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Surbiton Past

Surbiton, Tolworth, Hook and Chessington, now part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, all have rich, individual histories, each of which is explored in depth in this lively book.  It dispels many of the old stereotypes about the district as a faceless, suburban outgrowth of London in a well-researched and remarkably well-illustrated narrative.

By Richard Statham.  Published by Phillimore, 1996. 130 pages.

ISBN 1 86077 026 6

Hook Remembered

This is the first book of photographs of old Hook in Surrey. For more than 600 years, this little village of fruit trees and farms has fostered a thriving community spirit.  Once home of Enid Blyton and aviation pioneer, Harry Hawker, the village is now part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

By Mark Davison. Published by Frosted Earth, 1997.  64 pages.

ISBN 0 9516710 9 X

Hook Remembered Again

A second book of striking photographs of old Hook in Surrey produced as a result of an overwhelming response to the first book in the series: Hook Remembered.  Revealed, for the first time, is the exact location of author, Thomas Hardy’s home in the Hook Road.  The village now forms part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

By Mark Davison.  Published by Mark Davison, 2001.  76 pages.

ISBN 0 9534240 5 7

Tolworth Remembered

A book of old photographs of Tolworth, vividly documenting its transition from farming community to the present bustling and lively community that is now part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

By Mark Davison and Paul Adams.  Published by Mark Davison, no date

c. 2001.  64 pages.

ISBN 0 9534240 2 2.  

Chessington Remembered

For many people, Chessington is synonymous with the zoo or World of Adventures.  This book of photographs discovers another world of dairy farms, hay fields and meadows before the developers moved in.  Chessington is now part of the Royal borough of Kingston upon Thames.  

By Mark Davison.  Published by Mark Davison, 1999.  64 pages.

ISBN 0 9534240 1 4.

Surbiton Memories & More Tales of Old Tolworth and Berrylands

A wealth of tales from the past, offering a treasure trove of remarkable recollections, faded photos and stories of schooldays in Surbiton, trams in Tolworth and life down on the farm in Long Ditton.

By Mark Davison. Published by Mark Davison, 2004. 76 pages.

ISBN 0 9543759 1 2

The Book of Kingston

Outstanding local history, meticulously researched and described as ‘the definitive work’ on Kingston. Illustrated.

By Shaan Butters.  Published by Baron Birch for Quotes Ltd, 1995.  192 pages.

ISBN 0 86023 562 9.

Kingston Past

Kingston upon Thames has a unique history.  It is the town in which some seven Saxon kings were crowned and one of only four Royal Boroughs in England & Wales.  The author not only deals with the conventional chronicle of events from earliest times, but writes at length about Kingston’s contribution to car and aircraft manufacture and its unusual contribution to cinema history.  Illustrated.

By June Sampson. Published by Historical Publications Ltd, 1997. 144 pages.   

ISBN 0 948667 454 1

A Fair and High Locality: the Chronicle of Coombe Ridge House and the Manor of Coombe

A carefully researched history of the childhood home of author John Galsworthy on  the historic Coombe Estate, once owned by Earl Spencer and the Dukes of Cambridge.   Contains references to the Tudor conduit houses built over springs serving Hampton Court Palace.

By Sue Lown and Patricia Panizzo, illustrated by Ian Dunn.  Published by PWP Press, 1996. 63 pages.

ISBN 0 9528594 0 8

Spring Grove, Birth of a Community, 1865 to 1880

Spring Grove, Kingston upon Thames is one of the many small suburban communities in Greater London which have their origins in the great building expansion of the Victorian era.  This book examines one particular community--the men who built the houses, the families who came to live in them, how they earned their living and spent their spare time.  It also traces the founding of the church and school and the provision of shops and other amenities.  

By Isobel Robinson.  Published by Isobel Robinson, [1997].  69 pages.

Long Ditton Remembered

A book of photographs and commentary on the village of Long Ditton in Surrey.  Historically, the village has been on the map for at least 1,000 years.  Many of its most remarkable buildings have been lost but have been immortalised in present street names.  This book is a fascinating photographic record of the village, its residents, buildings, shops and public houses over the past one hundred years, accompanied by carefully researched text by the author.

By Mark Davison.  Published by Mark Davison, 1998. 64 pages.

ISBN 0953424006

Kingston and the Boer War  

The Boer War was Britain’s biggest colonial war, fought in South Africa from 1899 to 1902. Around a quarter of a million men, regular soldiers and volunteers served there.  This is the story of the Kingston men who went and how the war affected the community they left behind.

By Tim Everson.  Published by Tim Everson, 2002.  

Surbiton Bombed

A graphic photographic record of bomb damage sustained by Surbiton during the Second World War. Surbiton and Berrylands are now part of the present-day Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

By Mark Davison and Paul Adams.   Published by Mark Davison, 2002. 76 pages.

ISBN 0954375904

Mysterious Kingston

It seems there is more to Kingston upon Thames in Surrey than meets the eye.  Dipping below the surface, and chatting to local people the authors have uncovered some of Kingston’s hidden mysteries.

By Barbara and Tracy Russell.  Published by Twilight Books, 1996, second edition, 1999. 35 pages.

ISBN 0952852403

Strange Kingston

As a town with a long and colourful past, Kingston upon Thames in Surrey has a well-documented history.  But the hidden side of Kingston, including the unusual experiences of ordinary residents can be just as intriguing as the tale of ancient kings.  This is a sequel to ‘Mysterious Kingston’.

By Barbara and Tracy Russell.  Published by Twilight Books, 1997.  44 pages.

ISBN 095285241X

Stage Coaching and a Market Town, Kingston upon Thames

A wide-ranging account of coaching on the London to Portsmouth Road.

By John Pink.  Published by John Pink, 2000.  137 pages.

ISBN 0952563851.

Coroners’ Inquests: Violent, Unnatural or Suspicious Deaths in Kingston upon Thames and Surroundings, 1700-1750   

The archives of Kingston hold 130 papers relating to Coroners’ inquests between 1700 and 1750.  These papers are rare survivals from the past.  John Pink uses them to find out more about the social history of Kingston and surrounding villages during the first half of the 18th century.

By John Pink.  Published by John Pink, 2002.  40 pages.

ISBN 1902959000

Surrey at War

Records the momentous events of six years of war in the County of Surrey as seen through the eyes of those who served in the forces, the services, the voluntary occupations and the civilian population.  

By Bob Ogley. Published by Froglets Publications,1995, reprinted 2002. 200 pages.

ISBN 1872337651

Surrey in the Sixties

Memories of a swinging decade. Relive the days of bouffant hairstyles, winklepickers, and bubble cars and see the developments and changes that were taking place across the country.

By Mark Davison and Ian Currie.  Published by Frosted Earth, 1994, reprinted 1998. 144 pages.

ISBN 0- 9516710 4 9

Surrey in the Seventies

This book recaptures images of a decade when town centres changed beyond recognition, when strange new fashions appeared on the streets, and protests, strikes and industrial unrest culminated in the winter od sicontent of 1978-1979.

By Mark Davison and Ian Currie.  Published by Frosted Earth and Mark Davison, 1995, second edition 2001. 164 pages.

ISBN 0951671073

Add Surrey in the Seventies to your basket

The Kingston Zodiac

Mary Caine is well known for her expertise regarding the Glastonbury zodiac and in this fascinating and well-researched book she investigates the presence of a terrestrial zodiac at Kingston upon Thames and surrounding areas.

By Mary Caine. Published by Capall Bann Publishing. 2001. 202 pages.

ISBN 186163 1111

The Story of Kingston

June Sampson is features editor of the Surrey Comet Newspaper and a well-known local historian. This book covers the story of Kingston’s colourful past from Saxon times, with particular emphasis on the town’s royal history. Illustrated.

By June Sampson. Published by Dr E.M. Lancet ,1972.  129 pages.

Kingston upon Thames: Photographic Memories

An evocative collection of archive photographs from the famous Francis Frith collection, showing Kingston upon Thames from mid-Victorian times and depicting the considerable changes it has undergone during the twentieth century. Includes a voucher for a free mounted print.

By Patrick Loobey. Published by Frith Book Company Ltd, 2004.  92 pages.

ISBN 1 85937 911 7

Paintings of a Changing Kingston

Originally the idea of Reginald Brill, who became the head of Kingston School of Art in 1934, the Brill Collection is a delightful series of paintings depicting lost buildings in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. This is a complete catalogue of the popular collection of 91 paintings in full colour, with biographies of the artists.

By June Sampson and Henrietta Harris. Published by the Friends of Kingston Museum and Heritage Service, 2004. 110 pages.

ISBN 1 871135 16 8

Royal Kingston

Full colour illustrated booklet about Kingston's heritage and its museum and archive collections.

Published by the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, 1998. 25pages.

ISBN 0-903183-19-6

Guide to the Borough Archives

Description of the Borough's archives from 1208 to 1965, invaluable for researchers.

Published by the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, 1971. 136 pages.

The Kingston Book

From “All Saints’Church” to “Zoological Farm”. Many aspects of Kingston’s past have been compressed by Kingston’s most popular historian into an A-Z format which is both entertaining and informative.

By June Sampson.  Published by Phillimore, 2006. 128pp.

ISBN 1905286058

Kingston Museum 1904 - 2004

A comprehensive history of Kingston Museum, produced to mark the Museum’s centenary. It also tells the story of the art gallery and lecture hall which shared the 1904 Carnegie building with the museum, and of the Heritage Service which the museum, archives and local history services formed in the 1980s.

By Shaan Butters.  Published by Kingston Museum and Heritage Service. 2005, revised 2006. 160 pp.

ISBN 1871135192

The Conduit Houses of Coombe

The three conduit houses in Coombe, Surrey are all that remain today of an elaborate water system that was installed in the sixteenth century to ensure a reliable supply to Hampton Court Palace, situated over 5 kilometers away. This book details the history of the buildings and the pipeline up to the present day. The profits from this book will be used for continuing projects at the Coombe Conduits.

By Patricia Panizzo and Sue Lown. Published by PWP Press, 2006 23 pp.

ISBN 139780952859413

Literary Surrey

“Surrey has been host to some of our best loved literary figures and some of the great masterpieces of our literature have been produced here” Jacqueline Banerjee is fascinated by the impact of place on imagination and in this book she encourages us to look at Surrey authors and the local places that inspired them.

By Jacqueline Banerjee.  Published by John Owen Smith, 2005. 200pp

ISBN 1873855508

Surrey Place Names

Gavin Smith is a geographer by training and is a member of the Surrey Archaeological Society. In this book Gavin investigates the influences on the naming of Surrey’s places: early paganism, multicultural mixing, economic development, land management, ecclesiastical history, regional politics, the influence of London and a gradual shift from Celtic to the Old English language.

By Gavin Smith. Published by Heart of Albion Press, 2005.  130pp.

ISBN 1872883842