Kingston upon Thames

From the records: “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.”

From the records: “Seven Saxon kings of England, including Æthelstan and Æthelred the Unready, were crowned here in the 10th century.”

From the records: “Kingston was called Cyninges tun in 838 AD, Chingestune in 1086, Kingeston in 1164, Kyngeston super Tamisiam in 1321 and Kingestowne upon Thames in 1589.”

From the records: “The present church was begun in 1120 under the orders of Henry I and has been developed since then.”

From the records: “Other sources claim that the first Kingston Bridge was constructed in the 1190s.”

From the records: “It was granted various charters allowing it the right to hold markets and fairs, with the oldest surviving charter being from King John in 1208.”

From the records: “A subsequent charter in 1441 formally incorporated the town as a borough.”

From the records: “The original high wooden spire on top of the tower was struck by lightning and almost entirely destroyed in 1445 and was rebuilt in 1505.”

From the records: “There are records of tolls being granted for various spells to pay for repairs to the bridge, but in 1567, Robert Hamond gave a sum to make it a free bridge 'forever'.”

From the records: “The regular Saturday market was supplemented by a Wednesday market in 1662.”

From the records: “In 1600, the church was described at vestry meeting as being "much out of repair and there being a need for a speedy repair of the same in several places... to prevent further damages and inconvenience." The tower was taken down to the level of the nave and was strengthened and rebuilt in 1708 in brick, with dipped parapet and pineapple ornaments on the corners.”

From the records: “The bridge was described in 1710 "The great Wooden Bridge hath 20 interstices: two in the middle wide enough for barges...it had 22 pierres [piers] of Wood and had in the middle two fair Seates for Passengers to avoid Carts and to sit and enjoy the delightfull Prospect".”

From the records: “The Druid's Head is notable as one of the first taverns to make syllabub, the famous dessert, in the 18th century.”

From the records: “The bridge's state of repair became increasingly problematic by the early 19th century.”

From the records: “In 1825 Kingston Corporation notified the City of London Corporation Navigation Committee that it intended to build a new bridge.”

From the records: “Surbiton railway station opened in 1838, and was originally named Kingston-upon-Railway.”

From the records: “Tradition dating to the 18th century holds that a large stone recovered from the ruins played a part in the coronations.”

From the records: “The Pre-Raphaelite painters John Everett Millais (1829–1896) and William Holman Hunt (1827–1910) came to Surbiton in 1851, 26 years before Richard Jefferies (1848–1887).”

From the records: “Following a lengthy campaign which came to a conclusion with the passing of the Kew and Other Bridges Act 1869 (32 & 33 Vict. c. xix), the bridge became free from tolls on 12 March 1870, and celebrations including a fireworks show were followed a few days later with the burning of the toll gates on Hampton Green.”

From the records: “A permanent military presence was established in the borough with the completion of The Barracks in 1875.”

From the records: “Kingston upon Thames was the seat of Surrey County Council from 1893, when it moved from Newington to a new headquarters at County Hall.”

From the records: “Surbiton was the setting of Keble Howard's novel The Smiths of Surbiton, published in 1906.”

From the records: “In March 1906, London United Tramways installed tramlines on Kingston Bridge, connecting the Surrey and Middlesex routes.”

From the records: “The writer Enid Blyton was governess to a Surbiton family for four years from 1920, at a house called 'Southernhay', also on the Hook Road.”

From the records: “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.”

From the records: “The station building at Surbiton was built in 1937, designed in an Art Deco style by James Robb Scott.”

From the records: “The first attack took place on 16 August 1940, killing about 50 people and damaging about 1,300 homes.”

From the records: “The modern borough was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963, covering the combined area of the former municipal boroughs of Kingston-upon-Thames, Malden and Coombe and Surbiton.”

From the records: “The 1974 Doctor Who story "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" used several locations in the town for filming.”

From the records: “Many Koreans settled in New Malden in the 1970s due to the ambassador's location.”

From the records: “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.”

From the records: “The growth and development of Kingston Polytechnic, and its transformation into Kingston University in 1992, has made Kingston a university town.”

From the records: “A notable dramatic arts venue is the Rose Theatre, opened on 16 January 2008 and seating about 900 people.”

From the records: “Prior to the opening of the games, Kingston hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay on two occasions with the flame travelling through the borough on 24 July 2012 and aboard the Gloriana in a cauldron on 27 July 2012 en route to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony.”

From the records: “In 2013 Kingston became the location for a local currency scheme, designed to boost and strengthen the local economy in Kingston, as part of the Transition towns initiative.”