Royal Tunbridge Wells

Transcription

Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells
“Tunbridge Wells” redirects here. For other uses, see
Tunbridge Wells (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Tonbridge.
Coordinates:
0.263°E
51°07′55″N 0°15′47″E / 51.132°N
Royal Tunbridge Wells (often shortened to Tunbridge
Wells) is a large town in western Kent, England, about 40
miles (64 km) south-east of central London by road, 34.5
miles (55.5 km) by rail.[1] The town is close to the border
of the county of East Sussex. It is situated at the northern
edge of the High Weald, the sandstone geology of which
is exemplified by the rock formations at the Wellington The church of King Charles the Martyr
Rocks and High Rocks.
The town came into being as a spa in the Restoration period and had its heyday as a tourist resort under Beau
Nash when the Pantiles and its chalybeate spring[2] attracted visitors who wished to take the waters. Though
its popularity waned with the advent of sea bathing, the
town remains popular and derives some 30% of its income from the tourist industry.[3]
constitution, discovered a chalybeate spring. He drank
from the spring and, when his health improved, he became convinced that it had healing properties.[10] He persuaded his rich friends in London to try it, and by the
time Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I, visited in 1630[11] it had established itself as a spa retreat.
By 1636 it had become so popular that two houses were
built next to the spring to cater for the visitors, one for
the ladies and one for the gentlemen,[10] and in 1664 Lord
Muskerry, Lord of the Manor, enclosed it with a triangular stone wall, and built a hall “to shelter the dippers in
wet weather.”[12]
The town has a population of around 56,500[4] and is the
administrative centre of Tunbridge Wells Borough and
the UK parliamentary constituency of Tunbridge Wells.
In the United Kingdom Royal Tunbridge Wells has a reputation as being the archetypal conservative "Middle England" town, a stereotype that is typified by the fictional Until 1676 little permanent building took place – visiletter-writer "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells".[5]
tors were obliged either to camp on the downs or to find
lodgings at Southborough,[11] – but at this time houses
and shops were erected on the walks, and every “convenient situation near the springs” was built upon.[10] Also
1 History
in 1676 a subscription for a "chapel of ease” was opened,
the Church of King Charles the Martyr was
Evidence suggests that during the Iron Age people farmed and in 1684
[10]
duly
built
and the town began to develop around it. In
the fields and mined the iron-rich rocks in the Tunbridge
[6]
[7]
[8] 1787 Edward Hasted described the new town as consistWells area, and excavations in 1940 and 1957–61
by James Money at High Rocks uncovered the remains of ing of four small districts, “named after the hills on which
Pleasant and Mount
a defensive hill-fort. It is thought that the site was occu- they stand, Mount Ephraim, Mount [13]
Sion;
the
other
is
called
the
Wells...”
pied into the era of Roman Britain, and the area continued
to be part of the Wealden iron industry until its demise
in the late eighteenth century – indeed, an iron forge remains in the grounds of Bayham Abbey, in use until 1575
and documented until 1714.[9]
The 1680s saw a building boom in the town: carefully
planned shops were built beside the 175 yards (160 m)
long Pantiles promenade (then known as the Walks), and
the Mount Sion road, on which lodging house keepers
were to build, was laid out in small plots. Tradesmen
in the town dealt in the luxury goods demanded by their
patrons, which would certainly have included Tunbridge
ware, a kind of decoratively inlaid woodwork.[10][14][15]
The area which is now Tunbridge Wells was part of the
parish of Speldhurst for hundreds of years, but the origin
of the town as it is today, however, came in the seventeenth century. In 1606 Dudley, Lord North, a courtier
to James I who was staying at a hunting lodge in Eridge
in the hope that the country air might improve his ailing
“They have made the wells very commodi1
2
1
HISTORY
eighteenth century the growth of the town continued,
as did its patronage by the wealthy leisured classes – it
received celebrity cachet from visits by figures such as
Cibber, Johnson, Garrick and Richardson[11] – and in
1735 Richard (Beau) Nash appointed himself as master
of ceremonies for all the entertainments that Tunbridge
Wells had to offer. He remained in this position until his
death in 1762, and under his patronage the town reached
the height of its popularity as a fashionable resort.[19]
Photochrom of the Pantiles, 1895
ous by the many good building all about it and
two or three miles around which are lodgings
for the company that drink the waters. All the
people buy their own provisions at the market,
which is just by the wells and is furnished with
great plenty of all sorts of fish and fowl. The
walk which is between high trees on the market side which are shops full of all sorts of toys,
silver, china, milliners and all sorts of curious
wooden ware besides which there are two large
coffee houses for tea, chocolate etc. and two
rooms for the lottery and hazard board (i.e. for
gambling).” —Celia Fiennes, 1697[16]
An 1860 engraving of The Calverley Hotel, on Decimus Burton’s
Calverley estate
Following Dr Richard Russell’s 1750 treatise advocating sea water as a treatment for diseases of the glands,
fashions in leisure changed and sea bathing became more
popular than visiting the spas, which resulted in fewer
visitors coming to the town.[17] Nevertheless, the advent of turnpike roads gave Tunbridge Wells better communications – on weekdays a public coach made nine
return journeys between Tunbridge Wells and London,
and postal services operated every morning except Monday and every evening except Saturday.[18] During the
Calverley Crescent, part of the Calverley Park estate
By the early nineteenth century Tunbridge Wells experienced growth as a place for the well-to-do to visit and
make their homes. It became a fashionable resort town
again following visits by the Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert,[11] and benefited from a new estate on Mount Pleasant and the building of the Trinity
church in 1827,[11] and improvements made to the town
and the provision of facilities such as gas lighting and
a police service meant that by 1837 the town population had swelled to 9,100.[14] In 1842 an omnibus service was set up that ran from Tonbridge to Tunbridge
Wells, enabling visitors to arrive from London within two
hours,[18] and in 1845 the town was linked to the railway network via a branch from South Eastern Railway’s
London-Hastings Hastings Line at Tonbridge. During
this time Decimus Burton developed John Ward’s Calverley Park estate.[20]
In 1889 the town was awarded the status of a Borough,
and it entered the 20th century in a prosperous state.
1902 saw the opening of an Opera House, and in 1909
the town received its “Royal” prefix. Due to its position
in South East England, during the First World War Tunbridge Wells was made a headquarters for the army, and
its hospitals were used to treat soldiers who had been
sent home with a “blighty wound”; the town also received 150 Belgian refugees. The Second World War affected Tunbridge Wells in a different way – it became so
swollen with refugees from London that accommodation
was severely strained. Over 3,800 buildings were damaged by bombing, but only 15 people lost their lives.[18]
3
1.1
Toponymy
Edward Hasted made the assertion that although the wells
were originally named the “Queen’s-Wells”, they soon
took on the name of Tunbridge Wells due to their proximity to the town of Tonbridge (then known as “Tunbridge”):
In compliment to [queen Henrietta
Maria’s] doctor, Lewis Rowzee, in his treatise
on them, calls these springs the Queen’s-wells;
but this name lasted but a small time, and they
were soon afterwards universally known by
that of Tunbridge-wells, which names they
acquired from the company usually residing at
Tunbridge town, when they came into these
parts for the benefit of drinking the waters
—Edward Hasted, 1797[13]
Tunbridge Wells local elections show a pattern since 1973
of Conservative party dominance, apart from a two-year
period from 1994 to 1996 of no overall control and a
two-year period from 1996 to 1998 when the Liberal
Democrats held a majority. The most recent elections,
held in May 2008, gave the Conservatives a large majority with 44 seats compared with the Liberal Democrats’
four. The extent of the Conservatives’ dominance is further illustrated by the fact that in some wards (e.g. Park)
Labour did not even field a candidate in the 2008 council
elections.[23]
The Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells is the
Conservative Greg Clark,[24] who was elected in 2005
with a majority of 9,988[25] and held the seat in 2010 with
a majority of 15,576.[26] The constituency has been Conservative since its inception in 1974 for the 1974 General
Election; the two previous MPs were Sir Patrick Mayhew (1974–1997) and the former Asda chairman Archie
Norman (1997–2005).
The prefix “Royal” dates to 1909, when King Edward VII
granted the town its official “Royal” title to celebrate its
popularity over the years among members of the royal
3 Demography
family.[21] Royal Tunbridge Wells is one of only three
towns in England to have been granted this (the others
being Royal Leamington Spa and Royal Wootton Bassett, In 2006 the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells was estimated to have a population of approximately 56,500.[4]
which became a Royal town in 2011[22] ).
The wider borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells is home to
Although “Wells” has a plural form, it refers to the prin- considerably more people – some 104,000 in 2001, up
cipal source, the chalybeate spring in the Pantiles (where from around 99,500 in 1991.[28]
the waters were taken).
The population of Royal Tunbridge Wells is predominantly White and British in its ethnic origin and Christian
in its religious affiliation: 97.5% of residents of the dis2 Governance
trict described themselves as white in the 2001 census,
and 75.0% identified themselves as being Christian.[27]
The statistics for crime in Royal Tunbridge Wells show
that in 2005/6 there were far fewer crimes occurring in
the area than the national average. Incidents of violence
were particularly low in comparison: 10.68 instances per
1,000 people in Royal Tunbridge Wells compared with
19.97 per 1,000 people nationally.[29]
4 Geography
The borough of Tunbridge Wells as shown within Kent
Royal Tunbridge Wells is the administrative centre for
both Tunbridge Wells Borough and the parliamentary
constituency of Tunbridge Wells. The Borough is governed by 48 Councillors, representing 20 wards (eight
wards fall within the town of Tunbridge Wells itself).
Elections are held for 16 Council seats each year on a
rotational basis, with elections to Kent County Council
taking place in the fourth year of the cycle. Each counThe sandstone Wellington Rocks on Tunbridge Wells common
cillor serves a four-year term.[23]
4
5 ECONOMY
Tunbridge Wells is located at 51°07′55″N 00°15′46″E
/ 51.13194°N 0.26278°E on the Kentish border with
East Sussex, about 31 miles (50 km) south of London;
the original centre of the settlement lies directly on the
Kent/East Sussex border,[30] as recalled by the county
boundary flagstone that still lies outside the church of
King Charles the Martyr.
The town is situated at the northern edge of the High
Weald, a ridge of hard sandstone that runs across southern England from Hampshire along the borders of Surrey,
West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent – the town’s geology is illustrated by the exposed sandstone outcrops at
the Wellington Rocks and High Rocks (a Site of Special
Scientific Interest due to its exposed gulls[31] ), and the
quarries at nearby Langton Green from which sandstone
was taken to build houses in Tunbridge Wells.[32] The
town is sited at the head of a valley that runs south-east
to Groombridge; like the River Teise, which originates
in Tunbridge Wells,[33] the stream in the valley is one of
the many tributaries of the River Medway, which runs
through a much larger valley north of the High Weald.
4.2 Climate
Tunbridge Wells, like the rest of Britain, benefits from a
temperate maritime climate, lacking in weather extremes.
The nearest official weather station is Goudhurst, about
8.5 mi (14 km) to the east of the town centre.
The absolute maximum temperature stands at 34.7 °C
(94.5 °F),[36] recorded in August 1990, compared to the
average annual warmest day maximum of 28.7 °C (83.7
°F).[37] In total, 11.8 days[38] should attain a temperature
of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above.
The absolute minimum temperature recorded was −19.2
°C (−2.6 °F) during January 1940, compared to the average annual coldest night minimum of −8.3 °C (17.1
°F).[39] In total 52.8 nights should report an air frost.
Annual rainfall averages 823.3 mm (32.41 in),[40] with
over 1 mm (0 in) falling on 120.7[41] days.
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Underlying Palaeolzoic Platform
Cross Section of the Wealden Dome, in relation to Kent
The geology of Tunbridge Wells as part of the Weald
Nearby villages have been subsumed into the built-up area
of the town, so that now it incorporates High Brooms to
the north, Hawkenbury to the south, and Rusthall (whose
name resonates with the iron content of the rocks) to the
west.
4.1
Twinning
Royal Tunbridge Wells is twinned with:
The Royal Victoria Place shopping centre
•
Wiesbaden, Germany[34]
The economy of the town no longer depends on the chalybeate spring. Hardly anyone comes to the town purely to
In 1960, through an advertisement in the national press, take the waters.
contact was made between former paratroopers in Wies- As of 2002 there were around 50,000 people employed
baden and four English ex-servicemen in Royal Tun- in the borough of Tunbridge Wells. The largest sector of
bridge Wells. Through this contact the friendship that the local economy consists of hotels, restaurants, and renow exists between the two towns sprang up, leading to tail (the centrally located Royal Victoria Place shopping
the signing in 1989 of the official Twinning Charter. Also centre, opened in 1992, covers 29,414 square metres
through this the Tunbridge Wells Twinning and Friend- (316,610 sq ft)[43] ), which accounts for around 30% of
all jobs; the finance and business sector makes up just unship Association (TWTFA) was formed.[35]
5
der a quarter of jobs, as does the public administration,
education and health sector.[3] Royal Tunbridge Wells is
arguably the most important retail centre between London and Hastings.
Uckfield line of Southern Railway, on 25 March 2011,
serving a platform at Eridge which had been disused for
many years. The tunnelled link line between the West
and erstwhile Central stations, opened in 1876, remains
The largest single employer in the town used to be the closed.
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, at the Kent In 2009 Network Rail installed a 12-car turnback sidand Sussex and Pembury Hospitals, employing around ing just south of Tunbridge Wells station between the
2,500 people; the largest single commercial employer was Grove Hill and Strawberry Hill tunnels, at a cost of £10.4
AXA PPP healthcare, employing around 1,700 in four million, to allow London trains starting or terminating
offices (PPP House, Union House, Phillips House and at Tunbridge Wells to be operated in 12-car formations,
International House).[44] Tunbridge Wells enjoys a rela- providing the rolling stock was equipped with Selective
tively low unemployment rate of around 1.0% as of Au- Door Opening (e.g. the Class 375 trains which currently
gust 2008,[45] compared to a UK national rate of around run to Tunbridge Wells). Previously such services were
5.4%.[46]
11-car at most due to the platform length between the
tunnels at each end of Tunbridge Wells station. The new
turnback siding also facilitated the operation of the new
timetable from December 2009 with 4 trains per hour be6 Transport
tween London Charing Cross and Tunbridge Wells in the
off-peak, instead of only 2 trains per hour.[49][50]
Tunbridge Wells is at the hub of a series of roads, the priAverage daily passenger flows on trains between Tunmary ones being the A26, which runs from Maidstone
bridge Wells and London have increased from about
to Newhaven; the A264, which runs from Five Oaks
10,000 in 1999 to over 12,500 in 2008, a compound
to Pembury (via Crawley and East Grinstead); and
growth rate of about 2.5% per year. Average daily pasthe A267, which runs south from Tunbridge Wells to
senger flows between Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks,
Hailsham. The A21 passes to the east of the town, foland between Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge, have grown
lowing the route of its turnpike ancestor, from London to
considerably faster, though are still much smaller than the
Hastings.
flows between Tunbridge Wells and London.[51]
Bus services are operated chiefly by Arriva Kent & Sussex, providing local town and rural services to Tonbridge,
Paddock Wood and Sevenoaks, as well as express services
to locations such as Bromley and Maidstone. Eastbourne 7 Education
and Brighton on the south coast are accessible on services run by Stagecoach in Eastbourne and Brighton &
For list of all schools in Tunbridge Wells, see
Hove respectively, and Metrobus operates hourly services
List of schools in Kent
to Crawley.
Tunbridge Wells town historically had three railway stations: two of these are still in use by National Rail services. Tunbridge Wells station is, as its former name
of Tunbridge Wells Central suggests, centrally located
within the town at the end of the High Street, whilst High
Brooms station is situated in High Brooms, to the north
of the town. Both stations are located on the doubletracked electrified Hastings Line; services are operated
by the Southeastern train operating company.
Tunbridge Wells West station was opened by the London,
Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1866 as the terminus of its competing line to Tunbridge Wells, but
closed in 1985 along with that line.[47] The station building – a Grade II listed building – is now a restaurant,
and a Sainsbury’s supermarket occupies the former goods
yard. In 1996, however, part of the line was reopened
by the Tunbridge Wells and Eridge Railway Preservation Society,[48] which now – as the Spa Valley Railway – operates a steam heritage railway that runs from
Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge via High Rocks and
Groombridge. The western end of the service was extended from Groombridge to Eridge, on the London-
Kent County Council is one of fifteen local authorities in
the UK that still provides selective education through the
eleven plus exam,
Royal Tunbridge Wells does not have a university of its
own, but the Salomons Campus of Canterbury Christ
Church University is located just outside the town (near
Southborough) and provides postgraduate programmes.
8 Sports
8.1 Football
Tunbridge Wells’ football team, Tunbridge Wells F.C.,
plays in the Southern Counties East Football League at
the Culverden Stadium, and has a history that stretches
back to 1886.[52] Tunbridge Wells F.C. were finalists in
the 2013 FA Vase and competed at Wembley Stadium on
4 May, coming second to Spennymoor.
6
8.2
9
Rugby Union
PUBLIC SERVICES
8.7 Squash
Tunbridge Wells RFC plays its home games at St Mark’s, Tunbridge Wells Squash Club on London Road is a tradiand plays London 2 South East Rugby at RFU level 7.
tional Squash (sport) club with three courts and a thriving
membership. There are internal leagues for squash and
raquetball, and both men’s and ladies’ teams in the Kent
Priory squash league.
8.3 Rugby League
Weald Warriors RLFC [53] are a Rugby League team
based in the town, also at St Mark’s. The warriors were
founded in 2012 and currently compete in the 4th tier of
English rugby league in the London & South East Men’s
League.
8.4
9 Public services
Cricket
The Nevill Ground hosts county and international cricket,
and Kent County Cricket Club uses it regularly as one of
its outgrounds. Tunbridge Wells came into the cricketing spotlight during the 1983 Cricket World Cup when
Kapil Dev and Syed Kirmani scored 126 not out for India
against Zimbabwe at the Nevill Ground on 6 July 1983;
this is the record for the highest 9th wicket partnership
score in a one-day international.[54] Also based at the
Nevill Ground is Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club, which
competes in the Kent/Sussex Regional (men) and East
Premier (women) divisions.
Linden Park Cricket Club, which plays in local leagues, Tunbridge Wells Library, Museum and Art Gallery
hosts its home matches at the Higher Cricket Ground on
Tunbridge Wells Common.
Health services are provided by the West Kent Primary
Care Trust. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
runs the new Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury (usu8.5 Swimming
ally referred to as Pembury Hospital), nearly three miles
(4.8 km)from the town, which opened in 2011.
The RTW Monson Swimming Club competes in swimRoyal Tunbridge Wells is policed by Kent Police, and in
ming, diving and water polo and is based at the Tunbridge
May 2000 the main police station for the area moved from
Wells Sports Centre. Former Monson member Joanne
Royal Tunbridge Wells to a new building in Tonbridge[56]
Rout, née Round, took part in the Swimming events at the
and operations at the Royal Tunbridge Wells station, in
1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, aged just 12, winCrescent Road, were scaled back so that it now operates
ning two relay Gold Medals (also setting two new world
as an administrative centre. Fire services are carried out
records) and three individual Silver Medals; and as of
by Kent Fire and Rescue Service, which operates one sta2012 remains the youngest ever British Paralympian.[55]
tion in Grove Hill Road that is manned 24 hours a day by
A plaque can be found located in the club’s trophy display.
both full-time and retained firefighters.
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council honoured Joanne with
the award of their Civic Medallion after her return from The electricity Distribution Network Operator is UK
Seoul in recognition of her efforts and achievements at Power Networks, and water services are managed by
Southern Water; the main reservoir in the area is Bewl
such a young age.
Water.
The Kent and Sussex Crematorium and Cemetery opened
in 1873, known initially as the Frant Forest Cemetery due
8.6 Running
to its location, laid out over 23 acres (9.3 ha) by the then
The Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon is an open road race town surveyor.
that takes place every 18 February, organised by the Tun- Royal Tunbridge Wells also has a library, museum and art
bridge Wells Harriers running club.
gallery in Civic Way.
7
10
Cultural references
References to Royal Tunbridge Wells occur in literature
as diverse as Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Valley of Fear, H.
G. Wells’ Christina Alberta’s Father, Thomas Pynchon’s
Gravity’s Rainbow, Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines, E. M.
Forster’s A Room With A View, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and Zadie Smith’s White Teeth.
The Inspector Bone mysteries by Susannah Stacey are
also set in and around Tunbridge Wells.[57] In Fanny Burney’s 1796 novel Camilla, several characters make an excursion to Tunbridge Wells, and there are many references to The Pantiles and other local sites. [58] In Bleak
House by Charles Dickens the children find a mug in the
cupboard entitled “A Present From Tunbridge Wells.”
11 Parks and landmarks
The Pantiles and its chalybeate spring have been the
landmarks most readily associated with Royal Tunbridge
Wells ever since the founding of the town, though the 5
metres (16 ft) high steel Millennium Clock at the Fiveways area in the centre of town, designed by local sculptor
Jon Mills for the Millennium celebrations, stakes a claim
to be a modern landmark.[62][63]
Tunbridge Wells contains green spaces that range from
woodland to maintained grounds and parks.[64] The most
substantial areas of woodland are the Tunbridge Wells
and Rusthall Commons, which comprise 250 acres (0.39
sq mi; 1.0 km2 ) of wood and heathland and are close to
the centre of the town. Open areas of the common are
popular picnic spots, and there is a maintained cricket
David Lean’s epic film Lawrence of Arabia closes with ground situated next to Wellington Rocks.[65]
Mr. Dryden answering King Feisal: “Me, your Highness?
On the whole, I wish I'd stayed in Tunbridge Wells”, and
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”. Less well known is H. G. Wells's sending up in his 1925 book Christina Alberta’s Father: “Tunbridge Wells is Tunbridge Wells, and there is nothing really like it upon our planet”.[59]
In Spitting Image, when Britain enters a revolution, Royal
Tunbridge Wells declares independence under the slogan
of 'liberty, equality, gardening'.[60]
In the TV sketch comedy series Rutland Weekend Television, there is a musical sketch that tells the tale of 3 US The gardens at Calverley Grounds
Navy sailors who plan to spend an exciting – “More exciting than a book of Norman Mailer's” – and glamour-filled Located in the town centre opposite the railway station,
Calverley Grounds is a historic park with ornamental gar24 hours in Royal Tunbridge Wells.[61]
dens and a bandstand (now demolished). The park was
In Jasper Fforde's book "Lost in a Good Book" one of the
part of Mount Pleasant House – which was converted into
Thursday Next series of books, it is stated on Toad News
a hotel in 1837 – until 1920 when the Borough Counthat Tunbridge Wells is to be given to the Russians as War
cil purchased it for the town. The bandstand dated from
reparations for the Crimean War (which in the world that
1924 and was damaged by an incendiary bomb in 1940
the book is set has gone on for the past 130 years).
and parts of the metalwork were sold for scrap metal. The
On 24 August 2012, One Direction announced that an ac- subsequently repaired bandstand and the adjacent pavilcompanying music video for "Live While We're Young" ion were intended to form part of a new centre to the park
was filmed at a “secret place.” Afterwards it was con- but were never completed. The bandstand was demolfirmed that this place was Tunbridge Wells.
ished in 2010 although the pavilion still exists as a cafe.[66]
Just inside the entrance to the park coming from the station is a memorial to Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding,
hero of the Battle of Britain, who lived and died in Tunbridge Wells.[67]
10.1
“Disgusted”
In the UK Royal Tunbridge Wells has a reputation as being a bastion of the middle class and a typical example
of "Middle England". This is reflected by the locution
"Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells", a fictional writer of letters to national newspapers in the 1950s to express outrage and defend conservative values.[5]
Dunorlan Park, at 78 acres (0.122 sq mi; 0.32 km2 ) the
largest maintained green space in the town, was once
a private garden that was part of the millionaire Henry
Reed’s now demolished mansion, and only passed into
public possession in 1941.[33] The gardens were designed
by the renowned Victorian gardener James Green, but
over the years they became overgrown, making it hard to
distinguish the full scope of Marnock’s design. In 1996
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council applied to the Heritage
8
15
REFERENCES
Lottery Fund for a grant to restore the park in line with BBC shop.
the original designs, and in 2003/4 Dunorlan underwent
a £2.8 million restoration. The River Teise rises in the
park, and two dams on it have created a pond and a boat- 14 Notable people
ing lake.[33] Dunorlan is listed as Grade II on English
Heritage’s National Register of Historic Parks and GarMain article: List of people from Royal Tunbridge Wells
dens.[68]
Great Culverden Park is a small, 9½ acre woodland in
the Mt. Ephraim area behind the site of the old Kent and
Sussex Hospital and is the remnant grounds of the previous Great Culverden House designed by Decimus Burton
that used to stand on Mt. Ephraim.
The oldest public park in Royal Tunbridge Wells is
Grosvenor Recreation Ground designed by landscape architect Robert Marnock, located close to the town centre
on Quarry Road. It was opened in 1889 by Mayor John
Stone-Wigg, on the land that was formerly Caverley Waterworks. The lake area with dripping wells remains, but
the other lakes, bandstand and open air pool have all gone.
There is a bowls club, café, toilets and children’s play
area, including cycle track. It is adjoined by the Hilbert
recreation ground, parts of which have been designated
as a local nature reserve by the Kent High Weald Partnership; these include Roundabout Woods and the adjoining
grass areas.The Hilbert Recreation Ground was donated
to the town by Cllr Edward Strange in 1931, on the site of
the form John Beane’s Charity Farm. There are two football pitches, built as part of the King George V playing
fields scheme, and a skatepark.[69]
The Salomons Museum preserves the home of Sir David
Salomons, the first Jew to serve as Lord Mayor of London and the first non-Christian to sit in Parliament. It
preserves the bench from which Salomons rose to speak
as the first Jewish MP ever to speak in Parliament.[70]
12
The arts
The town’s largest theatre is the Assembly Hall in Crescent Road, which has a capacity of 1,020.
Nearby, in Church Road, is the Trinity Arts Centre which
is a converted church.
15 References
Notes
[1] “Complete Timetable”. Network Rail. Retrieved 24 January 2011. Table 206. Check date values in: |accessdate=
(help)
[2] “The Chalybeate Spring”. Visit Tunbridge Wells. 2012.
Retrieved 8 April 2012.
[3] “Economic Overview of Tunbridge Wells Borough”
(PDF). Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. October 2004.
Archived from the original on 9 July 2006. Retrieved 22
August 2008.
[4] “What is the population of Royal Tunbridge Wells?".
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run by Jason Dormon, where many bands have played
[71]
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[11] Wilson, John Marius (1870–72). Imperial Gazetteer of
England and Wales.
13
Local media
[12] Horsfield, Thomas Walker (1835). The History, Antiquities and Topography of the County of Sussex. Lewes, Sussex: Sussex Press.
Royal Tunbridge Wells has one local commercial radio
station, KMFM West Kent. Many London stations can [13] Hasted, Edward (1797). The History and Topographical
Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 3. Canterbury: W.
also be picked up in the town. The BBC has its regional
Bristow. pp. 275–300.
centre in the town at the Great Hall Arcade. It is the base
of BBC Radio Kent and for BBC South East regional pro- [14] Pigot & Co. (1839). Directory of Kent, Surrey & Sussex.
gramming, the complex containing studios, offices and a
London: Pigot & Co.
9
[15] Chalkin, C. W. (1965). Seventeenth-century Kent: a Social
and Economic History. London: Longman.
[16] Lambert, Tim (2004). “A Brief History of Tunbridge
Wells”. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008.
Retrieved 22 August 2008.
[17] Melville, Lewis (1912). Society at Tunbridge Wells in the
18th century. London: Eveleigh Nash.
[18] Given, J. C. M. (1946). Royal Tunbridge Wells – Past and
Present – July 1946. Tunbridge Wells: Courier Printing
and Publishing Co. Ltd. Archived from the original on 27
October 2009.
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Memoranda. UK Parliament. April 1999. Archived from
the original on 8 May 2006. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[34] “Wiesbaden’s international city relations”. Retrieved 24
December 2012.
[35] Holman, Michael. “Tunbridge Wells Twinning & Friendship Association (TWTFA)". TWTFA. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
[36] “1990 Maximum”. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
[19] “Beau Nash”. Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery.
9 February 2006. Archived from the original on 24 July
2007. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
[37] “average warmest day”. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
[20] “Decimus Burton – Work Outside London”. Hastings
Borough Council. 2008. Archived from the original on
2 July 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
[39] “1971-00 Average annual minimum”.
February 2011.
[21] “Local Coronation Souvenir donated to Tunbridge Wells
Museum and Art Gallery”. Tunbridge Wells Borough
Council. 2 October 2007. Archived from the original on
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[41] “1971-00 Wetdays”. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
[22] “Wootton Bassett to get 'Royal' title in war dead honour”.
BBC News. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
[43] “Westfield Royal Victoria Place”. shopproperty.co.uk.
Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[23] “Council Democracy”. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
[44] “Tunbridge Wells Major Employers”. Tunbridge Wells
Borough Council. 24 July 2007. Retrieved 22 August
2008.
[24] “Members of Parliament”. Tunbridge Wells Borough
Council. 30 November 2006. Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
[25] “Result: Tunbridge Wells”. BBC Election 2005 (BBC). 6
May 2005. Archived from the original on 21 February
2006. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
[26] “Result: Tunbridge Wells”. BBC Election 2010 (BBC). 7
May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
[27] “Your Neighbourhood”. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. 21 December 2005. Archived from the original on 15
December 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
[28] “Tunbridge Wells Borough Population Comparison 1991–
2001”. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. 19 December
2005. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007.
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[29] “Tunbridge Wells crime statistics”. FindaProperty.com.
2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
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[30] Playford, John (1939). “Tunbridglographia – Being Some
Literary Reminiscences of Tunbridge Wells”. The Sussex
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[32] Hynes, Leonora (2005). “A History of Langton Green”.
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August 2006. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[38] “1971-00 >25c days”. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
Retrieved 28
[40] “1971-00 rainfall”. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
[42] “Climate Normals 1971–2000”. KNMI. Retrieved 28
February 2011.
[45] KCC Analysis and Information Team (2007). “Economic
Profile 2007 Tunbridge Wells” (PDF). Kent County
Council. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
[46] “Unemployment rate up to 5.4% for 3 months to June”.
Office for National Statistics. 13 August 2008. Retrieved
22 August 2008.
[47] Catford, Nick (25 March 2007). “Station Name: Tunbridge Wells West”. Subterranea Britannica. Archived
from the original on 29 October 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[48] Dives, M. (8 May 2004). “History of the Spa Valley Railway”. Spa Valley Railway. Archived from the original on
17 January 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[49] “Bigger and Better Services from Tunbridge Wells”. Network Rail. 11 March 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
[50] “NETWORK RAIL TO DELIVER £47m BANK HOLIDAY RAIL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME”. Network Rail. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
[51] “Kent RUS (Route Utilisation Strategy)". Network Rail,
Figures 3.7–3.9. January 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
[52] “TWFC History”. Tunbridge Wells FC. 22 August 2005.
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[53] Bennett, Ant (29 November 2012). “Weald Warriors
RLFC”. Pitchero.com. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
10
16
[54] “Highest partnerships by wicket”. Cricinfo. ESPN. 2008.
Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[55] “Is Great Britain any good?". CBBC Newsround (BBC). 4
September 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
[56] KPA, KPS, Wates Construction, Dennes Building Services, Gilbert & Stamper (May 2000). “Partners in crime”
(PDF). M4I. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
[57] Stacey, Susannah (1989). A Knife at the Opera. Summit
Books. ISBN 0-671-65780-1.
[58] Burney, Fanny (1796). Camilla.
[59] Wells, H. G. (1925). Christina Alberta’s Father. Macmillan.
[60] “Spitting Image clip”. Retrieved 5 July 2011. series and
episode unknown.
[61] It was actually three sailors played by Eric Idle, Neil Innes
and Gillian Gregory and can be seen on YouTube. It was
filmed somewhere on the South Downs as confirmed by
Neil Innes to a local Tunbridge Wells Twitter group on 31
December 2010.
[62] “VisitTunbridgeWells.com Picture Gallery”. VisitTunbridgeWells.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[63] “Arts Development”. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.
29 January 2007. Archived from the original on 8 November 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[64] “Parks and Green Open Spaces”. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. 23 October 2007. Archived from the original on 8 November 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[65] “Tunbridge Wells Common and Rusthall Common”. Tunbridge Wells Commons Conservators. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[66] “Calverley Grounds”. Tunbridgewellsmuseum.org. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
[67] “History of Calverley Grounds”. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. 29 March 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[68] “History of Dunorlan Park”. Tunbridge Wells Borough
Council. 7 February 2007. Archived from the original on
5 November 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
[69] “Grosvenor and Hilbert Recreation Grounds”. Tunbridge
Wells Borough Council. 12 March 2008. Archived from
the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 26 August
2008.
[70] “Jewish History – Salomons Museum – Canterbury Christ
Church University”. Canterbury.ac.uk. Retrieved 16
September 2011.
[71] Tunbridge Wells Forum online
16
External links
• Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
EXTERNAL LINKS
11
17
17.1
Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses
Text
• Royal Tunbridge Wells Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal%20Tunbridge%20Wells?oldid=653632680 Contributors: Deb, David
spector, Michael Hardy, Delirium, Paul A, Charles Matthews, Steinsky, Morwen, Warofdreams, Palefire, 80.255, Dukeofomnium, Timrollpickering, Wereon, Sjc196, Lupin, Everyking, Aoi, Chrismear, Scurra, Geni, R. fiend, Spatch, Danielbech, Gunnar Larsson, MRSC,
JFM, DMG413, Trevor MacInnis, Canterbury Tail, D6, Chris j wood, Pradiptaray, Cnyborg, Xezbeth, Bender235, Aecis, Redlentil,
NigelP, Giraffedata, Man vyi, Kjkolb, Redf0x, Peter Shearan, Alansohn, Halsteadk, Craigy144, Kurt Shaped Box, Ross Burgess, Saga
City, Gunter, Woohookitty, Before My Ken, Hailey C. Shannon, MilkmanDan, Busterjet, Rjwilmsi, Koavf, Madkingsoup, Brighterorange, RasputinAXP, Gdrbot, Stephenb, Sandpiper, Neilbeach, Welsh, Howcheng, Thiseye, Silver149, MJD, Tjarrett, Yym, RFBailey,
Yoasif, ElvisThePrince, Tony1, Orioane, JezzBrookes, Closedmouth, Jogers, Ray Yallop, Spliffy, Machtzu, Djr xi, Mjroots, Tom Morris,
Brambo, SmackBot, Ashley thomas80, Pmilner, JPH-FM, Commander Keane bot, MalafayaBot, Ash-can, Colonies Chris, Snowmanradio, SnappingTurtle, Weregerbil, Bretonbanquet, JMcFerran, MilborneOne, Regan123, Shadowlynk, AndrewSE19, A. Parrot, Ex nihil,
BigNick, Jhamez84, Waggers, Paulfurst, Hetar, Iridescent, Joseph Solis in Australia, O1ive, Djwhisky, Thomas81, Geb80, Mattbr, Lavateraguy, Neelix, Senorelroboto, Jnye, Pit-yacker, Cydebot, Richardguk, Dgpoulter, CiaranG, Edmund1989, Trident13, Epbr123, Marek69,
Mfhbrown, Mutt Lunker, DuncanHill, Robina Fox, GeeTee1972, Wilchett, Magioladitis, Avicennasis, Dwyatt 101, Betterthanyouxx,
CommonsDelinker, Nono64, Arriva436, Filll, Chrisfow, Acalamari, RoboMaxCyberSem, Bestoftunbridgewells, Mufka, DarkSaber2k,
JSL1000, Signalhead, Deor, VolkovBot, WOSlinker, Philip Trueman, B23, Richard30, V1459, Charlesdrakew, Mikelaloe, Claire Bassett,
Jrstroud88, Kinnerton, Father Ed, Scarian, BotMultichill, Aylad, McKDandy, Bladerunner63, Claraasa, Crowstar, Mikeblew, CJ Aikman,
KoshVorlon, Tan5000, Hsan22, Sarahdarling, Dabomb87, Jza84, Haleq, Konalgia911, Ecosaur, Lowattboy, ImageRemovalBot, Dancingwombatsrule, User59, ClueBot, Snigbrook, The Thing That Should Not Be, Plastikspork, V6Greg, Jonathan Salisbury, Phil bradburne,
Mogoch, Excirial, Lkelle91, Versus22, XLinkBot, Koumz, NellieBly, Jon61954, Flyingmonkey475, P.r.newman, Ankehuber, Addbot,
Freakmighty, Cst17, LaaknorBot, Epicadam, The C of E, Chzz, Marcusnovius, Carl2541, Lightbot, Ben Ben, Luckas-bot, Legobot II,
Grosvenor Gus, Jrgilly, AnomieBOT, Dribblingscribe, Kingrolf, Hob76, Materialscientist, Citation bot, Nzstephen, LilHelpa, Xqbot, Historicist, Crookesmoor, Ralphjean, Jolly Janner, Sionk, J04n, GrouchoBot, Balrik vostog, Pollylips, FrescoBot, Vive la resistance, Phya,
Gavelect, Simple Bob, SNPDLM, 10metreh, Jonesey95, Plasticspork, BaldBoris, Gaius Octavius Princeps, Theoneandonlyjack, Yummy
Dunn, EmausBot, Winstonsmith99, SAJOHNSTON, Rcsprinter123, MesiterGeneral, Aglennsmith, Davey2010, ClueBot NG, Sidpickle,
Muzz91, Dingowasher, Xxxeditxxx, Tallguyuk, 1ihatehalifax, Jrobin08, Helpful Pixie Bot, Bmusician, Hz.tiang, Chipgc, Sahara4u, Yesihavearm, CitationCleanerBot, BattyBot, FoGHP, YFdyh-bot, TheJJJunk, Khazar2, JYBot, Toeseph, SnappyDavid, HenryRatBrain, Tentinator, Lydd-on-sea, George8211, BabeSlayer, Dancbou123, Mrsspader, Taylor2015, Hatted7, Mathsuds and Anonymous: 281
17.2
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• File:CalverleyCrescent.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/CalverleyCrescent.jpg License: CC BY-SA
2.0 Contributors: From geograph.org.uk Original artist: Jonathan Billinger
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• File:Church_of_king_charles_the_martyr.JPG Source:
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TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES
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• File:The_Pantiles,_Tunbridge_Wells_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1738820.jpg
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• File:Tunbridge_Wells_Library.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Tunbridge_Wells_Library.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Tom Morris
• File:WellingtonRocks.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/WellingtonRocks.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0
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• File:West.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/West.svg License: Public domain Contributors: DarkEvil.
Original artist: DarkEvil
17.3
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• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0