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14
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is located to
the south-west of London and on its northern boundary is only
seven miles from Charing Cross. The town was famous in early
English history and today is one of the largest shopping centres
in the south-east. The River Thames runs along the western
boundary and the Boroughs of Richmond, Wandsworth, Merton, Sutton
and Epsom and Ewell and the Urban District of Esher are immediate
neighbours. Residents of the Borough enjoy the advantages of
easy access both to central London and to the attractions of the
Surrey countryside.
The ancient market in the centre of Kingston was
established by Royal Charter granted to the Borough by Charles I
in 1628 and on week-days Kingston itself is a magnet for shoppers
from many miles around.
The Borough is also a centre for education, including a
College of Technology and an Art School. Numerous industries,
producing chiefly light engineering products and consumer goods,
are located in the main in Kingston and Chessington.
The Borough is well served by road and rail communications
with excellent services to Waterloo from Kingston, Surbiton and New
Maiden, with the main line from Waterloo to Portsmouth, Southampton
and the south-west. The A.3. bisects the Borough on its route from
London to Portsmouth and there is ready access to both London and
Gatwick Air Ports.
Kingston Baths comprise two modern indoor swimming pools
and a learner pool, and Surbiton Lagoon is a large open air pool.
There are many open spaces, together with riverside walks
and several industrial and commercial undertakings have chosen the
area for their sports clubs. In Maiden there are three private
golf courses. Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common abut the
boundaries in the north; to the south there i3 the Green Belt with
the Surrey countryside.
Much of the housing in the Borough was constructed between
the wars and many residents travel daily to London.
The whole of the Borough is extremely well provided for by
voluntary organizations catering for the needs of the young and the
elderly.