"Earlier today, the UK gained a new royal train when a SWR train was formally named the King Athelstan by historian Tom Holland. The event was to mark the 1100th anniversary of Athelstan's (also Æthelstan) coronation in Kingston on 4th September 925 and the subsequent merger of the two kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia. Although crowned as king of the Angles and the West Saxons, he later conquered York and Northumbria, making him arguably also the first King of England."
"Athelstan didn't get his biography written while he was around to ensure it was suitably great for future generations to remember his greatness, so he's not as famous as he probably should be. In recent years, Athelstan has been somewhat rediscovered, and the historian Tom Holland has been leading the charge to restore the first King of the English to his rightful place."
A SWR train was formally named King Athelstan to mark the 1100th anniversary of Athelstan's 4 September 925 coronation in Kingston and the merger of Wessex and Mercia. Athelstan later conquered York and Northumbria and is arguably the first King of England. Athelstan lacked a contemporary biography unlike his grandfather Alfred the Great, which reduced his historical fame. Recent rediscovery efforts, led by historian Tom Holland, have sought to restore Athelstan's reputation. The Kingston ceremony drew a crowd, included remarks by Sir Ed Davey, a formal naming by Tom Holland, and a blessing from the Bishop of Kingston with a poetic invocation.
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