Friday, 30 June 2017

Kingston - a vibrant market town

On the banks of the Thames and just a short 12 mile hop from Central London, Kingston is a vibrant market town and one of the liveliest London boroughs. 
First recorded in a Royal Charter in 838, the town was established as the coronation place for Anglo Saxon Kings. Today, our quietly confident medieval market town is a rich mix of retail, arts & culture and food & drink making Kingston a popular destination.
 


 "Out of Order" by David Mach 
 David Mach RA is a Scottish sculptor and installation artist. Mach's artistic style is based on flowing assemblages of mass-produced objects.


 



 Guildhall

 Kingston’s Ancient Market, with over 800 years of history and a major part of Kingston’s heritage, has 29 permanent stalls renowned for their fantastic displays of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and baked goods. Add to this, an array of fresh hot food stalls and a string of pop-up stalls appearing throughout the year to keep the market fresh and you have an exciting hub in the centre of Kingston.

 This beautiful statue and water fountain in Market Place is a memorial to Henry Shrubsole, a local banker and three times Mayor of Kingston.























 Clattern Bridge, forming part of Kingston High street is the oldest surviving bridge in London. Thought to have been built way back in the 12th Century, the earliest known mention of the bridge is in a deed of 1293 with the beautiful stone arches, visible from downstream, thought to have been built around 1180.
Early references to the bridge use the Medieval name ‘Clateryngbrugge’, thought to have been a description of the sound of horse hooves crossing the bridge to and from Kingston Market.
The bridge doesn’t cross the river Thames, but rather the river Hogsmill, with it’s own claim to fame being that it appears in the John Millais painting of Hamlet’s Ophelia.





 All Saints Church



 One of the many things which makes Kingston a great and unique destination is the fact that we are on the river.  Take in the stunning views as you take a relaxing walk along the riverside path that gently meanders alongside the Thames.
 
 

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