Kingston — Bridge And Riverside — Time & Place

Kingston — Bridge and Riverside — Around 1920 illustrated interpretation — THEN — Around 1920

THEN — Around 1920

Kingston’s riverside in 1920 was a working waterfront, with wharves and older buildings occupying the ground now covered by John Lewis. In this imagined summer scene, a boatman handles a timber barge while three people cross the Thames in a wooden rowing boat. Kingston Bridge, opened in 1828 and widened in 1914, stands beyond them. The wharves and river trade are informed by period records, but the exact buildings, boats and people have been artistically interpreted rather than reconstructed from a single photograph.

Kingston — Bridge and Riverside — Today illustrated interpretation — NOW — Today

NOW — Today

From Hampton Wick, Kingston’s John Lewis and Waitrose building fills the opposite riverbank, with Kingston Bridge to the right. The department store opened in September 1990, replacing part of the older waterfront. This imagined summer scene includes a grey GoBoat, a traditional white-and-blue passenger boat, four rowers and two kayakers. The bridge retains its five stone arches, although only some are visible from this angle. The setting is recognisable, while the day’s activity and some architectural details are illustrated interpretations rather than an exact record of one afternoon.

These are illustrated interpretations, not exact historical reconstructions. Some buildings, planting, boats or stall details remain unverified; people and activities are imagined.