Almost entirely dedicated to retail, this neighbourhood area incorporates the vast majority of central Kingston-Upon-Thames. The town centre is fantastically diverse architecturally, with a mish-mash of buildings of varying sizes ranging from the 14th century All Saint’s Church, to the Georgian Church Street, the magnificent Victorian Old Town Hall, the neo-Tudor buildings surrounding MarketPlace, and the many later 20th-century retail and civic spaces. The bustling heart of Kingston is mostly pedestrianised and contains countless high street chain stores, many of which are located in the large Victorian department store of Bentall’s, as well as a number of more specialist independent shops. Transport- wise, the suburban market town is connected to central London by Kingston station which can take commuters to Waterloo in about 30 minutes, and the numerous bus routes from Eden Street travel to many destinations in south London and Surrey.

While there is little green space in the centre, the large Fairfield is only a short walk away, and the area extends down to the quaint southern bank of the River Thames, with its riverside pubs and restaurants, which on a sunny afternoon can be overflowing with locals, all of whom add extra colour to this far-from-drab suburb.

Despite existing as a relatively-unknown suburb of south western London, Kingston- upon-Thames is actually one of the city’s most consistently significant historical areas. With its overwhelming evidence of Roman occupation, including an unsubstantiated rumour that it was the location that Julius Caesar crossed the Thames, as well as its position as the seat of the great council convened by King Egbert in 838, Kingston’s historical importance cannot be understated. Its name means ‘the king’s manor’ and its long royal association continued as it became the site of coronation for 10th century kings including Æthelred the Unready and Edward the Martyr. An important royal manor by the time of the Domesday Book, the town contained a church, five mills and three salmon fisheries, as well as a popular market, thanks to its position as the lowest Thames crossing point other than London Bridge.

Kingston developed into an important coaching town by the 18th century and its transport only improved with the replacement of the wooden Kingston Bridge with a stone one in 1828, however the town decided to eschew rail transport until 1863, forcing the railway to be built in neighbouring Surbiton in 1838. Bentalls was opened in 1867, shortly after Kingston Station and despite its maintenance of the winding medieval streets, the town developed into a prime retail location, and it remains so today.

As central Kingston has been a market and retail area for much of its life, it has historically had very few residential areas, meaning that famous residents are scarce in this part of town. However, one that will always remain part of Kingston’s history is Nipper (1884-1895), the dog pictured in the HMV logo and the model for the painting ‘His Master’s Voice’. Nipper is buried on Clarence Street, on a site that is now occupied by Lloyd’s Bank, and in 2010 Nipper Alley was named in his honour.

That being said, Kingston does often throw up some surprises. While reasonably understated on the world cultural map, this neighbourhood is actually the birthplace of Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904), who pioneered photographic studies of motion and created what is arguably one of the first ever moving images that would be vital to the creation of film and video! His photographic process also aided in the scientific understanding of how horses galloped and humans walked and was crucial in the development of painting during the 19th century.

Kingston is home to the oldest surviving bridge in London and therefore one of the oldest surviving bridges in the country. Built in 1175, the Clattern Bridge replaced a Saxon bridge known as Clatrung Bridge, thought to be named after the clattering of horses’ hooves as they crossed the Hogsmill. It was used as a site for the dunking of disruptive criminals until the 18th century, and as a goal for the traditional game of football played through the town’s streets on Shrove Tuesday. Surprisingly the Grade I-listed structure still carries a full load of traffic as it is located beneath the High Street.

The Coronation Stone, which is located next to the Guidhall in Kingston, is an ancient sarsen stone which is believed to have been the site of the coronation of Anglo-Saxon Kings, including the ones named above. Originally housed in the Chapel of St Mary, the stone was relocated when the chapel collapsed in 1730.

Kingston’s distance from central London means that there are not simply problems travelling into town, but also travelling home as the trains are often packed with commuters, and the lack of late night trains from London can be difficult. However, as a number of locals have pointed out, while Kingston retains much of its small town feel, there is also enough night life to make travelling into London far from a necessity. Further, the town’s local record store, Banquet, means that big bands often make the journey to Kingston to play intimate venues to a dedicated audience.

Plans have been approved to redevelop Eden Walk, which is one of the area’s most popular shopping arcades. If completed these plans will include the building of a variety of new pedestrian routes and public spaces, a number of new leisure venues such as cafes and a ‘boutique cinema’, new retail space, and 400 new homes complete with a bio-diverse winter gardens. However, the site went up for sale in 2022 after the previous developers encountered financial difficulties. The site is now being sold with permission to be redeveloped. 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 could provide care and communal facilities.