This large, residential neighbourhood sits at the northern end of Kingston as it follows the River Thames up towards Ham, in an area known as Canbury. The eastern edge is bordered by a sliver of the vast Richmond Park, and the western edge by the trickling Thames and its idyllic towpaths that run through Canbury Gardens and Ham Lands. As the southern edge borders the medieval market town of central Kingston, there is no shortage of amenities within a brief journey, and towards the north is the quaint, suburban high street of Ham which is home to more local independent shops. Kingston station sits just to the south of the neighbourhood, and provides semi-regular services into London Waterloo. Richmond, a short bus journey north, also offers District line tube services across London.

There are a number of schools for all ages in the area, which all benefit from the abundance of green space, such as Latchmere Recreation Ground. Its proximity to transport and large, predominantly Victorian, Edwardian, and interwar homes means that this area is popular with commuting families who wish to stay within touching distance of the city without the hustle and bustle and the overinflated house prices.

Canbury is a unique part of London, as there is significant evidence that the area has been occupied since at least the Mesolithic period. All of the archaeological evidence of Roman occupation of Kingston comes from the Canbury area, but while Kingston has proud Saxon heritage, Canbury holds no evidence that is was part of the famous settlement at the time. The manor of Kingston extended to the open fields of Canbury during the medieval period and passed through a number of hands and the expansion of Kingston reached the neighbourhood during the 19th century when the railways were introduced and rapid urbanisation was undertaken. The poor sanitation was addressed in the later 19th century and the founding of the Tiffin Girls’ School and Kingston Power Station really put Canbury on the map. During the First and Second World War, the area was an important site of aviation advances, with the Sopwith Aviation Company opening its doors on Canbury Park Road in 1912, yet the company moved in 1958 and the areas were redeveloped for residential use.

Kingston’s artistic heritage even extends north to Canbury, in the form of Margaret Lockwood (1916-1990), who lived at 34 Upper Park Road. Lockwood was one of the most popular film stars during the 1930s and 40s, appearing in such films as The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Man in Grey (1943), and Cast a Dark Shadow (1955), gaining multiple award nominations during her impressive career.

The Sopwith Aviation Company, which was once located in the area, was responsible for the production of the Sopwith Camel, one of the first fighter planes used in the world during the First World War, and the famous Hawker Hurricane, which was a prominent feature in the skies across the globe during the Second World War.

When the sewage works were introduced in 1877 they utilised a process known as the ABC Process to produce garden fertiliser from the waste produced in the town. Either as an ironic joke or in an attempt to counteract negative public opinion, the road that the works were located on was renamed Perfume Parade. This name change hardly worked though, and in the 1909 public outcry as the smell led to the plant’s shutting down.

While the area is very convenient for commuters, with a number of stations on multiple lines located nearby, there is a common complaint that the costs of travel are increasingly extortionate, with an off-peak one-way ticket from Kingston to Waterloo costing no less than £7.20 at the time of writing! However, this is offset by the much more affordable houses that the area offers, and there are plenty of amenities close by which mean that those who do not work in town rarely have to travel that far.

The biggest development that will affect the area of Canbury will be the introduction of Crossrail at Kingston station. This will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes residents to get to central London while alleviating congestion on the busy South Western Mainline. However, plans have been on hold since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic due to budget concerns, with many predicting it will be over a decade until this project is near completion. Aside from this, the local council has committed to build new homes in the coming decades, with the borough’s population expected to rise by 20,000 people by 2030. Part of this new housing stock is expected to come from the demolition of parts of Kingston Hospital to pave way for a building containing 128 apartments that will provide care and communal facilities.