All Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames

All Saints Church stands between Kingston’s ancient Market Place and the main shopping streets in southwest London. It is the town’s only Grade I listed building and has served as the parish church since Saxon times. Seven Saxon kings were crowned here in the 10th century, including Æthelstan and Æthelred the Unready. The present church was begun in 1120 under Henry I and grew into a cruciform building with a central tower, nave, aisles, transepts and chapels. Its flint walls and stone battlements show centuries of change, from Norman widening to 15th-century additions. The church is worth visiting for its royal coronations and royal links. Egbert, king of Wessex, held a great council here in 838. Edward the Elder was crowned in 900, and his son Æthelstan in 925, both on the Coronation Stone outside. The church also contains memorials to notable figures such as Cesar Picton, brought to England as a child and later a successful coal merchant. A 17th-century font is attributed to Sir Christopher Wren, and the Frobenius organ was installed in 1988. Inside, visitors find a 14th-century wall painting of St Blaise and embroideries of the seven crowned kings. The nave floor holds incised ledger stones, now part of a small seating area for the café. The south chapel contains the tomb of Sir Anthony Benn, Recorder of Kingston and London. Near the south door stands a sculpture of Louisa Theodosia, Countess of Liverpool, by Sir Francis Chantrey. The churchyard gates, dedicated to the East Surrey Regiment, open onto Market Place.