836 under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]], becoming the [[Municipal 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 by [[George V]] in 1927.<ref>{{cite news|title=Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames|date=27 October 1927|work=[[The Times]]|page=14}}</ref><ref name="Royal borough">{{cite web |url= http://www.kingston.gov.uk/browse/leisure/museum/kingston_history/kingstons_royal_connections/borough_seal_rc.htm |title=The Borough Seal |work=Kingston London Borough Council |access-date=29 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091009153120/http://www.kingston.gov.uk/browse/leisure/museum/kingston_history/kingstons_royal_connections/borough_seal_rc.htm |archive-date=9 October 2009 }}</ref> Kingston upon Thames was the seat of [[Surrey County Council]] from 1893, when it moved from [[Newington, London|Newington]] to a new headquarters at [[County Hall, Kingston upon Thames|County Hall]]. The county council remained based at County Hall until 2020, despite Kingston having been removed from its administrative area in 1965.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/127-year-chapter-history-comes-19511671|title=127 year chapter of history comes to an end as Surrey County Council moves home|date=23 December 2020|newspaper=Get Surrey|access-date=3 May 2021|archive-date=3 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503072817/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/127-year-chapter-history-comes-19511671|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Foot Ball, Kingston-upon-Thames, Shrove Tuesday, Feb. 24th, 1846.jpg|thumb|Shrovetide Football at Kingston in 1846]]
In 1965, Greater London was created and the old 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]].<ref name=charter/> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Letters Patent of Incorporation under the title of the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/4d28daf3-bf91-4860-8c79-e2f7bf414399 |website=Discovery Catalogue |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref>

===Urban development===
[[File:Clattern.JPG|thumb|The Hogsmill flowing under [[Clattern Bridge]] in Kingston. The bridge is mentioned in 1293 as "Clateryngbrugge"<ref>Plaque on Clattern Bridge, Kingston Borough Council.</ref>]]
Kingston was built at the first crossing point of the [[Thames]] upstream from [[London Bridge]] and a [[Kingston Bridge, Kingston|bridge]] still exists at the same site. It was this 'great bridge' that gave it its early importance in the 13th century.<ref name=VCH/> Kingston was occupied by the [[Roman Empire|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 [[Mill (grinding)|mills]], four [[fisheries]] worth 10s, 27 [[plough]]s, {{convert|40|acre|ha}} of [[meadow]], [[woodland]] worth six [[hog (swine)|hog]]s. It rendered [[GBP|£]]31 10s (£31.50).<ref>{{OpenDomesday|TQ1869|kingston-upon-thames|Kingston &#91;upon Thames&#93;}}</ref>

In 1730, the chapel containing the royal effigies collapsed, burying the [[Sexton (office)|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 of England|Parliament]]s, 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 the [[English Reformation|Reformation]].{{sfn|Malden|1967|pp=125–127}}

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 of [[Surbiton]], but the [[Surbiton Park]] estate, built in the grounds of Surbiton Place in the 1850s, remained part of Kingston during the period of the [[Municipal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames]].

A permanent military presence was established in the borough with the completion of [[The Barracks, Kingston upon Thames|The Barracks]] in 1875.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/depots/depots20.shtml |title=The Regimental depots |work=Queen's Royal Surreys |access-date=9 November 2014 |archive-date=4 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204005824/http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/depots/depots20.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Economic development===
Kingston evolved as a market town from the Saxon period, with goods transported on the Thames and over land via the crossing point.<ref>{{cite report |first=Christopher |last=Phillpotts |title=The Charter Quay site, Kingston, documentary research report |url=https://www.wessexarch.co.uk/sites/default/files/projects/charter_quay/documentary_research.pdf |journal= |date=2003 |access-date=3 October 2022 |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003110514/https://www.wessexarch.co.uk/sites/default/files/projects/charter_quay/documentary_research.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
Rights to hold markets were amongst the liberties granted by the royal charter of 1208 and the market formally established in 1242.{{sfn|Malden|1911}} 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.{{sfn|Malden|1911}} Local industries included pottery, brick making, tanning, leather-working, fishing, milling, brewing and boat-building.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kingston.gov.uk/heritage-conservation/list-conservation-areas/2 |title=List of conservation areas |publisher=[[Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames]] |access-date=3 October 2022 |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003110522/https://www.kingston.gov.uk/heritage-conservation/list-conservation-areas/2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Working on and along the river : Boat building |url=http://www.thamespilot.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=thames&f=generic_theme.htm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&%3dtheme_record_id=tp-tp-working_boatbuilding |publisher=Thames Pilot |access-date=3 October 2022 |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003110518/http://www.thamespilot.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=thames&f=generic_theme.htm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&%3Dtheme_record_id=tp-tp-working_boatbuilding |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 by [[Tommy Sopwith]] to expand production of early aircraft from [[Sopwith Aviation]]'s origins at [[Brooklands]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kingstonaviation.org/js/plugins/filemanager/files/Brief_History_Banner__15B_Layout_1.pdf |title=Sopwith Aviation and Hawker Aircraft at Canbury Park Road, Kingston |publisher=Kingston Aviation |year=2012 |access-date=3 October 2022 |archive-date=5 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005154204/https://www.kingstonaviation.org/js/plugins/filemanager/files/Brief_History_Banner__15B_Layout_1.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Well known aviation personalities [[Sydney 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, later [[Hawker Aircraft]], [[Hawker Siddeley]] and eventually [[British Aerospace]].  The renowned [[Sopwith Camel]], [[Hawker Fury]], [[Hawker Hurricane|Hurricane]], [[Hawker Hunter|Hunter]] and [[Harrier jump jet]] 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]]. British Aerospace finally closed its Lower Ham Road factory in 1992;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.kingstonaviation.org/ |title=The Kingston Centenary Project |website=Kingston Aviation Heritage Project |access-date=22 April 2020 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803024852/https://www.kingstonaviation.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> part of the site was subsequently redeveloped for housing but the riverside part houses a community centre and sports complex.

=== Recent developments ===
Following the construction of the Kingston Relief Road (commonly known as the "Kingston one-way system") in 1989,<ref name=":8" /> major shopping streets in the town centre and the historic Market Place were [[pedestrianised]].<ref name=":7" /> Two major commercial developments were also built in Kingston town centre - with [[John Lewis Kingston]] department store opening in 1990<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 August 2014|title=The Grand Opening of John Lewis Kingston, 1990|url=https://johnlewismemorystore.org.uk/content/branch_finder/branches_i-n/kingston/the_grand_opening_of_john_lewis_kingston|access-date=12 August 2021|website=John Lewis Memory Store|language=en|archive-date=11 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211152736/https://johnlewismemorystore.org.uk/content/branch_finder/branches_i-n/kingston/the_grand_opening_of_john_lewis_kingston|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Bentall Centre, Kingston upon Thames|Bentall Centre]] shopping centre opening in 1992.<ref>{{cite news|last=Peacock|first=Grenville|date=30 July 1993|title=Obituary: Rowan Bentall|newspaper=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-rowan-bentall-1488052.html|accessdate=26 April 2014|archive-date=10 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210002316/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-rowan-bentall-1488052.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the early 2000s, the Charter Quay development south of Kingston Bridge completed the [[Thames Path|riverside walk]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Charter Quay|url=https://cqra.org/about-charter-quay|access-date=12 August 2021|website=Charter Quay|language=en-GB|archive-date=12 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812152557/https://cqra.org/about-charter-quay|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as adding bars, restaurants and the [[Rose Theatre, Kingston|Rose Theatre]], which opened in 2008 with [[Peter Hall (theatre director)|Sir Peter Hall]] as the director.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rose Theatre, Kingston|url=https://rosetheatre.org/about-us/about-us|url-status=dead|access-date=12 August 2021|website=rosetheatre.org|language=en-GB|archive-date=12 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812152557/https://rosetheatre.org/about-us/about-us}}</ref> Also, 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 an [[Odeon Cinema]], restaurants and tenpin bowling.<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 March 1999|title=Rotunda rolled out|url=https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/6482319.rotunda-rolled-out/|access-date=15 December 2022|website=News Shopper|language=en|archive-date=15 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215120714/https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/6482319.rotunda-rolled-out/|url-status=live}}</ref>