Meet the brand new train dedicated to England's oldest king
Historian Tom Holland named the train after the late King
- Published
On the 1,100th year anniversary of the coronation of England's first king, children joined a celebration to remember him.
Despite not being as well known as other rulers of the past, like William the Conqueror or Elizabeth I, King Athelstan is believed by historians to have been the very first king of England.
In Kingston upon Thames, where Athelstan and other Anglo-Saxon kings were crowned, a naming ceremony took place for a new South Western Railway train.
Historian Tom Holland, who was at the event, said: "Who better to have a train named after him than Athelstan, the great Anglo-Saxon king who first set England on track to becoming a united kingdom?"
Local children from King Athelstan Primary School attended the naming and wore crowns
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Who was King Athelstan?
An effigy of Athelstan at a memorial tomb in Wiltshire, England
Athelstan was the grandson of Alfred the Great, the King of Wessex, which was one of the five Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England.
We don't know much about his early life, but it's believed that the young Athelstan spent some of his time in another English kingdom called Mercia, where he learnt how to rule.
Athelstan was crowned king of an area that united Wessex and Mercia on 4 September 925, where he was pronounced Rex Anglorum - King of the English.
The train-naming ceremony is part of the Kingston 2025 celebrations for the anniversary, including a ceremony at All Saints Church, the site of the coronation.
