Did the Real Dick Whittington Travel to London through Kingston? 

We carried out extensive research into this and we can say with some certainty that he DID travel through Kingston.

 

And then he stayed the night! 

The story of Dick Whittington and his cat is told throughout Britain during Pantomime Season, but did you know he was a real person?  He was one of the richest and most celebrated Londoners of his day, and when he died he left his fortune to the people he loved the most - the people of London!

In the legend, it is said that he travelled through Highgate Hill on his journey from Gloucestershire.  We thought we'd just check that!  After some very highly academic research (we surprised ourselves with that), we discovered that he probably travelled along the Thames and stayed the night in Kingston before completing his journey into London. 

​We think everyone, and especially Londoners, should know both the legend and the real man, so we've put it all together for you here with some fun stuff for the kids, some hardcore research for history fans and a bit of something for everyone in between!  

​We hope you enjoy it.

The Real Whittington

The Legend of Dick Whittington

Fun Stuff & Resources

Want to see us performing this story?

Check out our What's On page - we may be performing it at a venue near you!

And if you're a school, you may be able to book it for your setting.

A MASSIVE thank-you to the lovely people at the National Lottery Heritage Fund for awarding us the grant to explore this story and add it to The History of Kingston Upon Thames.

We love you more than chocolate! 

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