Kingston Museum - A personal journey

 

One of the lovely windows
in Kingston Museum.

With the weather being so cold, it's mainly indoor events I am going to because everywhere is muddy. Kingston Museum is local to me. I go there for the occasional talk and exhibition, but it has been years since I walked around the museum itself.

There are many displays of ancient tools and coins from a bygone age and lots of local history, some of which even I didn't know. 

I came across Thomas Abbott who had a china repair shop in the High Street. He famously smashed a jug into 289 pieces and then stuck it back together. The jug is on display in the museum. He also repaired pieces of Wedgewood's 'Frog Service' made for Catherine the Great.

Of course Kingston-upon-Thames is known as the place where Kings were crowned. It's what makes Kingston a Royal Borough instead of a London Borough. The Coronation Stone can be seen outside the Guildhall opposite the Clattern Bridge, one the oldest intact bridges in England and replaced an Anglo Saxon bridge. It still takes busy traffic coming through Kingston and spans the Hogsmill River as it flows into the River Thames.

Clattern Bridge built in 1175 taken from the Thames side
(Guildhall in the distance)

Coronation Stone

But back to the Kings for a moment. King Althestan was crowned here in 925 and Eadred in 946. He was followed by Ethelred the Unready in 979, and there is a possibility King Edward the Elder was crowned here too and maybe others.

A place where Kings were crowned

In Old Malden the remains of a Saxon village was discovered and Saxon remains are also to be found in the church of St John's, nestling not far from the Hogsmill River.

Old Malden

Another stained glass window

The Romans were here, of course, and many coins have been found. And underneath John Lewis store is an Undercroft and part of the old Kingston Bridge, spanning the Thames. These can sometimes be viewed on open days, and I was lucky enough to go inside and see them once before the singing with a choir outside! There used to be a glass window in the wall (Thames side) through which you could view the old bridge. I'm assuming that is still there. 

Shipbuilding was prevalent in Kingston too, and sections of a boat were also found underneath John Lewis when they were excavating. Two pieces are on show in Kingston Museum.

Found underneath John Lewis

Jerome K Jerome stayed in Kingston after his honeymoon and wrote his book Three Men in a Boat about three friends travelling up river from Kingston. There is a case in the museum dedicated to him.

Jerome K Jerome
Three Men in a Boat

Stained glass window

Romans made their mark here too

Kingston has been a trading centre since 1170 and the first recorded market was recorded in 1272. The Grade I listed All Saints Church is here (they have a heritage centre, well worth a look), along with the 19th century Market House. These days the market sells street food and fresh fruit and vegetables. At Christmas there is a Christmas Market and the space is also used for entertainment at carnival times and special events. I have sung here!

The Ancient Market, Kingston

This used to be a Next Store. What was it before?

Detail. A love this building

Two stores stand opposite one another, the said John Lewis and Bentalls. Frank Bentall began Bentalls back in 1867, starting out as a drapery store and gradually expanding. In their heyday they had stores in Worthing, Bracknell, Tonbridge Wells and Lakeside as well as Bristol and other places. I have a soft spot for Bentalls because my family all worked there from my maternal grandparents to my mum and dad and my brother and I! None of us worked in the shop part apart from my mum worked in the hairdressers, but the offices. I was only there a short time, but the history of the place runs through me, rather. These days the store is owned by Fenwick and has changed greatly.It is now called the Bentall Centre and is very like every other shopping mall with all the chains and eating establishments you would expect to find. Recently a Curzon cinema opened there.

Bentalls

John Lewis

The Bentall Centre
a far cry from the drapery shop

Another famous person lived in Kingston, Eadweard Muybridge, a man who changed his name three times, but who was a pioneer in moving-image projection. Muybridge was born in Kingston in 1830 and emigrated to the United States at the age of twenty. The man fascinates me and I've just discovered he lived in a house in the High Street where I used to go (it's a computer shop now). He has a whole section to himself in the corridor between the museum and the library next door. Some of his instruments and photos are on display. I've been to several exhibitions about him.

All about Eadweard Muybridge

Finally, Nipper, the emblem for HMV came from Kingston and appeared in a painting looking at the horn of a gramophone. His resting place is in a green space behind Clarence Street, but there is also Nipper Alley by Wetherspoons pub with his picture on it. You can read about Nipper and the history of HMV here.

Nipper at Kingston Museum

There is much more to be seen at Kingston Museum, including the history of Hawker Siddeley in Kingston. I have only featured the highlights for me. This was quite a personal voyage into the past. The museum is free, but do look at their website for opening times as they are not open every day. The museum is run by volunteers. They also organise history walks around the town.

Tools found in Kingston

Waterfront