Richard Fairbrass

Explorer Tom Kingston Museum stands on Wheatfield Way, and Tom has brought a flip book to challenge the town's most famous photographer. Eadweard Muybridge would probably have shown him how much better a camera could do. The museum gives Kingston's history several angles, including the moment still pictures began to move. Its three permanent exhibitions cover ancient origins, the town's royal associations and Muybridge, who was born in Kingston and pioneered studies of motion through photography. The purpose-built museum opened in 1904. Move between a local object and a Muybridge sequence to see how one town can contribute to a much wider story. Temporary displays in the art gallery add new voices and subjects. The collection also raises questions about Kingston's shops and the familiar dog on the His Master's Voice trademark. Small museums can surprise you when they refuse to stick to one century. Kingston Heritage says the museum is free and currently welcomes walk-in visitors Thursday to Saturday. Groups of ten or more need to contact the museum in advance. It is a short walk from Kingston station, with a level entrance and a lift route to the Muybridge gallery. Check the council's current visiting information before travelling; stored objects may need advance arrangements. Begin with the town galleries, then return to Muybridge with Kingston itself in mind. His experiments feel different when you know they came from someone who once walked these streets. Tom's flip book stars a duck in a waistcoat. Muybridge's real experiments changed how people saw movement. Come watch Kingston's story find its stride.