Description
The Guildhall was on the site of the C18th Clattern House, which was next to the early C19th Assize Courts, both demolished in 1933. Used for municipal offices from 1891 Guildhall housed the library until 1903, when Kingston Library on Fairfield opened. A new larger Guildhall was built in 1935, and was further extended in 1968. The Guildhall Grounds are landscaped with grass, paths, shrub beds and trees. The ancient Coronation Stone surrounded by mid-C19th railings was moved to the Guildhall grounds in 1935 from the site south of Market Place where it had been set up in 1850. Nearby is the C12th Clattern Bridge over the Hogsmill River, which runs along one boundary of the grounds.
Practical Information
| Site location | High Street, Kingston |
|---|---|
| Postcode | KT1 |
| What3Words | ///tender.next.orchestra |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Kingston. Bus: 371, K1, 65. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
By the 1930s the old Guildhall was found to be insufficient for the needs of the local authority. Both Clattern House and the Assize Court were then demolished in 1933 to make way for the new Guildhall, a fine brick and stone dressed building designed by Maurice Webb. It was opened in 1935 by Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, Queen Victoria's grand-daughter. Kingston is known as the place where 7 Saxon kings were crowned, but the accuracy of the number of coronations is disputed. However, set into the plinth around the Coronation Stone is a silver penny noting the reign of each King. The Clattern Bridge is so named due the sound of horses' hooves and is still in use.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ178690 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | RB Kingston |
| Site Management | Grounds maintenance contractor: Quadron Services Ltd |
| Dates | 1935 |
| Listed Structures | LBI: Coronation Stone, Clattern Bridge. LBII: Guildhall Main Building. SAM: Clattern Bridge |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Kingston |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Kingston Old Town |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance I (Hogsmill Rover corrido |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Proposal Site. Green Chain (Hogsmill) |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Hogsmill River Park is a linear park created in the 1980s that continues the link to other open spaces through the borough along the route of the Hogsmill River, which flows north through New Malden and Berrylands to the Thames just by the Guildhall. Evidence of bronze and iron age settlements have been found by the river, which was called the Hogsmill relatively recently, and was previously known as the Malden River, and in 1439 as the Lurteborne.
There was a large parish church in Kingston by the C12th, an earlier church having been rebuilt by Gilbert, Sheriff of Surrey, who gave it to Merton Priory. The foundations of a small chapel of earlier date, which was possibly the site of coronations, were excavated in 1926 and are visible in the churchyard, with a plaque marking the site. The churchyard to the north of the church has been cleared of gravestones, except for some table tombs and a sarcophagus, and some headstones have been placed on the boundary facing the east end of the church and on the south side. The ornamental gates were donated as a war memorial. Trees in the churchyard include mature limes, a yew and a number of chestnuts.
Kingston War Memorial Gardens was originally set up as an overflow burial ground to the parish churchyard in 1826. It closed in 1855 when the new Kingston Cemetery opened outside the town centre. It was laid out as public garden, with gravestones moved to the perimeter. The War Memorial was unveiled in 1923. Kingston's annual Remembrance Day service takes place in the War Memorial Gardens