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Royal Tunbridge Wells
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the larger local government district, see Borough of Tunbridge Wells.
| Royal Tunbridge Wells | |
  Royal Tunbridge Wells shown within Kent |
|
| Population | 45,000 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Tunbridge Wells |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TUNBRIDGE WELLS |
| Postcode district | TN1, TN2, TN4 |
| Dialling code | 01892 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | Tunbridge Wells |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Royal Tunbridge Wells (often called simply Tunbridge Wells) is a Wealden town in west Kent in England, just north of the border with East Sussex. It has a population of approximately 45,000 (2001 census) and is the administrative centre of Tunbridge Wells Borough. The borough has a population of 104,030 (2001 census). The town is twinned with Wiesbaden in Germany. In 2006 it celebrated its 400th anniversary.
The town of Tunbridge Wells was founded around the Chalybeate Spring discovered in 1606 by Dudley, Lord North, a courtier to James I. The high iron content of the waters was believed to have healing properties and the town developed as a spa town. It was named after the nearby town of Tonbridge, which was at the time spelled "Tunbridge". The similar names and alternative spellings have been a source of confusion ever since, especially to uninformed people travelling on the London-Hastings railway line. The spring can still be visited in the Pantiles area of the town, surrounded by Regency architecture.
The prefix "Royal" dates to 1909, when King Edward VII officially recognised the popularity of the town amongst royalty and aristocracy by bestowing the town with its official "Royal" title. To this day, Royal Tunbridge Wells is one of only two towns in England to be granted this, the other being Royal Leamington Spa.
The town centre may be considered in two halves: the southern, and older section; and the Victorian northern area.
The southern part, mainly Georgian in origin, contains at its heart the "Village" area. It is here that The Pantiles can be found, which contain the spa which made the town so famous. This area is popular with tourists and residents alike, and live music is usually played in the old bandstand through the summer period. Here is also the church of King Charles the Martyr, established in 1678; before that there were no permanent buildings here, nor any name on the map. Climbing up from this lower area is Tunbridge Wells Common at the top of which is Mount Ephraim, where many of the grand Georgian hotels are located.
Also on the southern side of the town is the Spa Valley Railway which operates heritage trains from Tunbridge Wells West Station to nearby High Rocks and Groombridge.
The more northerly part of the town centre, was originally developed in the early 19th century. Rich businessmen and other professional people came here for both holidays and to live. Many of the large villas were the work of architect Decimus Burton. Here are the Assembly Halls and the [Trinity Theatre] [1](formerly Holy Trinity Church), which offers live comedy, drama, film and music. Dunorlan Park, landscaped in the 1830s, exists today as a heritage site.
Since the 20th century more development has taken place, including the Royal Victoria Place Shopping centre (owned by The Westfield Group) as well as the pedestrian area and many retail shopping outlets. Other major buildings include the Ritz Building which, with the former ABC cinema [2] has been empty since December 2000. A new planning application is expected to come into public consulation in autumn 2007. The site was declared the town's top 'grot spot' by Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum. At the end of Lime Hill Road is the newly refurbished, but controversial, Millennium Clock, designed by a local sculptor.
As with most towns of any size, the town has overrun its surrounding area. In doing so, the built-up Tunbridge Wells now includes Southborough to the north; High Brooms, Hawkenbury, and Rusthall (where can be found the peculiarly-shaped Toad Rock); as well as the local areas of St Johns, St James, Sherwood Park, and Ramslye.
Tunbridge Wells is traditionally associated with the prim middle classes, especially in the locution "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells". (The editor of the former Tunbridge Wells Advertiser, allegedly told his staff to concoct letters to fill the letters page. One letter was signed 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells', Icons of England). This phrase has remained in circulation because of its perceived aptness in describing the inhabitants of the town.
Tunbridge Wells is often assumed to be a bastion of the middle classes and comfortably bourgeois. However, like anywhere it has areas of deprivation that suffer from a range of social problems. However, according to the Indices of Deprivation 2004 no area is within the 20% most deprived in the areas within England and the Local Authority as a whole is within the 20% least deprived, (the recognised measure of deprivation).
References to Tunbridge Wells abound in literature as diverse as Arthur Conan Doyle's The Valley of Fear, Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow and Against The Day, Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines, Evelyn Waugh's 'Men At Arms' in the Sword of Honour trilogy, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest, Zadie Smith's White Teeth, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester Tunbridge Wells and E. M. Forster's A Room with a View. David Lean's epic film Lawrence of Arabia closes with Mr. Dryden answering King Feisal: "Me? Your Highness? - On the whole, I wish I'd stayed in Tunbridge Wells." In the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" Tracy Di Vicenzo says to Bond that she looks forward to living as Mr. and Mrs. James Bond of Acacia Avenue, Tunbridge Wells.
Tunbridge Wells came into cricketing spotlight during the 1983 Cricket World Cup, when Kapil Dev scored 175 not out off 138 balls for India against Zimbabwe on July 6, 1983. This was the record for the highest score in a one-day international
Tunbridge Wells was listed 3rd Best place to live in the Channel 4 television programme Best and Worst Places to Live 2006 based on crime, education, employment, environment and lifestyle, but in 2007 it had slid out of the top 20.
The town is twinned with Wiesbaden in Germany. In 1960, through an advertisement in the national press, contact was made between former paratroopers in Wiesbaden, and four English ex-servicemen in Tunbridge Wells. Through this contact the friendship that now exists between the two towns sprang up, and also through this the Tunbridge Wells Twinning and Friendship Association was formed.
Tunbridge Wells is often thought of globally as one of the spiritual homes of the Conservative party, and in the last 24 local council elections the Conservative Party have won 21 times, with no overall control in 1994 and 1995 and a win for the Liberal Democrats in 1996.[1] The southern and rural boroughs are traditional Conservative strong holds, while the town and northern boroughs have strong Liberal and Labour party voters.[citation needed]
Tunbridge Wells parliament constituency is a strong Conservative hold, so much so that the party used the constituency as something of a holding seat which it paid little active attention to. MP's Sir Patrick Mayhew and then former Asda boss Archie Norman being fine examples, were replaced in 2005 by former Conservative party strategist Greg Clark he has his main home within the electoral boundaries.
The town is served by the A21 Hastings road, which is dual carriageway from the M25 motorway to just south of Tonbridge. Here it enters a section of historic Norman forest, that is mentioned in the Domesday Book, before doubling again after three miles, and going on past Tunbridge Wells. This section was scheduled to be developed into a dual carriageway to ease the traffic problems through Southborough, and ease access to the East Sussex coast for the holiday traffic. However, it was one of the ten road improvement schemes cancelled by John Prescott when the Labour party gained power in 1997. Improvements have occurred at the Pembury roundabout in preparation for the dualling of the carriageway to give greater access to the hospital,however at the present time there is no scheduled date for the work to commence.
Bus services are operated chiefly by Arriva Southern Counties, with both local rural services as well as express services to locations including Bromley and Maidstone. Eastbourne & Brighton on the south coast are accessible on Eastbourne Buses and Brighton & Hove buses, and Metrobus operate hourly services to Crawley.
Tunbridge Wells town historically had three stations, but now is only served by Tunbridge Wells railway station, located directly on the double-tracked electrified Hastings Line and the High Brooms Station to the North of the town.
The former Tunbridge Wells West railway station, opened by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) in 1866, closed on 6 July 1985 and is now a Beefeater restaurant. The former goods yard/stabling sidings became a Sainsbury's supermarket, and the northern terminus of the Spa Valley Railway.
The town has a number of hotels, including The Spa, The Royal Wells, The Wellington and The Swan. The most famous might be the Hotel du Vin, formerly Calverley Hotel, which dates back to Decimus Burton's Calverley estate.
There are a number of restaurants, including chains such as Carluccio's, Wagamama. Richard Phillips' former Michelin-starred Thackeray's, located in the former residence of William Makepeace Thackeray, is generally regarded as the favourite restaurant for residents and tourists alike, although many would praise the Bistro at Hotel du Vin especially for lunch. Recently the well-known chef Raymond Blanc opened a brasserie, Le Petit Blanc, in the recently regenerated "Clock" area. As well as a large number of traditional pubs around the town, a number of clubs and bars line the traditional High Street, while wine bars, pubs and other restaurants can be found in the Pantiles, near The Wells. More popular with those who seek live music is The Forum which is situated on the Common, across from the High Street. Other venues, such as the The Royal Wells hotel, The Retreat and The Kelsey Arms provide live entertainment. Finally there are also a number of coffee shops and similar. Relish! which is a café and delicatessen and Bean specialising in chocolate are on Camden Road. Arte Bianca on Chapel Place serves coffee and sandwiches and supplies all kinds of Italian food, both fresh and pre-packed.
The Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre was opened by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1992. This, combined with the Calverley, Camden and Grosvenor Roads, provides many chain retail outlets. Hoopers (formerly Weekes), the largest department store in the town, is situated on Mount Pleasant Road. Many smaller shops can be found further south, around the High Street, Chapel Place and the Pantiles.
The once down-at-heel Camden Road has become increasingly bohemian since 2000, with little arty shops opening up, including Bluemoon gallery, as well as more functional shops like Bob's DIY, World of Sewing and In Gear, a goth clothing and fashion shop. A particular landmark is the snooker club, with its elephant flanked doorway.
Vale Road leads from London Road to the High Street via Tunbridge Wells station. This area has seen considerable investment over the last two decades. There are modern buildings such as the AXA offices and Pomeroi Jewellers. Post Office Square is an exclusive development of apartments with retail premises underneath, currently occupied by health and beauty businesses.
A farmers market is held outside the Town Hall on the second and fourth Saturday morning of each month and in The Pantiles on the first and third Saturday of each month.
Tunbridge Wells contains many green spaces, ranging from woodland to maintained grounds and parks.
The most substantial area of woodland is the Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons comprising of 250 acres[2] of woodland and heathland starting only a short walking distance from Tunbridge Wells town centre. Open areas of the common are popular picnic spots with a maintained cricket ground situated next to Wellington Rocks.
Located in the town centre, opposite the train station, Calverley Grounds is a historic park with ornamental gardens and a band stand. The park originally belonged to Mount Pleasant House which was converted into a hotel (now the Hotel du Vin) in 1837 until 1920 when the Borough Council eventually secured the purchase of the park[3]. The facilities include a cafe, 3 tennis courts, a basketball court and 3 croquet courts.
The largest maintained green space in the town, Dunorlan Park was once a private garden belonging to a now demolished grand mansion owned by the Yorkshire-born millionaire Henry Reed. The Gardens were designed by the renowned Victorian gardener Robert Marnock, though over the years the landscape became over grown making the full scope of Marnock's design hard to distinguish. In 1996 the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to restore the park to the original designs.[4] A well loved part of these original designs is another opening of the Chalybeate spring. Marnock included the Chalybeate Spring in his garden design and it was left completely unaltered; it is one of the most popular features of the park.
The 2003 the restoration project began at a cost of £2.8 million (£2.1 million of which came from Lottery funding). The park is now listed as Grade II on English Heritage's National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.[5]
- St John's Recreational Ground
- Currently undergoing extensive refurbishments, St John's park is located near to both Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School and The Skinners' School and is frequently used as a meeting place for the students before, after and during school. The grounds contain many sporting facilities for the public including 3 tennis courts, a basketball court and a bowls green.
- The Grove
- The grove lies further south of the town centre, located in the Mount Sion village area of the town, accessible via the High Street. The green space contains a children's play area.
- Grosvenor and Hilbert Recreational grounds [3]
- Grosvenor recreation ground is close to the town centre, being the towns oldest public park. The park has its own lake and children's play area; situated near the children's play area there is a newly opened cafe serving ice creams and drinks. Hilbert recreation ground adjoins Grosvenor park and has extensive grass opened space. Within the grounds there is a wheeled sports area and football pitches. Some parts are designated a Local Nature Reserve managed by Kent High Weald Project [4] These include Hilbert Woods and the adjoining grass areas.
- Entrances to Grosvenor and Hilbert recreational grounds are from Auckland Road, Upper Grosvenor Road and Hilbert Road.
The 2005/6 figures for crime in Tunbridge Wells show that there are far fewer crimes than the national average occurring in the area
| Offence | Locally | Nationally |
|---|---|---|
| Robbery | 0.61 | 1.85 |
| Theft of a motor vehicle | 2.98 | 4.04 |
| Theft from a motor vehicle | 6.47 | 9.59 |
| Sexual offences | 0.81 | 1.17 |
| Violence against a person | 10.68 | 19.97 |
| Burglary | 3.94 | 5.67 |
Tunbridge Wells is a centre for educational excellence, with 75.7% of 15 year olds achieving 5 or more GCSEs A* - C. These are the fifth best results in the country.[6]
A number of schools are located in Tunbridge Wells, including the following:
- Beechwood Sacred Heart School
- Cicero Languages International
- The Skinners' School
- St. Gregory's Catholic School
- Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
- Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School
- Bennett Memorial Diocesan School
The Salomons Campus of Canterbury Christ Church University provides postgraduate programmes.
Among those born in Tunbridge Wells are:
- Caroline Fry (1787-1846), writer.
- Richard Jones (1790-1855), economist.
- H T Waghorn (1842-1930), cricket historian.
- Sir Francis Robert Benson (1858-1939), actor and theatre manager.
- The Reverend Arthur Shearly Cripps (1869-1952), missionary and writer.
- Frank W. Boreham (1871-1959), Baptist preacher.
- Victor McLaglen (1886-1959), actor.
- Arthur Waley (1889-1966), Orientalist.
- Compton Bennett (1900-1974), film director.
- Sir Tyrone Guthrie (1900-1971), theatrical director.
- Roy Douglas (born 1907), classical composer
- Ron Ledger (1920-2004), former Labour MP.
- Keith Douglas (1920-1944), poet.
- Alec McCowen (born 1925), actor.
- William Nicholson (born 1948), writer.
- Gary Barden (born 1955), musician.
- David Gower (born 1957), cricketer.
- Shane MacGowan (born 1957), Punk singer.
- Sarah Sands (born 1961), journalist.
- Jamie Spence (born 1963), golfer.
- Alistair Appleton (born 1970), television personality.
- Oliver Chris (born 1978), actor.
- Richard Rose (born 1982), footballer.
- Rose Pipette born 1986, Pop singer with The Pipettes
As a spa town Tunbridge Wells was a popular resort for the upper classes, including members of the British Royal Family. It was a favoured place for retirement, so a number of famous people have died there.
- Richard (Beau) Nash (1674-1762), celebrated dandy and leader of fashion.
- Charles Paulet, 3rd Duke of Bolton (1685-1754), politician (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- The Reverend Thomas Bayes (1702-1761), mathematician (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Henry Bilson Legge (1708-1764), politician (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Richard Cumberland (1732-1811), dramatist.
- Sir Charles Ogle, Bt. (1775-1858), naval officer (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Sir Howard Douglas, Bt. (1776-1861), military officer (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Horace Smith (1779-1849), poet and novelist (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- John Cox Dillman Engleheart (1784-1862), miniature painter (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge (1785-1856), Viceroy of India (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- William Thomas Brande (1788-1866), chemist (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803-1873), author.
- Ker Baillie Hamilton (1804-1889), colonial governor (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Sir Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt (1811-1888), naval officer (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863), novelist.
- Golding Bird (1814-1854), medical writer (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- The Reverend Edward Meyrick Goulburn (1818-1897), clergyman and writer (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Philip Carteret Hill (1821–1894), Nova Scotia politician (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- William Temple (1833-1919), recipient of the Victoria Cross (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- The Reverend Thomas Roscoe Rede Stebbing (1835-1926), zoologist (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll (1845-1914), Governor General of Canada.
- Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (1848-1939), daughter of Queen Victoria.
- Sir Richard Robinson (1849-1928), businessman and local politician.
- Sir David Lionel Salomons (1851-1925), scientist
- Rachel Beer (1858-1927), newspaper editor.
- Francis Meadow Sutcliffe (1863-1941), photographer.
- Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding (1882-1970), Royal Air Force officer (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Sir Alan Gordon Cunningham (1887-1963), military officer (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Léon Goossens (1897-1988), oboist (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Enid Lakeman (1903-1995), political reformer.
- Arthur Fagg (1915-1977), cricketer (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Duncan Lamont (1918-1978), actor (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Bob Todd (1921-1992), comedy actor.
- Patrick Mayhew, Baron Mayhew (born 1929), politician.
- Mary Rhys-Jones (1934-2005), mother of the Countess of Wessex (died in Tunbridge Wells).
- Tom Baker (born 1934), actor.
- George Cohen (born 1939), football player.
- Jeff Beck (born 1944), musician.
- Virginia Wade (born 1945), tennis player.
- Paul Condon, Baron Condon (born 1947), police commissioner.
- Nick Brown (born 1950), politician.
- Graham Kendrick (born 1950), songwriter.
- Louise Jameson (born 1951), actress.
- Jilly Goolden (born 1956), television personality.
- Jo Brand (born 1957), comedian.
- Sid Vicious (1957-1979), musician.
- Nick Wallace (born 1972), writer.
- Martin Corry (born 1973), rugby player.
- Neil Faraday (Born 1975), Radio Presenter.
- Phil Royston 'Elvis Presley' Brown (born 1963), Elvis impersonator.
The Punk rock band the Anti-Nowhere League had its first public performance in Tunbridge Wells.
A number of companies have their Head Offices in Tunbridge Wells:
- ^ BBC News Local Election results
- ^ http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=460
- ^ http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?docid=263&catid=166
- ^ http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=168
- ^ http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=168
- ^ Channel 4s Best and Worst Places to Live
- Street photography in Tunbridge wells
- Royal Tunbridge Wells Blog "A Day Away From Tunbridge Wells is a Day Wasted"
- Eating Out in Royal Tunbridge Wells - Restaurant Reviews
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council - Tourism - VisitTunbridgeWells.com
- Wikitravel
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
- Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum
- Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre Neighbourhood
- "HISTORICAL AND INTERESTING VIEWS OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS"
- Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons
- Friends of Woodbury Park Cemetery
- The Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society
- Tunbridge Wells Heritage Open Days
- Spa Valley Railway
- Royal Victoria Place
- Photos of Tunbridge Wells
- Tunbridge Wells Brethren
- St Barnabas Church, off Camden Road Tunbridge Wells
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