Kingston has been many things over the centuries, a Royal Manor, a Hundred (an ancient administrative unit), a Parish, a Borough and a Royal Borough. It has long been an important commercial centre as revealed by the Doomsday survey of 1086 showing Kingston with 5 mills and 3 salmon fisheries. Kingston’s official emblem of 3 salmon on a blue background originates from this. Kingston’s success in the Middle Ages was largely due to it being well placed for a river crossing making it a focal point for trade. Kingston remains a great commercial centre today with its medieval past revealed by place names, such as Salters Lane, the Wool and Leather Markets, Souters Row, and Butchery and Cook Row.

The two palaces of Hampton Court and Richmond also had great influence over commercial and social life in the borough, stimulating trade and giving jobs to the craftsmen of the area. Urban life, however, was long confined to a small area by the river and bridge, with outlying areas remaining agricultural. The coming of the railway in the Nineteenth Century changed this. Surbiton Station, then Kingston-on-Railway, was opened in 1838. The railway promoted development that was furthered by the Kingston bypass built in 1927. The result of this and of centuries of improvement has made Kingston into an area appealing to people of all walks of life who appreciate its location, its great amenities, and its thriving community life.