- published: 16 Sep 2010
- views: 3406
Coordinates: 51°24′37″N 0°17′58″W / 51.4103°N 0.2995°W / 51.4103; -0.2995
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated 10 miles (16.1 km) south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan.
In 838, it was styled Kyningestun famosa illa locus. In Old English, tun, ton or don meant farmstead – so the name Kingston may have meant farmstead of the kings. Seven Saxon kings are traditionally said to have been crowned at Kingston, while seated on a large stone – The Coronation Stone – that stands outside the Guildhall. There is a local tradition that these Saxon coronations gave Kingston its name, but the records of the 838 council disprove this. Kingston upon Thames appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Chingestone and Chingetun(e).
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 legendary Sopwith Camel, Hawker Fury, Hurricane, Hunter and Harrier 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. Well known aviation personalities Sydney Camm, Harry Hawker and Tommy Sopwith were responsible for much of Kingston's achievements in aviation. British Aerospace finally closed its Lower Ham Road factory in 1992 part of the site was subsequently redeveloped for housing, the river side part of the site remains as a community centre and sports complex. The growth and development of Kingston Polytechnic and its transformation into Kingston University has made Kingston a university town.
Kingston Upon Thames Area Guide from Visit London
kingston upon hull Travel Guide: Tour, Map, History, Weather
Cities: Skylines Building London - Part 3 ►More Mods and Kingston Upon Thames◀ Gameplay/Tutorial
Kingston-upon-Thames 21 June 2014
Street Pastors in Kingston Upon Thames
Tours in London, England - London Travel Tips
My top 5 things to do in Kingston-upon-Thames
Travelling to Dubai 2016!
Boat trip to Hampton Court Palace from Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England
Celebrating culture in Kingston upon Thames
Filming in Kingston Upon Thames
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome (FULL Audiobook)
Three Men in a Boat Chapter 1 Audio Book [HD]
FABULOUS KINGSTON