2023
Birth of England Project Launch
On February 17th 2023 the Birth of England Project was officially launched at All Saints Church in Kingston Upon Thames. This was a fitting location for the event since it was here that Æthelstan was crowned king in 924AD. Æthelstan was the first of the Anglo-Saxon kings to wear a crown. His ancestors, including his grandfather Alfred the Great wore a helmet at their ascension to the throne, however the new coronation ceremony was a fitting tribute to the greatly enlarged territory over which Æthelstan ruled.
2024
Athelstan 1100 Celebrations at Malmesbury
Over the summer of 2024 a wide range of events commemorating the 1100th anniversary of Athelstan’s accession to the throne in 924 were organised by the people of Malmesbury, where Athelstan is buried. Events included talks by eminent historians Tom Holland and Michael Wood, an archaeological dig, a re-enactment, and a host of other events that drew around 8000 visitors to Malmesbury over the summer. The Athelstan Museum also held an Anglo-Saxon exhibition that included the incredible ‘Abingdon Sword’, which was loaned by the Ashmoleum Museum in Oxford. see website below.
During this period the ‘Athelstan Pilgrim way’ was also opened. This is a walk that includes 36 different churches and finishes at Kingston Upon Thames. See website below.
2025
Celebrations at Kingston Upon Thames
Over the summer of 2025 a range of events commemorating the 1100th anniversary of Athelstan’s coronation in 924 were organised by the Kingston Upon Thames Council. This is where Athelstan was crowned King in 925AD, although he was not yet king of England, since York was still under Danish rule. Events included a historical talk from renowned historian Tom Holland, a river festival and carnival, and the opening of the Athelstan Pilgrimage way all the way to Kingston from Malmesbury. Celebrations also included the unveiling of the ‘King Athelstan’ train at Kingston Railway Station. See website below. Photo: Simon Burchell Licenced
