South Western Railway (SWR) has named a train after Athelstan, the first King of England, with the help of Tom Holland of the podcast The Rest is History.

Last Thursday was the 1,100-year anniversary of the coronation of King Athelstan, which took place on 4 September 925 in Kingston upon Thames. Athelstan was king of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927, and then the first king of the whole of England from 927 to 939.

To celebrate the occasion, SWR, which transferred into public ownership earlier this year, held a ceremony at Kingston station. Flanked by Saxon warriors, globally-acclaimed podcaster and historian Holland unveiled the new King Athelstan name on one SWR’s Class 450 trains.

The unveiling ceremony took place on Platform 1, and included local children from the King Athelstan Primary School wearing crowns, and a choral performance by the Tiffin School.

Other contributors included Sir Ed Davey, MP for Kingston and Surbiton, and Cllr Noel Hadjimichael, the Mayor of Kingston. Also in attendance at the ceremony were the Mayor of Malmesbury, where Athelstan is buried. The Mayor of Oldenburg (Germany), which is twinned with Kingston, was also present.

The ceremony concluded with the Bishop of Kingston, Martin Gainsborough, blessing the train. Later, commemorations continued at All Saints Church, where the coronation took place.

King Athelstan’s grandfather, Alfred the Great, was also crowned at Kingston, his coronation preceding his unification of England as Rex Anglorum (King of the English).

In 2021, The Rest is History podcast declared Athelstan as the greatest monarch, following a public poll. This came despite Athelstan being less well known than many of his successors, such as William the Conqueror, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

SWR is the only train operator which runs services to and from Kingston upon Thames, which is where six other Saxon kings were crowned, as well as Athelstan.

The naming ceremony was part of wider ‘Kingston 2025’ celebrations to mark this historic anniversary.

Earlier this year, SWR celebrated another historic anniversary, when it marked the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo at London Waterloo station.

“The King Athelstan train celebrates the Royal Borough of Kingston’s unique place in the country’s history, as the crowning place of the first king of a united England.

“To have it unveiled as part of the Kingston 2025 cultural celebrations is very special – a wonderful part of our six-month festival of past, present and future across the royal borough.”

Cllr Noel Hadjimichael, Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames