Kingston upon Thames’s places to visit, starting with Chessington World of Adventures
Visitors to Kingston upon Thames can choose from 17 attractions, 17 museums and 13 historic houses. Mapped inside Kingston upon Thames’ built-up area are 19 places to visit, and within 5 km of its edge another 48. Each year, some 56K people go to Orleans House Gallery. On the list, 4 places are looked after: 2 by the National Trust, 1 by Historic Royal Palaces and 1 by English Heritage. A longer outing takes you to British Museum, 18 km off.
Leading places in Kingston upon Thames
Then come 4 attractions and a museum, behind Chessington World of Adventures.
Theme parkChessington World of Adventuresin town
AttractionDragon's Furyin town
AttractionVampirein town
AttractionBlack Buccaneerin town
AttractionCroc Dropin town
MuseumKingston Museumin townEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Mapped around Kingston upon Thames
At the edge of the map sits The Food Market Chiswick, 9.7 km out.
The dashed line is Kingston upon Thames’ built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
How the list breaks down
Museums or galleries number 22, castles or historic places 19.
Green: inside Kingston upon Thames. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
4 places are cared for: 2 by the National Trust, 1 by Historic Royal Palaces and 1 by English Heritage (Hampton Court Palace, Ham House, National Trust - Claremont Landscape Gardens and Marble Hill House).
Everything on the list
It starts in town with 19 places and goes on to 48 within 5 km of its edge.
Kingston Museum
History museum in Wheatfield Way, Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom.
7
8
9Scorpion Express
Mine train themed roller coaster at Chessington World of Adventures.
10The Blue Barnacle
Swinging pirate ship ride at Chessington World of Adventures in southwest London, England.
11
12The 5th Dimension
Dark ride at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in southwest London, England.
15
20
Strawberry Hill House
Villa and house museum in Twickenham, London, United Kingdom.
Ham House
Historic house museum in Ham, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England, UK.
Orleans House Gallery
Building and art gallery in Twickenham, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England, United Kingdom.
White Lodge
Georgian house situated in Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Fulham Palace
Grade I listed historic house museum in London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, United Kingdom.
National Trust - Claremont Landscape Gardens
Historic garden in Surrey, England, UK.
Merton Priory Chapter House Museum
English Augustinian priory founded in 1114.
The Homewood
UK modernist house in Esher, Surrey, England designed by Patrick Gwynne.
Eel Pie Island Museum
Music museum in Twickenham, Richmond upon Thames, London, England, UK.
Antique Breadboard Museum
Small museum in Putney, London, England, UK.
Ubuntu Museum: African Museum of Humanity
Small museum in Roehampton, London, United Kingdom.
The 19 inside Kingston upon Thames come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
161 listed buildings and 5 scheduled monuments are on Kingston upon Thames’ History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Kingston upon Thames →
Further afield
Start with British Museum, 18 km off, the best known of 12.
Big drawMuseumBritish Museum18 km northeast · 5.8M visitors a year (2023)
Historic houseBuckingham Palace15 km northeast
Cathedral · English HeritageWestminster Abbey16 km northeast
AttractionElizabeth Tower16 km northeast
Big drawCastleTower of London19 km northeast · 2.7M visitors a year (2016)
Big drawArt galleryNational Gallery17 km northeast · 709K visitors a year (2021)
Big drawMuseumVictoria and Albert Museum14 km northeast · 858K visitors a year (2021)
AttractionLondon Eye17 km northeast
GardenKew Gardens9.3 km north
Big drawMuseumNatural History Museum14 km northeast · 1.6M visitors a year (2021)
Historic houseKensington Palace14 km northeast · 383K visitors a year (2015)
CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral18 km northeastPlaces well known beyond Kingston upon Thames (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Practical questions about Kingston upon Thames
What are the main attractions in Kingston upon Thames?
The best known inside Kingston upon Thames’ built-up area are Chessington World of Adventures, Dragon's Fury, Vampire and Black Buccaneer. In all, 19 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 48 more within 5 km.
Does Kingston upon Thames have a museum?
22 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Kingston upon Thames: Kingston Museum, Dorich House Museum, Stanley Picker Gallery and Orleans House Gallery.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Kingston upon Thames?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Kingston upon Thames, 4 places are cared for: 2 by the National Trust, 1 by Historic Royal Palaces and 1 by English Heritage (Hampton Court Palace, Ham House, National Trust - Claremont Landscape Gardens and Marble Hill House).
What are the best-known days out near Kingston upon Thames?
Within 40 km: British Museum (18 km), Buckingham Palace (15 km), Westminster Abbey (16 km), Elizabeth Tower (16 km).
Where are Kingston upon Thames’ historic buildings listed?
Kingston upon Thames has 161 listed buildings, 3 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Kingston upon Thames when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (54)
- Chessington World of Adventures: Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dragon's Fury: Martyn Davies, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Vampire: Stefan Scheer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Black Buccaneer: Chris Sampson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Croc Drop: Jcrazyhead37, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kingston Museum: Zoopraxiscope, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kobra: Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Runaway Train: Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scorpion Express: BenBowser, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Blue Barnacle: Jcrazyhead37, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tiger Rock: Aylesburyape, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Tiny Truckers: Photos_of_CWOAR, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dorich House Museum: AndyScott, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hampton Court Palace: Ricardalovesmonuments, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Richmond Palace: Patche99z, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nonsuch Palace: Joris Hoefnagel, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Strawberry Hill House: Chiswick Chap, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ham House: Stevekeiretsu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Syon House: Russ Hamer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Orleans House Gallery: Matt Brown, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- White Lodge: Jim Osley, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Claremont: Heathermitch, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bushy House: J. Miall, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Wimbledon Park: Bumper12 at English Wikipedia / Stu Clayton, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Wat Buddhapadipa: Noel Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fulham Palace: Michael Coppins, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Trust - Claremont Landscape Gardens: ogwen, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Merton Priory Chapter House Museum: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum: ozziebackpacker, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Museum of Richmond: Matt Brown, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Southside House: David Anstiss, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- World Rugby Museum: Algernon Rutter, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pembroke Lodge: steve, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nonsuch Mansion: Dr Neil Clifton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Homewood: Tjandspallan at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Whitehall: Roger Miller, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Twickenham Museum: Jim Linwood from London, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Eel Pie Island Museum: Jim Linwood from London, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Museum of Wimbledon: No Swan So Fine, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Putney Pier: Images George Rex from London, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bourne hall: AndyScott, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Marianne North Gallery: Prl42, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- British Museum: Ham, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Buckingham Palace: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Westminster Abbey: Σπάρτακος, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Elizabeth Tower: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tower of London: Bob Collowan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Gallery: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Victoria and Albert Museum: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- London Eye: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kew Gardens: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Natural History Museum: Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kensington Palace: Steve Cadman from London, U.K., CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Paul's Cathedral: Mark Fosh, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.