Chessington: Animals, Rides and History

Chessington brings together several distinct themes for planning a trip: wildlife and rides, history, and a green corridor along the Bonesgate tributary. When choosing a destination, it helps to consider these themes separately. Would you like to focus your stay on marine exhibits and animal experiences, are you interested in the area’s history, or is access to natural spaces one of your priorities?

Wildlife and rides

Chessington SEA LIFE is an aquarium with a capacity of 250,000 litres and more than 20 marine exhibits. Chessington World of Adventures offers rides and attractions. The park also offers VIP animal experiences, such as giraffe feeding and encounters with rhinos. Exhibits, rides and VIP experiences may change; if a particular offering is important to your plans, check what is available for your dates. The aquarium focuses on marine exhibits, while the VIP experiences involve direct encounters with animals. This helps you decide in advance whether marine life, rides or a specific VIP experience should be the deciding factor in your stay.

History and historic places

The Castle Hill earthwork in Chessington is a Scheduled Monument. It is considered to be the remains of an enclosed medieval hunting lodge associated with a deer park. The monument status and interpretation answer different questions: Scheduled Monument refers to its permanent protected status, while the hunting lodge is a possible former purpose of the earthwork. The original Chessington manor house was probably built in 1348 as a country house called Chessington Lodge. The Church of St Mary the Virgin in Chessington dates from the 13th century and is a Grade II listed building. The historical references differ: the manor house has a probable year of construction, the church has a century date, and Castle Hill has a medieval interpretation. An old road in the Chessington area was formerly known as Chessington Park Lane.

Zoo and theme park

Reginald Goddard opened Chessington Zoo to the public so visitors could see his private animal collection. Chessington World of Adventures opened as a theme park; its rides include Dragon Falls, Safari Skyway, Toadies Crazy Cars and Runaway Train.

Nature and travel

Bonesgate Open Space Local Nature Reserve forms a green corridor along the Bonesgate tributary. The South of the Borough area in Chessington is associated with the Bonesgate and Castle Hill nature reserves. Its linear route along the tributary distinguishes this natural area from the individual attractions and historic buildings.

At Chessington South station, the platforms are level with the main station entrance. If this relationship in height is important for your journey, check the latest station information before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Kingston Upon Thames, Surbiton, New Malden

Go to the main travel overview: Kingston Upon Thames.