Did you know that...
Norbiton name comes from the Anglo-Saxon words “north”, “bere”, and “tun”. It roughly translates to “northern farm” and it was spelled Norbertone in the past. Picton House takes its name after owner Cesar Picton. He was born in 1755 in Senegal, West Africa. For almost 30 years, Picton was a servant to Sir John Phillips of Norbiton. Using his £100 inheritance from Lady Phillips, he started a coal business and eventually became a wealthy merchant. A blue plaque marks his former home. Kingston University has a Picton meeting room named after him.
The area has more social housing than other South West London zones. Cambridge Road is one of the largest estates. It was the setting of the fictional estate in The Bill TV series. BBC sitcom Some Girls was filmed in the area as well. Norbiton railway station opened in 1869. It is one of the few K2 stations where there platform and ground are at the same level and a notable example of Victorian railway architecture. The royal train carrying Queen Victoria to Coombe Hill made a stop here. The railway station was extensively featured in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin sitcom.
Kingston Hospital and Kingsmeadow football stadium are local Norbiton landmarks. The hospital was originally an 1843 workhouse infirmary. Princess Alexandra attended the opening of a new wing in 1963. Politician Enoch Powell opened a new center in 1962. Kingsmeadow, also called Cherry Red Records Stadium, opened in 1989. It was the home stadium of Kingstonian FC and AFC Wimbledon. Currently, Chelsea Women FC plays here. The stadium has a capacity of almost 5,000 seats. John Green Stand was called Nongshim Stand after Nong Shim, the South Korean food and beverage company, that sponsored it. Paul Stank Stand takes the name of an AFC Wimbledon fan and patron.
