New Malden station in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames was opened in 1846, taking its name from the nearby farming settlement of Old Malden. Arrival of the rail sparked the town into life, with residential developments springing up north of the station. By the 1940s, it was a busy commuter town, but tragedy struck when a WW2 air raid threatened to destroy the town. Modern day commuters, on their way to London Waterloo, pass under commemorative plaque fixed to the ticket office wall honouring those who lost their lives.
Now entirely rebuilt, Malden is a thriving London suburb boasting one of the largest South Korean communities in the UK, and as a result, the town has around fifteen Korean cafes and restaurants, as well as a karaoke bar. The dinosaur-themed mini-golf course is a popular local landmark for families and the town's Curry's is the largest electrical store in London.