Historically in the county of Surrey, the ancient parish of Kingston covered both the town itself and a large surrounding area.

[1] Kingston was called Cyninges tun in 838 AD, Chingestune in 1086, Kingeston in 1164, Kyngeston super Tamisiam in 1321 and Kingestowne upon Thames in 1589.

[5][6] The Post Office initially adopted 'Kingston-on-Thames',[7] the Ordnance Survey used 'Kingston upon Thames',[8] and the old borough council preferred the hyphenated 'Kingston-upon-Thames'.

[11] The first surviving record of Kingston is from AD 838 as the site of a meeting between King Egbert of Wessex and Ceolnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Tradition dating to the 18th century holds that a large stone recovered from the ruins played a part in the coronations.

[13][14][15][16] From Medieval times Shrovetide Football was played annually at Kingston upon Thames and in surrounding towns including Richmond and Twickenham.

[17] The last game was played in 1866, by which time the urban development of the town meant it caused too much damage and the custom was outlawed.

[29] Kingston evolved as a market town from the Saxon period, with goods transported on the Thames and over land via the crossing point.

Goods traded included oats, wheat, rye, malt, apples and other fruit, flowers, wool, leather and cheese.

[31] Local industries included pottery, brick making, tanning, leather-working, fishing, milling, brewing and boat-building.

The renowned Sopwith Camel, Hawker Fury, Hurricane, Hunter and Harrier jump jet 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.

[39] In the early 2000s, the Charter Quay development south of Kingston Bridge completed the riverside walk,[40] as well as adding bars, restaurants and the Rose Theatre, which opened in 2008 with Sir Peter Hall as the director.

[42] Kingston straddles two Parliamentary constituencies: the area north of the railway line is part of Richmond Park, which is represented by Sarah Olney of the Liberal Democrats, and the area south of the railway line (including the ancient town centre) is part of Kingston and Surbiton which is represented by Ed Davey of the Liberal Democrats.

Central Kingston is a busy, largely pedestrian and predominantly retail centre, with a small number of commercial offices and civic buildings.

The Rotunda, in a former Bentalls furniture depository building (a local landmark), includes a bowling alley, fitness centre, a 15-screen Odeon multiplex cinema and a few restaurants.

The Guildhall is located by the part-culverted mouth of the Hogsmill River, and houses Kingston Council and magistrates' court.

Further south are found the Druid's Head, the Spring Grove, The Cricketers, The Albion Tavern, The Duke of Buckingham, and several small local pubs around Fairfield.

This puts it as generating the fifth highest level of retail sales in Greater London, passing Croydon, with just four West End alternatives ahead.

[48] In a 2015 study by CACI, Kingston was ranked 28th in the UK in the Hot 100 Retail Locations - and the second highest in Greater London after Croydon.

[53][54] As of 2011, Kingston upon Thames has the fourth highest retail turnover for comparison goods in Greater London, £432 million annually, only bettered by the West End, Shepherd's Bush and Stratford.

As of 2012, Kingston has 276,438 square metres (2,975,550 sq ft) of total town centre floorspace, the 3rd highest in London.

Early in his music career, the guitarist and singer-songwriter Eric Clapton spent time busking in Kingston upon Thames,[59] having grown up and studied in the area.

[61] The 2008 series of Primeval, shown on ITV1 in January, featured almost an entire episode filmed inside the Bentall Centre and John Lewis department stores.

[citation needed] Kingston Green Fair was held annually from 1987 to 2008 in Canbury Gardens, next to the river, on the Spring Bank Holiday.

For instance no meat or other products derived from dead animals were allowed to be sold, and no electricity was permitted on the site unless generated by wind, sun, or bicycle power.

[63] One of the more unusual sights in Kingston is Out of Order by David Mach, a sculpture in the form of twelve disused red telephone boxes that have been tipped up to lean against one another in an arrangement resembling dominoes.

[66] Nearby Surbiton station – originally named Kingston when it opened in 1838 – is on the South West Main Line in London fare zone 6.

Southbound services link Surbiton to destinations in Surrey and Hampshire, such as Hampton Court, Guildford, Woking and Basingstoke.

There are several radial routes including: In the 1960s, planners proposed a partially elevated ring road encircling the town centre, to alleviate congestion on major shopping streets and traffic heading towards Kingston Bridge.

[72] As part of the project, two bus stations were constructed, cycle lanes installed and several artworks commissioned including Out of Order by David Mach and River Celebration by Carole Hodgson.