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The Coronation Stone

Historic site · Kingston upon Thames, England

The Coronation Stone is a block of sarsen, the stone used at Stonehenge, standing behind low railings outside the Guildhall on the High Street, KT1 1EU. It is held to be the site of the coronation of seven Anglo-Saxon kings, and it is listed Grade I as NHLE 1080066. It stands in the open air and no admission is charged.

History

Three of the seven coronations are firmly attested: Aethelstan in 925, Eadred in 946 and Aethelred the Unready in 979. Edward the Elder, Edmund I, Eadwig and Edward the Martyr rest on weaker evidence. The stone was recovered from the ruins of the chapel of St Mary, which collapsed in 1730 and killed the sexton, and was set on a plinth in the market square in 1850 with the seven kings' names inscribed around the side; it was later moved to its present position in front of the Guildhall. Of the three Grade I entries on the National Heritage List for England inside the borough, this and Clattern Bridge are structures and All Saints Church is the building. Kingston's standing as a royal borough rests on the coronation tradition, and George V confirmed it in 1927.

Visit

Outside the Guildhall, High Street, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1EU

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