Kingston Museum

Kingston Museum was built in 1904 in the historic market town of Kingston upon Thames (England). The museum tells the story of the borough of Kingston, its people, trades and key events, from prehistory to the present day.

Kingston Museum is home to one of the most significant Muybridge collections in the world. Born in Kingston, photographer Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) influenced many aspects of contemporary visual culture, including film and animation, through his pioneering motion studies and moving image projection.

Kingston Museum’s Muybridge collection consists of approximately 3,500 objects: glass lantern slides, collotype prints, projection equipment, original publications and archival material. The museum also holds some of Muybridge’s unique inventions including, the original ‘Zoopraxiscope’ (one of the world's first moving image projectors) and glass discs which Muybridge used for his famous moving image lectures in the 1880-90s.

The museum galleries tell the story of Kingston from the earliest days of English history, as the location for the coronation of several Anglo Saxon Kings, through the history of its development as a market town.
Other highlights of the collection include 70 pieces of Martinware pottery and ceramics by pioneer studio potter Denise Wren. The Brill Collection consists of over 120 topographical paintings depicting the borough from 1955 and grows annually through new acquisitions of artworks from Kingston School of Art students.

Kingston Museum is part of Kingston Heritage Service, together with Kingston History Centre, separately located at The Guildhall in the town centre. Kingston Museum is an accredited museum, entry is free and open to all.