Kingston Upon Thames offers a wealth of cultural activities for students to engage with. Here are some of the heritage and contemporary points of interest and venues we recommend you visit.
Kingston Museum
Open on Tue, Fri and Sat 10am-5pm & Thurs 10am-7pm
Kingston Museum holds a unique collection of Victorian pioneer photographer Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904). Muybridge experimented in synthesising motion from photography with his machine, the zoopraxiscope and is best known for Animal Locomotion. A series of photographic plates of running men and horses, animals and birds. Born in Kingston, he moved to the United States in 1852 and returned to the town in the 1890s where he bequeathed his own personal collection of equipment, ephemera and prints to Kingston Museum.
The Picker House
An impeccable late-modernist house in Kingston upon Thames, the Picker House was designed in 1968 by architect Kenneth Wood, for Stanley Picker to live amongst his growing collection of art and design objects. When he retired in 1976 he devoted more time to his interest in art, and built a private gallery in his garden dedicated to the more important items of his growing collection. In 1977 he established the Stanley Picker Trust to support the education and careers of young arts practitioners. Stanley died in 1982 leaving in the Trust, the House and its Collection, an enduring legacy that ensures his passion for the arts lives on to this day. The Picker House is open for a limited number of pre-arranged group visits on weekdays from April to October, with visiting parties no larger than 12 people at any one time. For further information please contact the Stanley Picker Trust Administrator on 020 8942 4542 (part time) or email lorraine@stanleypickertrust.org.
Dorich House Museum
Upcoming Open Days: Fri 7 Nov, Fri 28 Nov, Fri 5 Dec & Tue 16 Dec 2014.
Guided Tours 11.30am and 2.30pm
Price 4, 3 concessions, children under 16 free
Owned by Kingston University, Dorich House Museum was the studio home of sculptor Dora Gordine and her husband the Hon. Richard Hare. The Museum holds the most significant collection of Gordines bronzes, paintings and drawings, as well as an exquisite collection of Russian Imperial Art collected by Hare. Dorich House comprises of two studios, a gallery and top floor apartment designed entirely by Gordine in 1935/6.
Kingston Navigation Wheel
A free edition, designed by Paul Farrington/Studio Tonne, the Stanley Picker Gallerys Kingston Navigation Wheel maps five cultural walking trails around Kingston on the themes of Bridges, Death, Muybridge, 3 Fishes and Made Here. Pick up your free Kingston Navigation Wheel at the Stanley Picker Gallery.
Public Art
David Mach Out of Order 1989 the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (Pictured above)
The Rose Theatre is situated close to Kingstons historic Market Square, offering a comprehensive programme of live theatre and music.
Music
Banquet Records
Our Friends Records
The Fighting Cocks: Live Music Venue