Kingston has had a unique history. It is possibly the place on the Thames where Caesar first crossed in his expedition to conquer Britain. It is the town in which some Saxon kings were crowned. And it is one of only four royal boroughs in the country.
It was, before assimilation into Greater London, the country town of Surrey, and the venue for one of its major markets.
The author not only deals with the conventional chronicle of events, but writes at length about Kingston's contribution to car and aircraft manufacture, and its unusual role in the development of cinema. She describes also the concentration of boat makers and boat users that one dominated the riverside. All is now sweetness and light, however, for she devotes a whole chapter to 'malodorous' Kingston, describing how the town acquired an unwanted notoriety.
Contents:
The First kingstonians
Royal Kingston
The market Place
Kingston bridge
Early Pleasures
The Guildhall
Kingston at Prayer
Charitable Endeavours
Law and Order
By the River
Bucolic Kingston
The Millers
Building Boats
Military Kingston
The Sick and the Poor
A Town of Regattas
Places of Learning
Fire and Water
On Wheels
On Rails
Malororous Kingston
Tale of a Comet
A the Polls
In the Swim
A Shopping Town
The Growth of Suburbia
Modern Pleasures
Kingston in the Air
Modern Kingston
Further Reading
Index
' ... featuring topics not covered in previous works ... the book follows the fascinating journey towards modern Kingston.' Kingston, Surbiton & New Malden Times
