The weekend before this last one was an opportunity to spend time by the River Thames on two stretches of that beautiful river. On the Saturday afternoon we were in Kingston-upon-Thames to see a company from the National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) performing a new musical interpretation of Charles Dicken's Great Expectations and our twelve-year-old grandson was involved as one of the main characters.
Kingston-on-Thames is an interesting Royal London Borough with the road bridge taking traffic over to the Hampton Court Park area across on the other bank of the river. Once there were only a few crossing places with a bridge over the river, but Kingston had one as it was an important Saxon settlement. I was interested to learn that many 10th century kings were crowned there including King Athelstan. Recently I read a novel set in Tudor times that includes a mystery and legend about his lost crown
(The Crown - Nancy Bilyeau) and watched a documentary about him so I was intrigued to learn about the Kingston connection. The area is certainly an interesting one and maybe one day I shall return and explore further?
Across on the other bank is Hampton Court Park and a small tributary of the River Thames, the River Hogsmill meanders through Kingston and flows out into surrounding areas. There are cafes, bars, restaurants, and smart apartments along the Charter Quay.
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| The Rose Theatre is to the extreme right |
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| The River Hogsmill flows under the 13th century Clatten Bridge (Claterynbrugge) |
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This last photo was taken after the performance which we had very much enjoyed.
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