Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Chessington, Malden Rushett, New Malden, Surbiton and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the four royal boroughs in England. The others are the London boroughs of Greenwich and Kensington and Chelsea and Windsor and Maidenhead, the site of Windsor Castle. The local authority is Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council.
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms  Council logo | |
 Kingston upon Thames shown within Greater London | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | London |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Created | 1 April 1965 |
| Admin HQ | Kingston upon Thames |
| Government | |
| • Type | London borough council |
| • Body | Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council |
| • Leadership | Liberal Democrat (Liberal Democrat) |
| • Mayor | Diane White |
| • London Assembly | Tony Arbour (Conservative) AM for South West |
| • MPs | Sir Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat) Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 14.38 sq mi (37.25 km2) |
| • Rank | 267th (of 296) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 167,845 |
| • Rank | 122nd (of 296) |
| • Density | 12,000/sq mi (4,500/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| Postcodes | |
| Area code | 020 |
| ONS code | 00AX |
| GSS code | E09000021 |
| Police | Metropolitan Police |
| Website | http://www.kingston.gov.uk/ |
Districts in the borough
Adjacent local government districts
History
Kingston upon Thames, on the south bank of the River Thames has existed for many hundreds of years. Many Roman relics have been found in the surrounding areas. A church has stood on the site of All Saints' Church, in the centre of Kingston, for more than a thousand years. An earlier church was sacked by the Vikings in 1009 AD. Kingston was the site of the coronations of seven Anglo-Saxon monarchs:
- Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great, 900AD
- Athelstan, 925AD
- Edmund I, 939AD
- Eadred, 946AD
- Eadwig, 956AD
- Edward the Martyr, 975AD
- Ethelred the Unready, 979AD
The Coronation Stone, on which they are said to have been crowned stands outside the local council offices, the Guildhall. A coin from the reign of each of those kings is set into the base of the stone.
.jpg.webp)
The borough was formed in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal boroughs of Kingston-upon-Thames (which itself was a Royal Borough, transferring that designation to the merged entity), Malden and Coombe and Surbiton. At time of the merger the new borough was transferred from the county of Surrey and added as an administrative part of Greater London. The current name of the borough omits hyphens to distinguish it from the similarly named former municipal borough. Kingston also contains County Hall, the former seat of Surrey County Council.
It was part of Surrey for postal purposes until postal counties were abolished in 1996. Districts mainly use the KT postcode, except from the parts of Ham in the borough which use the TW code, and the Kingston Vale area in the north-east which has an SW15 postcode.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 4,612 | — |
| 1811 | 4,960 | +7.5% |
| 1821 | 6,050 | +22.0% |
| 1831 | 7,212 | +19.2% |
| 1841 | 9,587 | +32.9% |
| 1851 | 12,080 | +26.0% |
| 1861 | 19,863 | +64.4% |
| 1871 | 27,647 | +39.2% |
| 1881 | 35,430 | +28.2% |
| 1891 | 44,106 | +24.5% |
| 1901 | 54,956 | +24.6% |
| 1911 | 68,481 | +24.6% |
| 1921 | 79,468 | +16.0% |
| 1931 | 92,220 | +16.0% |
| 1941 | 115,055 | +24.8% |
| 1951 | 143,545 | +24.8% |
| 1961 | 142,448 | −0.8% |
| 1971 | 141,375 | −0.8% |
| 1981 | 131,230 | −7.2% |
| 1991 | 137,453 | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 147,295 | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 160,060 | +8.7% |
| Note:[1] | ||
Demography
Ethnicity
The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in the 2001 and 2011 census in Kingston upon Thames.
| Ethnic Group | 1981 estimations[2] | 1991[3] | 2001[4] | 2011[5] | 2021[6] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| White: Total | 122,709 | 94.6% | 121,548 | 91.4% | 124,392 | 84.46% | 119,219 | 74.48% | 114,831 | 68.3% |
| White: British | – | – | – | – | 111,810 | 75.92% | 101,015 | 63.11% | 90,288 | 53.7% |
| White: Irish | – | – | – | – | 3,201 | 2.17% | 2,718 | 1.70% | 2,633 | 1.6% |
| White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller | – | – | – | – | – | – | 95 | 0.06% | 61 | 0.0% |
| White: Roma | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 445 | 0.3% |
| White: Other | – | – | – | – | 9,381 | 6.37% | 15,391 | 9.62% | 21,404 | 12.7% |
| Asian or Asian British: Total | – | – | 8,447 | 6.35% | 13,492 | 9.16% | 26,152 | 16.34% | 29,938 | 17.9% |
| Asian or Asian British: Indian | – | – | 3,069 | 5,322 | 3.61% | 6,325 | 3.95% | 7,731 | 4.6% | |
| Asian or Asian British: Pakistani | – | – | 858 | 1,916 | 1.30% | 3,009 | 1.88% | 4,380 | 2.6% | |
| Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi | – | – | 147 | 384 | 0.26% | 892 | 0.56% | 932 | 0.6% | |
| Asian or Asian British: Chinese | – | – | 1,089 | 2,026 | 1.38% | 2,883 | 1.80% | 4,127 | 2.5% | |
| Asian or Asian British: Other Asian | – | – | 3,284 | 3,844 | 2.61% | 13,043 | 8.15% | 12,768 | 7.6% | |
| Black or Black British: Total | – | – | 1,296 | 0.97% | 2,309 | 1.57% | 4,021 | 2.51% | 4,741 | 2.% |
| Black or Black British: African | – | – | 478 | 1,406 | 0.95% | 2,616 | 1.63% | 3,105 | 1.8% | |
| Black or Black British: Caribbean | – | – | 507 | 772 | 0.52% | 1,027 | 0.64% | 1,081 | 0.6% | |
| Black or Black British: Other Black | – | – | 311 | 131 | 0.09% | 378 | 0.24% | 555 | 0.3% | |
| Mixed or British Mixed: Total | – | – | – | – | 3,357 | 2.28% | 6,269 | 3.92% | 8,996 | 5.3% |
| Mixed: White and Black Caribbean | – | – | – | – | 591 | 0.40% | 1,238 | 0.77% | 1,564 | 0.9% |
| Mixed: White and Black African | – | – | – | – | 392 | 0.27% | 700 | 0.44% | 1,090 | 0.6% |
| Mixed: White and Asian | – | – | – | – | 1,398 | 0.95% | 2,500 | 1.56% | 3,540 | 2.1% |
| Mixed: Other Mixed | – | – | – | – | 976 | 0.66% | 1,831 | 1.14% | 2,802 | 1.7% |
| Other: Total | – | – | 1,705 | 1.3% | 3,723 | 2.53% | 4,399 | 2.75% | 9,559 | 5.7% |
| Other: Arab | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,439 | 1.52% | 3,580 | 2.1% |
| Other: Any other ethnic group | – | – | 1,705 | 1.3% | 3,723 | 2.53% | 1,960 | 1.22% | 5,979 | 3.6% |
| Non-White: Total | 6,986 | 5.4% | 11,448 | 8.62% | 22,881 | 15.54% | 40,841 | 25.52% | 53,234 | 31.7% |
| Total | 129,695 | 100% | 132,996 | 100% | 147,273 | 100.00% | 160,060 | 100.00% | 168,065 | 100% |
Governance
UK Parliament
The borough includes the whole of the Kingston and Surbiton Parliamentary Constituency and part of the Richmond Park Constituency with both constituencies being created in 1997. The previous constituencies re-arranged to form these two had been essentially Conservative.
In 1997 the Liberal Democrats won both seats. Dr Jenny Tonge took Richmond Park constituency and in 2005 Susan Kramer became its Liberal Democrat MP with a majority of 3,731 but she was beaten in the May 2010 election by Conservative Zac Goldsmith with a majority of 4,091. Goldsmith retained his seat at the 2015 general election, with a greatly increased majority of 23,015.[7] Goldsmith stood as an Independent candidate in the by-election held on 1 December 2016, but was defeated by Sarah Olney, a Liberal Democrat, after the Conservative Party decided not to put forward its own candidate.[8] Goldsmith regained the seat for the Conservatives in the 2017 general election with a significantly reduced majority of 45 votes.[9] Sarah Olney then regained the seat during the 2019 general election.[10]
In 1997 Edward Davey overturned the previous Conservative majority of more than 10,000 in Kingston and Surbiton, to win by 56 votes after three recounts. He retained the seat in 2001 with a majority of 15,676 over the Conservative candidate David Shaw. In 2005 Davey's majority was 8,961, and in the May 2010 general election he again retained the seat with a slightly reduced majority, beating the Conservative candidate Helen Whately. In the 2015 general election, Davey's seat was taken by Conservative James Berry[11] with a majority of 2,834. Davey's was one of six Liberal Democrat losses in London and 49 overall as the party suffered its worst election results since its formation in 1988.[12] Davey regained the seat in the 2017 general election.[13]
Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council
The borough council was controlled by the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1986, when a short-lived SDP-Liberal Alliance minority administration took over. It lost several by-elections due to its attempt to abolish the borough's grammar school system. The Conservatives regained control in 1987. The 1990 election gave no party a majority but the Conservatives kept power with the casting vote of the mayor.
In 2011, Councillor Tim Dennen resigned from the Liberal Democrat group to sit as an independent member.[14]
On Tuesday 11 June 2013 Derek Osborne was arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, following his release on bail he resigned the Liberal Democrat group, as leader of Kingston Council and as a councillor for Beverley Ward.[15] Osborne pleaded guilty and was subsequently jailed for 2 years in October 2013.[16] The Conservatives comfortably won the by-election following the resignation of the former leader of the council.[17]
In 2014 the Conservatives gained a majority of 8 at the local elections, bucking a trend of the Liberal Democrats retaining control in their heartlands.[18]
The Liberal Democrats regained control of the council in 2018 with a large majority of 39 seats compared to the Conservatives' 9 seats.[19]
Greater London representation
For elections to the Greater London Council, the borough formed the Kingston upon Thames electoral division, electing two members. In 1973 it was divided into the single-member Kingston upon Thamea and Surbiton electoral divisions.[20] The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986.
Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly, the borough forms part of the South West constituency.
Modern Kingston
Kingston benefits from one of the biggest and most visited 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 at least the completely rebuilt Bentall Centre) stands.
Close to Kingston, and located between Kingston, Richmond and Roehampton, is Richmond Park, one of the oldest of London's royal parks.
The borough is home to the highest number of South Koreans in Europe, in the town of New Malden.
Tourism in Kingston
Kingston has many attractions in and near it, ranging from nature and historical attractions to theme parks.
Some of the borough's attractions are:
- Chessington World of Adventures. Resort in the south of the borough. The closest railway station is Chessington South. Chessington is one of the UK's premier theme parks attracting thousands of visitors from all around the UK to its rides, aquarium and zoo.
- Thames Riverside. A walkway beside the Thames at Kingston and Surbiton, it has a variety of restaurants.
- Coronation Stone. Situated outside The Guildhall in Kingston, this ancient rock was the crowning point of some of England's early kings.
- Richmond Park. One of the world's largest urban parks, its Kingston Gate is situated within the borough's boundary.
- Kingston Town Centre. One of London's biggest shopping destinations, with hundreds of shops, cafes and restaurants, as well as a large entertainment complex, including an Odeon Cinema and Tenpin Bowling. Also in the town centre is a historic market which has been running for hundreds of years.
- Rose Theatre. An 822-seat theatre in the centre of Kingston.
- Bentall Centre (a shopping centre). It is home to over 75 shops (including the Bentalls department store), restaurants and other services.
Economy
Kingston is the 3rd largest retail centre by employment, in London.
Sega Amusements International, responsible for the production of arcade games outside Japan, has its head office in Chessington, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.[21] Lidl relocated its UK Headquarters to Kingston in 2020.[22]
Industry
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 in a site in Kingston town centre and built in the aviation factory near Ham now known as the Hawker Centre.
Education
Primary responsibility for education in the borough lies with the local education authority.
Schools
- The Kingston Academy (mixed), Richmond Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 5PE
- Chessington School (mixed), Garrison Lane, Chessington KT9 2JS
- Coombe Boys’ School, College Gardens, Blakes Lane, New Malden KT3 6NU
- Coombe Girls’ School, Clarence Avenue, New Malden KT3 3TU
- The Hollyfield School and Sixth Form Centre (mixed), Surbiton Hill Road, Surbiton KT6 4TU
- Holy Cross School (girls) (Roman Catholic), Sandal Road, New Malden KT3 5AR
- Richard Challoner School (boys) (Roman Catholic), Manor Drive North, New Malden KT3 5PE
- Southborough High School (boys), Hook Road, Surbiton KT6 5AS
- Tiffin Girls’ School, Richmond Road, Kingston upon Thames KT2 5PL
- Tiffin School (boys), Queen Elizabeth Road, Kingston upon Thames KT2 6RL
- Tolworth Girls’ School and Sixth Form, Fullers Way North, Surbiton KT6 7LQ
Further education
Higher education
Transport
Kingston has nine South Western Railway stations and two centrally located bus stations, but no London Underground or other Transport for London stations. In 2008, 64 bus routes served Kingston.
Railway
Coaching interests in Kingston opposed the plan of the London and Southampton Railway to run its line to Southampton near Kingston. The line consequently avoided the town with a station opened in 1838 southwest of the town; it was later resited to the present site of Surbiton station.
In 1863 a branch was built from Twickenham to a terminus in Kingston. That line was extended to the main line in 1869 to form the Kingston Loop Line.
All rail services in the borough are operated by South Western Railway, who provide regular services to and from London Waterloo.
Railway stations in the borough:
- Berrylands, London Zone 5
- Chessington North, London Zone 6
- Chessington South, London Zone 6
- Kingston, London Zone 6
- Malden Manor, London Zone 4
- New Malden, London Zone 4
- Norbiton, London Zone 5
- Surbiton, London Zone 6
- Tolworth, London Zone 5
Travel to work
In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: driving a car or van, 26.1% of all residents aged 16–74; train, 7.1%; bus, minibus or coach, 7.1%; on foot, 6.9%; work mainly at or from home, 4.3%; bicycle, 2.8%; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 2.5%.[23]
Coat of arms
The Kingston coat of arms displays three salmon and its shield is almost identical to the coat of arms of the Swedish municipality of Laholm. Both coats of arms can be traced back to the 16th century. The arms of the Norwegian town of Mandal is also similar, but more recent.
In 1966 the newly created London Borough added a set crests and supporters taken from the localities merged into it. The crest came from the Municipal Borough of Malden and Coombe, with that borough's arms hung from the neck of the stag, and the supporters taken from Municipal Borough of Surbiton, with again its arms hanging from the stags' necks.[24]
International links
Although not officially 'twinned', The Royal Borough of Kingston has a partner city of Oldenburg in Germany and Gwanak-gu, an administrative subdivision of Seoul, in South Korea. Some road signs announce that Kingston is linked with Delft in the Netherlands but this official link has ended.[25]
Sport and leisure
The Borough of Kingston upon Thames has several football clubs in its area:
- Kingstonian, a Non-League football club who play at Imperial Fields
- Corinthian Casuals, a non-League club who play at King George's Field
- Chessington & Hook United, a non-League club who play at Chalky Lane
- Epsom Athletic, a defunct non-League club who play at Chalky Lane
- Chelsea F.C. Women, who play at the Kingsmeadow Stadium in WSL 1
References
- "Kingston: Total Population". A Vision of Britain Through Time. Great Britain Historical GIS Project. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- "Ethnic minorities in Britain: statistical information on the pattern of settlement". Commission for Racial Equality: Table 2.2. 1985.
- "1991 census – theme tables". NOMIS. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- "KS006 – Ethnic group". NOMIS. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- "Ethnic Group by measures". NOMIS. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- "Ethnic group - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- "Zac Goldsmith MP". Parliament.uk. UK Parliament. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- "Zac Goldsmith quits as MP over 'doomed' Heathrow expansion decision". The Guardian. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- "GE2017 – Constituency results". Britain Elects (Google Docs). Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- "Richmond Park parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News" – via www.bbc.com.
- "James Berry". Parliament.uk. UK Parliament. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- "Kingston & Surbiton parliamentary constituency – Election 2017". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- "Kingston & Surbiton". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- Barnes, Tom (12 May 2012). "Kingston councillor speaks out over party split". Surrey Comet. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- "Kingston council leader quits over child porn arrest". BBC News. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- "Former Kingston Council leader jailed for child abuse images". BBC News. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- "2013 Beverley Ward by-election results". Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- Cecil, Nicolas (23 May 2014). "Nick Clegg's dismal election night topped with defeat in Kingston". The Standard. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- "Kingston Upon Thames London Borough Council".
- Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Kingston upon Thames". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- Contacts Sega Amusements Europe
- Thames, The Royal Borough of Kingston upon. "Lidl to move UK headquarters to Tolworth following £10m deal with Kingston Council". www.kingston.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- "2011 Census: QS701EW Method of travel to work, local authorities in England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 November 2013. Percentages are of all residents aged 16–74 including those not in employment. Respondents could only pick one mode, specified as the journey’s longest part by distance.
- "Kingston-upon-Thames - Coat of arms (crest) of Kingston-upon-Thames". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- International Relations – European and International Partnerships Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
External links
| Districts |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Attractions | ||
| Bridges and tunnels | ||
| Parks and open spaces | ||
| Constituencies | ||
| Rail stations | ||
| Places of worship | ||
| Sport | ||
| Other topics | ||
| ||
