Various Heights, Kingston upon Thames - Summer 2014

Over the last two years I've been visiting Kingston on an almost fortnightly basis, I thought it was about time I started making the effort to take advantage of what it has to offer. I warn you now there's nothing really epic in this report, and most of the photos have been taken on my compact with no tripod at ISO 1,000,000 so are pretty poor. But these visits are always just about having a good time with some good friends anyway so it doesn't really matter all that much in my eyes.

Kingston Regal Cinema

I won't bother with the history as it's been covered countless times before, I did explore the internals too but didn't really take many photos due to not having a tripod (It's in much the same condition as it's been for the last few years, it's well worth a visit though if you've never been). We decided to have a picnic on the roof one warm and sunny day with some of our friends which was nice, this was when these photographs were taken. There's a rather short man who gets very cross at you for mooching around the cinema should you decide to pay it a visit.

Quebec House

You can’t get more central than Quebec House if you’re looking for a studio flat in Kingston. We’re in a great spot between the train station, bus station and Rotunda complex with its great choice of bars and restaurants, with the Penrhyn Road campus a 10 minute walk away. You can also catch a bus to Kingston Hill, Knights Park or Roehampton Vale Campus from the bus station just next door!

Just over the railway tracks from the Regal is Quebec House a relatively modern student accommodation building. It was by pure chance that roof access happened to be possible on the day we visited, every visit since has proved fruitless.

Kingston Heights

Kingston Heights is a £70 million mixed-use development in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in south-west London constructed on behalf of NHP Leisure Developments. The scheme will comprise 137 residential units, including 81 private apartments, 56 affordable homes which will be managed by national affordable housing provider Affinity Sutton, and an upmarket 142 bedroom hotel with meeting, banqueting and conference facilities.

I've been seeing this bright yellow crane sticking up above the skyline for some time, but just never gotten around to paying a visit. A couple of weeks ago an opportunity arose so me and a friend had a wander over to see what the view was like. As I said previously I was stupid and never had a tripod with me so as such the photos here are super high ISO and therefore awful. Before I had chance to pay it a revisit with a tripod it was gone unfortunately. Never mind though, just one of those things!

Combined House

Plans have been submitted to convert a 1970s office block in Kingston into a new 160-bedroom Premier Inn hotel. Combined House was opened in 1974 and occupied by Combined Insurance. The company was taken over by ACE Insurance in 2012 and will vacate the premises in January 2014.

This place offers a nice view from another corner of Kingston. Just as we were about to come down from the roof, a couple of people popped up on the roof, they spotted us and I can honestly now say I've never seen anyone climb down 10 floors worth of ladders so fast, jump the fence at the bottom and sprint away into the darkness. Whoever you were you gave us a good laugh!