TOWNSPOTLIGHT
Spotlight on
TUNBRIDGE WELLS
BY LISAMARIE LAMB
ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS (TO GIVE THE TOWN ITS FULL TITLE) SITS PERFECTLY
BETWEEN THE STRESSES AND STRAINS OF LONDON AND THE REFRESHING, BEAUTIFUL
COAST. ONE COULD ALMOST SAY THAT TUNBRIDGE WELLS IS A CROSSROADS,
ALLOWING YOU TO MAKE A CHOICE AS TO WHETHER YOU WANT CITY OR SEASIDE.
BUT, LIKE MANY, WE IMAGINE YOU’LL PROBABLY WANT TO STAY EXACTLY WHERE
YOU ARE; AFTER ALL, TUNBRIDGE WELLS HAS PLENTY TO OFFER.
HISTORY IN BRIEF
Archaeologists have always enjoyed working
in the Tunbridge Wells area because there is
so much there to uncover. Iron Age
settlements (including evidence in the shape
of an iron forge beneath Bayham Abbey that
the Wealden iron industry had begun there),
as well as plenty of Roman artefacts and a
defensive fort from that period, show quite
how popular Tunbridge Wells has been for
millennia.
Of course, it is the wells themselves that make
the area famous today. And they were first
noted in 1606 when Dudley, Lord North
(courtier to James I), travelled to Eridge in the
hopes that the country air wo uld improve his
failing health. When the air was seemingly
doing nothing at all, and Dudley was getting
worse, he decided to go for one last walk before
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returning to London to, we have to presume,
prepare for death. The poor man took a drink
from a spring he passed on his stroll and
immediately felt better. Another drink and he
was a new man! Word soon spread, and within
days nobles from London had travelled to Kent
to try the waters for themselves.
There must have been something in it – by
1664 a spa retreat was doing great business
there. Not long after, shops, cafés, and other
businesses sprang up by the spring, and a
town was born.
THINGS TO DO
Groombridge Place
If you want adventure, fascinating literary
connections, and beautiful surroundings,
Groombridge Place is ideal for you. Discover
the beautiful award-winning gardens and the
forest with its giant swings, zip wires, and
Crusoe’s World, and see where Pride and
Prejudice was filmed.
Assembly Hall Theatre
With the capacity to seat just over 1,000 people,
The Assembly Hall Theatre has long been the
central place for people to come together,
enjoy music, drama, dance, and much more
(including some fascinating talks).
Spa Valley Railway
Experience the delights of real old fashioned
steam locomotives; take a trip on one, learn
about how they are cared for, or even enjoy a
special event – a meal or perhaps a Day Out
With Thomas – on board one of the beautifully
restored trains.