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where england's first kings were crowned

The Coronation Stone

FreeHidden gem
Kingston · Kingston
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An ancient sarsen stone in Kingston where as many as seven Anglo-Saxon kings of England are said to have been crowned.

Getting there. Beside the Guildhall in Kingston upon Thames, a short walk from Kingston railway station.
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Kingston · Kingston
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The lowdown

Long before Westminster Abbey became the place of coronations, the riverside town of Kingston was where the kings of a newly united England were crowned. A weathered block of sarsen stone, ringed by railings beside the Guildhall, is said to be the very stone on which as many as seven Anglo-Saxon kings, including Athelstan and Edward the Martyr, took the crown in the tenth century.

Coins from each reign are set into the base around it. It is free to visit, and remarkable to stand beside a humble lump of stone that gave Kingston, the king's town, its very name and a claim to be one of the birthplaces of the English monarchy.

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Look at the railings around the stone for the coins of the seven kings set into the surround. It is a short stroll from the Thames at Kingston, making an easy free pairing with a riverside walk.
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