Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Everything You Need to Know
Tunbridge Wells, a Town in England Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, 30 miles southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks.
Why is it called Tunbridge Wells? Tunbridge Wells gets its name from wells that sprung up from the ground in the area. In 1870, the spelling of Tonbridge was changed to avoid confusion between the two, though as locals of either will tell you, confusion is still rife among non-locals to this day.
Is Tunbridge Wells a nice place to live? Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town that has something for everyone, it really is a wonderful place to live. For shopping, The Pantiles and the old High Street offer a collection of galleries, boutique shops and coffee shops.
Why is Tunbridge Wells famous? Tunbridge Wells is known for its Georgian and Victorian architecture, with history loving tourists flocking to the 'village' area on the south side of town. Here places including the High Street, Chapel Place and The Pantiles are lined with lovely old shops, pubs and townhouses.
Is Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells the same? That's right: Tonbridge is not Tunbridge Wells. They're two completely separate towns, located a few miles apart. Take it from someone who was raised in the former; if you confuse the two in front of someone from Tonbridge, they'll be delighted.
Why do people move to Tunbridge Wells Kent? Tunbridge Wells is far enough away from London to have a slower pace of life, more space and more affordable properties on a like for like basis. The town is blessed with acres of public green space. The two main parks, Calverley and Dunorlan are a treat for families with a lake, ducks, play areas, cafes etc.
Is Royal Tunbridge Wells posh? Polo, private schools and The Pantiles – all in all, Royal Tunbridge Wells is a pretty posh place. So posh, in fact, it's been voted the second 'poshest' town in the country. Website locallife.co.uk recently surveyed 340 towns in the UK to see which ones had the fanciest and flashiest clubs and shops per head.
Where did Queen Victoria stay in Tunbridge Wells? Victoria frequently stayed in Calverley House where her aunt lived, a grade II listed building built in 1762. Victoria last visited the house in 1835, the house is now the Hotel du Vin.
How many people live in Tunbridge? The town has a population of around 56,500, and is the administrative centre of Tunbridge Wells Borough and in the parliamentary constituency of Tunbridge Wells.
What's the difference between Tunbridge Wells and Royal Tunbridge Wells? The designation 'Royal' is a rare and prestigious title, with Tunbridge Wells one of only three towns to be so recognised in England. It shared the honor with Leamington Spa for 100 years, until the third award was granted to Wootton Bassett five years ago.
How did Tunbridge Wells become Royal? In 1909 King Edward VII officially recognised the popularity of Tunbridge Wells with its many royal and aristocratic visitors – including his mother, Queen Victoria – over the centuries by granting the town its “Royal” prefix.
Is Royal Tunbridge Wells still royal? The only other royal towns in England are Royal Leamington Spa and Royal Tunbridge Wells. Both of these spa towns petitioned for the honor in recognition of their history and royal patronage of their facilities, says the Cabinet Office.
Is Tunbridge Wells a market town? Royal Tunbridge Wells is an attractive up-market town in west Kent that's thirty miles from central London. Tunbridge Wells gained popularity thanks to its chalybeate spring, which brought the upper-middle classes from far and wide to bathe in the mineral-rich waters.
Twinning Royal Tunbridge Wells is twinned with: Germany Wiesbaden, Germany In 1960, through an advertisement in the national press, contact was made between former paratroopers in Wiesbaden and four English ex-servicemen in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Through this contact the friendship that now exists between the two towns sprang up, leading to the signing in 1989 of the official Twinning Charter. Also through this the Tunbridge Wells Twinning and Friendship Association (TWTFA) was formed.
Climate Tunbridge Wells, like the rest of Britain, has a temperate maritime climate, lacking in weather extremes. The nearest official weather station is Goudhurst, about 8+1⁄2 mi (14 km) east of the town center. The absolute maximum temperature in Goudhurst stands at 34.7 °C (94.5 °F) recorded in August 1990, compared to the average annual warmest day maximum of 28.7 °C (83.7 °F). In total, 11.8 days should attain a temperature of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above.
The absolute minimum temperature recorded in Goudhurst 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). In total 52.8 nights should report an air frost. Annual rainfall averages in Goudhurst 823.3 mm (32.41 in), with over 1 mm (0 in) falling on 120.7 days.
Transport Tunbridge Wells is at the hub of a series of roads, the primary ones being the A26, which runs from Maidstone to Newhaven; the A264, which runs from Five Oaks to Pembury (via Crawley and East Grinstead); and the A267, which runs south from Tunbridge Wells to Hailsham. The A21 passes to the east of the town, following the route of its turnpike ancestor, from London to Hastings. 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 and Brighton on the south coast are accessible on services run by Stagecoach in Eastbourne and Brighton & Hove respectively, and Metrobus operates hourly services 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 double-tracked 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. 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, 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-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 closed. In 2009 Network Rail installed a 12-car turnback siding just south of Tunbridge Wells station between the Grove Hill and Strawberry Hill tunnels to facilitate a more frequent service and to allow restricted types of London trains starting or terminating at Tunbridge Wells to be operated in 12-car formations. Previously such services were 11-car at most. Average daily passenger flows on trains between Tunbridge Wells and London have increased from about 10,000 in 1999 to over 12,500 in 2008, a compound growth rate of about 2.5% per year. Average daily passenger flows between Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks, and between Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge, have grown considerably faster, though are still much smaller than the flows between Tunbridge Wells and London.
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