Free Entry
Address: Guildhall, High Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1EU
Telephone: 020 8547 6738
Email address: local.history@kingston.gov.uk
Kingston History Centre is open for visits. Pre-booked visits will be prioritised and are encouraged to ensure required materials are available.
The History Centre closes for lunch between 1pm and 2pm
Book your visit by emailing local.history@kingston.gov.uk or telephoning on 02085476738 during our opening hours. we are currently operating this way to ensure we are able to make specific documents and archive materials available for your visit.
If you are leaving us a message, please leave a contact number as we will need to discuss your visit before we can make your appointment.
To ensure the safety of visitors, volunteers and staff we are not currently facilitating walk in visits, all visits are by appointment only.
Please read the following before booking:
If you are no longer able to attend an event or booking at Kingston History Centre, please contact the team at local.history@kingston.gov.uk.
We keep some of our most popular collections on site, more information is available on our collections pages. However, a large part of our collection is kept safe at a special off-site storage facility and will need to be ordered in advance by contacting us. Please note that it can take up to two weeks to arrive, and we will let you know when your order is ready.
To help preserve the collections no food, drinks, pens, sharp objects, coats or bags are allowed in the Search Room. On arriving you will need to put personal belongings into a locker.
In the search room you will be able to bring in:
You will need to either pay per image taken or for a photography day pass. The staff member on the desk can arrange this for you on the day. However, please note you will need to bring cash with you as we are currently unable to take card payments.
You can use your hand-held camera, phone, tablet or laptop to take still images of documents. Flash photography is not permitted. Throughout your visit, you will need to complete a form which records the items you have taken images of, information about permissions, purpose of image taken, etc. Alternatively, at a cost we can provide you with low or high resolution images.
Copyright applies to all records. Please ask a member of staff for details.
We have postcards, books and maps relating to the area on sale. Please bring cash if you wish to purchase any items from our History Centre. There is also a larger selection of gifts and other items in the shop at Kingston Museum.
At Kingston History Centre you can access the Borough Archive and local history collections which contain maps, photographs, films, sound recordings, building plans, newspapers, published material about the borough, records of local groups and businesses, historic and modern family records and much more. These are used by members of the public, local historians, genealogists, artists, performers, students, schools and colleges to research Kingston's past and present, people and places.
One of the most common reasons people visit us is to research their house or family history, a bit like A House Through Time or Who Do You Think You Are? Our History Centre team will welcome you into the space and point you in the right direction by telling you what relevant material we have available for your research.
We always have a community display in the foyer area for people to browse and learn about a variety of heritage aspects across the borough.
We run regular talks and events. Please take a look at our What's On section to find out more.
We also have a small range of items available for purchase including postcards, cards, books, maps, etc. You can also buy digital high resolution images of many collection items.
If you can't visit us in person, we also offer a research service.
We aren’t currently facilitating group visits. Check back here soon for more information.
We aren’t currently facilitating group visits. Check back here soon for more information.
Free Entry
Address: Wheatfield Way, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2PS
Telephone: 020 8547 6440
Email address: kingston.museum@kingston.gov.uk
Kingston Museum is open for walk in visits.
Like most museums and galleries, we have a proportion of the collection on display, which is rotated with items stored at a special off-site storage facility. If you are interested in seeing a particular item from the collection, please do contact us in advance of your visit.
Please do get in touch if you are interested in reproducing images of any items in our collections or spaces.
Kingston Museum is a small but buzzing museum. There is always something to do for all ages such as wandering around displays and exhibitions or taking part in talks, workshops, trails and events. See our What’s On tab for more information.
The displays and collections answer some of life's big questions. Have you ever wondered how stop-motion animation and film projection were created? Who was the first King of England? Why is Kingston called the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames? Why has Kingston been, and continues to be, a great place to shop throughout history? Why is there a dog on the HMV logo? All these answers are covered at Kingston Museum through our collections.
The Museum, which was custom built in 1904, has three permanent exhibitions: Ancient Origins, Town of Kings and Eadweard Muybridge, local pioneer photographer. A varied programme of exhibitions can be enjoyed in the Art Gallery. See our What's On page for our full programme.
We aren’t currently offering venue hire. Check back here soon for more information.
For groups of 10 or more you MUST email in advance to avoid disappointment: kingston.museum@kingston.gov.uk
Our museum shop has a wonderful selection of bespoke gifts that are connected to Kingston, including those made by local artists. We also have a wide choice of history books and maps linked to the local area plus a range of exclusive postcards, greetings cards and prints. We take payment by card only.
Kingston Heritage Service is part of Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames Council. We operate across two sites: Kingston Museum and Kingston History Centre, as well as in borough wide partnership projects.
Our mission… ‘We aim to engage visitors and residents across the borough in activities focusing on local heritage, past and present. We work with communities to identify and celebrate what is uniquely special about our borough and its people, locales, traditions and institutions. We aim to build on this history while striving to discover, record and share the new stories occurring all around us.’
