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Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in south-west London, England. The main town in the borough is Kingston upon Thames, but it covers a wider area also including places such as Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth.
History
The main town in the borough, Kingston upon Thames, has existed on the banks of the River Thames in South-west London for many hundreds, if not thousands of years. Many Roman relics have also been found in the surrounding areas.
Kingston was famous in antiquity for being the coronation place of seven Anglo-Saxon monarchs
Kingston still has a monument, the Coronation Stone, on which the monarchs were said to have actually been crowned. A coin from the reign of each of the monarchs listed is set into the base of the stone, which now stands outside the local council offices, the Guildhall.
Sopwith Aviation Company had a factory in the Canbury Park area of Kingston, where the famous Sopwith Camel was produced during World War I. The Hawker Hurricane was designed upon a site in Kingston town centre and built in the aviation factory near Ham now known as the Hawker Centre
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| The Saxon Coronation Stone | |
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Modern Kingston
Modern day Kingston benefits from one of the best shopping areas outside of central London, with a varied selection of high street stores, and a large number of independent boutiques and retailers.
The most famous shop in Kingston is Bentalls, started by Frank Bentall in 1867 in Clarence Street, where it (or least the completely rebuilt Bentalls Centre) stands to this day.
Close to Kingston, and located between Kingston, Richmond and Roehampton, is Richmond Park, one of the old Royal parks.
The Borough is one of the least diverse districts in London.
Although Kingston has been within Greater London since 1965 Surrey County Council is still based at County Hall within the town.
Areas
- Berrylands
- Chessington
- Coombe
- Kingston upon Thames
- Kingston Vale
- Malden Rushett
- Motspur Park
- New Malden
- Norbiton
- Old Malden
- Surbiton
- Tolworth
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