Coordinates: 51°08′00″N 0°15′53″E / 51.1332°N 0.2647°E / 51.1332; 0.2647

Royal Tunbridge Wells
The Pantiles, the historic and tourist centre of the town
Royal Tunbridge Wells  Royal Tunbridge Wells shown within Kent
Population	56,500
OS grid reference	TQ585395
- London	33 mi (53 km) NNW
District	Tunbridge Wells
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TUNBRIDGE WELLS
Postcode district	TN1, TN2,TN3, TN4
Dialling code	01892
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Tunbridge Wells
List of places: UK • England • Kent

Royal Tunbridge Wells (usually shortened to Tunbridge Wells) is a large town and Borough in west 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 Rocks and High Rocks.

The town came into being as a spa in Georgian times and had its heyday as a tourist resort under Richard (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]

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 Tunbridge Wells has a reputation as being the archetypal conservative "Middle England" town, a stereotype that is typified by the fictional letter-writer "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells".^[5]

History[link]

There is evidence that during the Iron Age people farmed the fields and mined the iron-rich rocks in the Tunbridge Wells area,^[6] and excavations in 1940^[7] and 1957–61^[8] by James Money at High Rocks uncovered the remains of a defensive hill-fort. It is thought that the site was occupied 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 church of King Charles the Martyr

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 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]

Until 1676 little permanent building took place – visitors 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 in 1676 a subscription for a "chapel of ease" was opened, and in 1684 the church of King Charles the Martyr was duly built^[10] and the town began to develop around it. In 1787 Edward Hasted described the new town as consisting of four small districts, "named after the hills on which they stand, Mount Ephraim, Mount Pleasant and Mount Sion; the other is called the Wells..."^[13]

Photochrom of the Pantiles, 1895

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]

"They have made the wells very commodious 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 foul. 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 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]

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]

Toponymy[link]

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]

The prefix "Royal" dates to 1909, when King Edward VII granted the town its official "Royal" title to celebrate its popularity over the years amongst members of the royal 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, which became a Royal town in 2011^[22]).

Although "Wells" has a plural form, it refers to the principal source, the chalybeate spring in the Pantiles (where the waters were taken).

Governance[link]

The borough of Tunbridge Wells as shown within Kent

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 councillor serves a four year term.^[23]

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).

Demography[link]

In 2006 the town of Tunbridge Wells was estimated to have a population of approximately 56,500.^[4] The wider borough of Tunbridge Wells is home to considerably more people – some 104,000 in 2001, up from around 99,500 in 1991.^[28]

The population of Tunbridge Wells is predominantly White British in its ethnic origin and Christian in its religious affiliation: 97.5% of residents of the district described themselves as white in the 2001 census, and 75.0% identified themselves as being Christian.^[27]

The statistics for crime in 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 Tunbridge Wells compared with 19.97 per 1,000 people nationally.^[29]

Geography[link]

The sandstone Wellington Rocks on Tunbridge Wells common

Tunbridge Wells is located at 51°13′32″N 0°15′52″E / 51.22556°N 0.26444°E / 51.22556; 0.26444 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 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.

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.

Neighbouring towns, villages and places

	Speldhurst (village)	Tonbridge (town) Southborough	Pembury (village)
	Rusthall (village) Langton Green (village)		Lamberhurst (village)
		Tunbridge Wells    East
	Crowborough (town)	Frant (village)	Bells Yew Green (village)

Twinning[link]

Tunbridge Wells is twinned with:

• 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 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.^[34]

Climate[link]

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 miles to the east of the town centre.

The absolute maximum temperature stands at 34.7 °C (94.5 °F),^[35] recorded in August 1990, compared to the average annual warmest day maximum of 28.7 °C (83.7 °F).^[36] In total, 11.8 days^[37] 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).^[38] In total 52.8 nights should report an air frost.

Annual rainfall averages 823.3 mm (32.41 in),^[39] with over 1mm falling on 120.7^[40] days.

Economy[link]

The Royal Victoria Place shopping centre

The economy of the town no longer depends on the chalybeate spring. Hardly anyone comes to the town purely to take the waters.

As of 2002 there were around 50,000 people employed in the borough of Tunbridge Wells. The largest sector of the local economy consists of hotels, restaurants, and retail (the centrally located Royal Victoria Place shopping centre, opened by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1992, covers 29,414 square metres (96,503 ft)^[42]), which accounts for around 30% of all jobs; the finance and business sector makes up just under a quarter of jobs, as does the public administration, education and health sector.^[3] Tunbridge Wells is arguably the most important retail centre between London and Hastings.

The largest single employer in the town used to be the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, at the Kent and Sussex and Pembury Hospitals, employing around 2,500 people; the largest single commercial employer was AXA PPP healthcare, employing around 1700.^[43] Tunbridge Wells enjoys a relatively low unemployment rate of around 1.0% as of August 2008,^[44] compared to a UK national rate of around 5.4%.^[45]

Transport[link]

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 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 Eastbourne Buses 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.^[46] 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,^[47] 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, at a cost of £10.4 million, to allow London trains starting or terminating at Tunbridge Wells to be operated in 12-car formations, providing the rolling stock was equipped with Selective Door Opening (e.g. the Class 375 trains which currently run to Tunbridge Wells). Previously such services were 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 between London Charing Cross and Tunbridge Wells in the off-peak, instead of only 2 trains per hour.^[48][49]

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.^[50]

Education[link]

For list of all schools in Tunbridge Wells, see List of schools in Kent

Kent County Council is one of fifteen local authorities in the UK that still provides selective education through the eleven plus exam,

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.

Sports[link]

Tunbridge Wells' football team, Tunbridge Wells F.C., plays in the Kent League Premier Division at the Culverden Stadium, and has a history that stretches back to 1886.^[51] Tunbridge Wells RFC plays its home games at St Mark's, and plays London 1 South Rugby at RFU level 6.

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.^[52] 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, hosts its home matches at the Higher Cricket Ground on Tunbridge Wells Common.

The RTW Monson Swimming Club competes in swimming, diving and water polo and is based at the Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre. Former Monson member Joanne Rout, née Round, took part in the Swimming events at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, aged just 12, winning two relay Gold Medals (also setting two new world records) and three individual Silver Medals; and as of 2012 remains the youngest ever British Paralympian.^[53] A plaque can be found located in the club's trophy display. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council honoured Joanne with the award of their Civic Medallion after her return from Seoul in recognition of her efforts and achievements at such a young age.

The Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon is an open road race that takes place every February 18th, organised by the Tunbridge Wells Harriers running club.

Tunbridge Wells Squash Club [1] on London Road is a traditional 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.

Public services[link]

Tunbridge Wells Library, Museum and Art Gallery

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 (usually referred to as Pembury Hospital), nearly three miles from the town, which opened in 2011.

Tunbridge Wells is policed by Kent Police, and in May 2000 the main police station for the area moved from Tunbridge Wells to a new building in Tonbridge^[54] and operations at the Tunbridge Wells station, in Crescent Road, were scaled back so that it now operates as an administrative centre. Fire services are carried out by Kent Fire and Rescue Service, which operates one station in Grove Hill Road that is manned 24 hours a day by both full-time and retained firefighters.

The electricity Distribution Network Operator is UK Power Networks, and water services are managed by Southern Water; the main reservoir in the area is Bewl Water.

Tunbridge Wells also has a library, museum and art gallery in Civic Way.

Cultural references[link]

References to Tunbridge Wells occur in literature as diverse as Arthur Conan Doyle's The Valley of Fear, 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.^[55]

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", 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".^[56]

In Spitting Image, when Britain enters a revolution, Royal Tunbridge Wells declares independence under the slogan of 'liberty, equality, gardening'.^[57]

In the TV sketch comedy series Rutland Weekend Television, there is a musical sketch that tells the tale of 3 US Navy sailors who plan to spend an exciting - "More exciting than a book of Norman Mailer's" - and glamour-filled 24 hours in Tunbridge Wells.^[58]

In Jasper Fforde's book "Lost in a Good Book" one of the Thursday Next series of books, it is stated on Toad News that Tunbridge Wells is to be given to the Russians as War reparations for the Crimean War (which in the world that the book is set has gone on for the past 130 years).^{[citation needed]}

"Disgusted"[link]

In the UK 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]

Parks and landmarks[link]

The Pantiles and its chalybeate spring have been the landmarks most readily associated with 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.^[59][60]

Tunbridge Wells contains green spaces that range from woodland to maintained grounds and parks.^[61] 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 ground situated next to Wellington Rocks.^[62]

The gardens at Calverley Grounds

Located in the town centre opposite the railway station, Calverley Grounds is a historic park with ornamental gardens and a bandstand (now demolished). The park was part of Mount Pleasant House – which was converted into a hotel in 1837 – until 1920 when the Borough Council purchased it for the town. The bandstand dated from 1924 and was damaged by an incendiary bomb in 1940 and parts of the metalwork were sold for scrap metal. The subsequently repaired bandstand and the adjacent pavilion were intended to form part of a new centre to the park but were never completed. The bandstand was demolished in 2010 although the pavilion still exists as a cafe.^[63] 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.^[64]

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 Lottery Fund for a grant to restore the park in line with 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 boating lake.^[33] Dunorlan is listed as Grade II on English Heritage's National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.^[65]

The oldest public park in Tunbridge Wells is Grosvenor recreation ground, located close to the town centre.(Quarry Road) It was opened in 1889 by Mayor John Stone-Wigg, on the land that was formerly Caverley Waterworks. The park was designed by landscape architect Robert Marnock.The lake area with dripping wells remains, but the other lakes, bandstand and open air pool have all gone. There is a bowls club, cafe, 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. ^[66]

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.^[67]

The arts[link]

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.

The Forum is a 250-capacity live music venue in the town, run by Jason Dormon, where many bands have played their early concerts on their way to success.^[68]

Local media[link]

Royal Tunbridge Wells has one local commercial radio station, KMFM West Kent. Many London stations can also be picked up in the town. The BBC has its regional centre in the town at the Great Hall Arcade. It is the base of BBC Radio Kent and for BBC South East regional programming, the complex containing studios, offices and a BBC shop.

Notable people[link]

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

• Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
• Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery
• Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum
• The Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society

• Roughwood's historic image gallery with notes

v t e Towns and villages in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells Ashurst · Baker's Cross · Beal's Green · Bedgebury Cross · Benenden · Bidborough · Brenchley · Capel · Colliers Green · Coursehorn · Cranbrook · Culverden Down · Curtisden Green · Five Oak Green · Frittenden · Goudhurst · Groombridge · Hartley · Hawkenbury · Hawkhurst · High Brooms · Horsmonden · Kilndown · Lamberhurst · Langton Green · Matfield · Paddock Wood · Park · Pembury · Royal Tunbridge Wells · Rusthall · Sandhurst · Southborough · Speldhurst · Stone Cross · Sissinghurst · Swattenden List of places in Kent

Coordinates: 51°12′26″N 2°39′07″W / 51.2073°N 2.6519°W / 51.2073; -2.6519

Wells
Aerial photograph of Wells
Wells  Wells shown within Somerset
Population	10,406 [1]
OS grid reference	ST545455
District	Mendip
Shire county	Somerset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WELLS
Postcode district	BA5
Dialling code	01749
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Wells
List of places: UK • England • Somerset

Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406,^[1] it has had city status since 1205. It is the second smallest English city in terms of area and population after the City of London although, unlike the latter, Wells is not part of a larger metropolitan conurbation, and is consequently described in some sources as being England's smallest city.^[2][3]

The name Wells derives from the three wells dedicated to Saint Andrew, one in the market place and two within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace and cathedral.^[4] There was a small Roman settlement around the wells, but its importance grew under the Saxons when King Ine of Wessex founded a minster church in 704, around which the settlement grew. Wells became a trading centre and involved in cloth making before its involvement in both the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion during the 17th century. In the 19th century, transport infrastructure improved with stations on three different railway lines.

The cathedral and the associated religious and architectural history have made Wells a tourist destination, which provides much of the employment. The city has a variety of sporting and cultural activities and houses several schools including The Blue School, a state coeducational comprehensive school originally founded in 1654 and the independent Wells Cathedral School, which was founded in 909 and is one of the five established musical schools for school-age children in Britain. The historic architecture of the city has also been used as a location for several films and television programmes.

History[link]

Vicars' Close facing the cathedral

The city was a Roman settlement but only became an important centre under the Saxons when King Ine of Wessex founded a minster church in 704.^[5] Two hundred years later, this became the seat of the local bishop; but in 1088, this had been removed to Bath.^[6] This caused severe arguments between the canons of Wells and the monks of Bath until the bishopric was renamed as the Diocese of Bath and Wells, to be elected by both religious houses. Wells became a borough some time before 1160 when Bishop Robert granted its first charter. Fairs were granted to the City before 1160.^[6]

Wells was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Welle, from the Old English wiells,^[7] which was not listed as a town, but included four manors with a population of 132, which implies a population of 500–600.^[8] Earlier names for the settlement have been identified which include Fontanetum,^[9] in a charter of 725 granted by King Ina to Glastonbury and Fontanensis Ecclesia.^[9] Tidesput or Tithesput furlang relates to the area east of the bishops garden in 1245.^[10] An established market had been created in Wells by 1136, and it remained under episcopal control until its city charter from Elizabeth I in 1589.^[8]

During the English Civil War, Parliamentarian troops used the cathedral to stable their horses and damaged much of the ornate sculpture by using it for firing practice.^[11] William Penn stayed in Wells shortly before leaving for America, spending a night at The Crown Inn. Here he was briefly arrested for addressing a large crowd in the market place, but released on the intervention of the Bishop of Bath and Wells.^[12]

During the Monmouth Rebellion the rebel army attacked the cathedral in an outburst against the established church and damaged the west front. Lead from the roof was used to make bullets, windows were broken, the organ smashed and horses stabled in the nave.^[13] Wells was the final location of the Bloody Assizes on 23 September 1685. In a makeshift court lasting only one day, over 500 men were tried and the majority sentenced to death.^[14]

There was a port at Bleadney on the River Axe in the 8th century that enabled goods to be brought to within 3 miles (5 km) of Wells. In the Middle Ages overseas trade was carried out from the port of Rackley. In the 14th century a French ship sailed up the river and by 1388 Thomas Tanner from Wells used Rackley to export cloth and corn to Portugal, and received iron and salt in exchange.^[15] Wells had been a centre for cloth making, however in the 16th and 17th centuries this diminished, but the town retained its important market focus.^[16]

Wells has had three railway stations. The first station, Priory Road, opened in 1859 and was on the Somerset Central Railway (later the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway) as the terminus of a short branch from Glastonbury.^[17] A second railway, the East Somerset, opened a branch line from Witham in 1862 and built a station to the east of Priory Road.^[17] In 1870, a third railway, the Cheddar Valley line branch of the Bristol and Exeter Railway from Yatton, reached Wells and built yet another station, later called Tucker Street.^[18] Matters were somewhat simplified when the Great Western Railway acquired both the Cheddar Valley and the East Somerset lines and built a link between the two that ran through the S&DJR's Priory Road station. In 1878, when through trains began running between Yatton and Witham, the East Somerset station closed, but through trains did not stop at Priory Road until 1934. Priory Road closed to passenger traffic in 1951 when the S&DJR branch line from Glastonbury was shut, though it remained the city's main goods depot. Tucker Street closed in 1963 under the Beeching Axe, which closed the Yatton to Witham line to passengers. Goods traffic to Wells ceased in 1964. A Pacific SR West Country, West Country Class steam locomotive no 34092 built by the British Railways Board was named City of Wells following a ceremony in the city's Priory Road station in 1949. It was used to draw the Golden Arrow service between London and the Continent. It was withdrawn from service in 1964, and rescued from a scrapyard in 1971. It is now undergoing a complete restoration on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in Yorkshire.^[19]

During World War II, Stoberry Park in Wells was the location of a Prisoner of War camp, housing Italian prisoners from the Western Desert Campaign, and later German prisoners after the Battle of Normandy. Penleigh Camp on the Wookey Hole Road was a German working camp.^[20]

City status was confirmed and formalised by Queen Elizabeth II by letters patent issued under the Great Seal dated 1 April 1974.^[21][22]

Governance[link]

The main street. The cathedral is seen.

Wells City Council has sixteen councillors, elected from three wards: Central, St.Thomas and St.Cuthbert.^[23] It was previously known as Wells Municipal Borough.^[24] The City Council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. They also evaluate local planning applications and work with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. This includes City Centre management including CCTV, an alcohol ban and regulating street trading permissions including the two funfairs held in the Market Place in May and November each year and the Wells In Bloom competition.^[23]

The city council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of city facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. They are involved in the management of the Community Sports Development Centre at the Blue School, the skateboard park and allotments in the grounds of the Bishop's Palace, Burcott Road and Barnes Close. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.^[23] The Wells city arms show an ash tree surrounded by three wells, with the Latin motto Hoc fonte derivata copia (the fullness that springs from this well).^[25]

Town Hall

The Town Hall was built in 1778, with the porch and arcade being added in 1861 and the balcony and round windows in 1932. It is a Grade II listed building.^[26] It replaced the former on the site of the Market and Assize Hall in the Market Place,^[27] and a Canonical House also known as 'The Exchequer', on the authority of an Act of Parliament dated 1779. The building also houses the magistrates courts and other offices. The Assize court last sat here in October 1970.^[26]

Wells elects five councillors to Mendip District Council from the same three wards as are used for the City Council.^[28] The Mendip District was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.

Wells has one councillor on the Somerset County Council,^[29] which is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. Wells is part of the UK Parliament constituency of Wells. The current Member of Parliament is Tessa Munt of the Liberal Democrats.^[30] Wells is within the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects six Members of the European Parliament using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

Wells is twinned with Bad Dürkheim in Germany and Paray-le-Monial in the Burgundy region of France.^[31][32] HMS Somerset, Mary Bignal-Rand, The Rifles and Harry Patch have the Freedom of the City.^[33][34][35]

Geography[link]

Keward Brook

Wells lies at the foot of the southern escarpment of the Mendip Hills where they meet the Somerset Levels. The hills are largely made of carboniferous limestone, which is quarried at several nearby sites. In the 1960s, the tallest mast in the region, the Mendip UHF television transmitter, was installed on Pen Hill above Wells.^[36]

The water from the springs fills the moat around the Bishops Place and then flows into Keward Brook, which carries it for approximately a mile west to the point where the brook joins the River Sheppey in the village of Coxley.^[37]

Along with the rest of South West England, the Mendip Hills have a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is about 10 °C (50 °F) with seasonal and diurnal variations, but due to the modifying effect of the sea, the range is less than in most other parts of the United Kingdom. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 1 °C (34 °F) and 2 °C (36 °F). July and August are the warmest months in the region with mean daily maxima around 21 °C (70 °F). In general, December is the dullest month and June the sunniest. The south west of England enjoys a favoured location, particularly in summer, when the Azores High extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK.^[38]

Cloud often forms inland, especially near hills, and reduces exposure to sunshine. The average annual sunshine totals around 1600 hours. Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic depressions or with convection. In summer, convection caused by solar surface heating sometimes forms shower clouds and a large proportion of the annual precipitation falls from showers and thunderstorms at this time of year. Average rainfall is around 800–900 mm (31–35 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest. The predominant wind direction is from the south west.^[38]

Wells from atop the cathedral, looking West.

Demography[link]

The population of the civil parish, recorded in the 2001 census, is 10,406.^[1] Their average age is 44 years with 2,602 of the people being over the age of 65 years.^[39] 4,208 of the population are considered to be economically active.^[40] Within the 1,702 people living in the central ward 1,690 are white,^[41] and the predominant religion is Christian.^[42] Similar profiles are seen amongst the 4,577 people living in St Cuthberts Ward,^[43] and the 4,126 living in St Thomas's ward.^[44]

Economy[link]

Following construction of the A39/A371 bypass, the centre of town has returned to being a quiet market city. It has all the modern conveniences plus shops, hotels and restaurants.^[45] Wells is a popular tourist destination, due to its historical sites,^[46] its proximity to Bath, Stonehenge and Glastonbury and its closeness to the Somerset coast. Also nearby are Wookey Hole Caves, the Mendip Hills and the Somerset Levels. Somerset cheese, including Cheddar, is made locally. Wells is part of the Wells & Shepton Mallet Travel to Work Area which also includes Glastonbury, Cheddar and surrounding areas.^[47]

Transport[link]

Wells bus station

Wells is situated at the junction of three numbered routes. The A39 goes north-east to Bath and south-west to Glastonbury and Bridgwater. The A371 goes north-west to Cheddar and east to Shepton Mallet. The B3139 goes west to Highbridge and north-east to Radstock. Wells is served by FirstGroup bus services to Bristol, Bath, Frome, Shepton Mallet, Yeovil, Street, Bridgwater, Taunton, Burnham on Sea and Weston-super-Mare, as well as providing some local service. Some National Express coach services call at Wells. The bus station is in Princes Road. The Mendip Way and Monarch's Way long-distance footpaths pass through the city, as does National Cycle Route 3.^[48]

Education[link]

The Music School of Wells Cathedral School

The Blue School, founded in 1654,^[49][50] is a state coeducational comprehensive school and has been awarded Specialist science college status. It has 1,453 students aged 11–18 of both sexes and all ability levels.^[51]

Wells Cathedral School, founded in 909, is an independent school that has a Christian emphasis and is one of the five established musical schools for school-age children in Britain. The school teaches over 700 pupils between the ages of 3 and 18. The school's boarding houses line the northern parts of the city and the music school retains close links with Wells Cathedral.^[52] The primary schools in Wells are Stoberry Park School, St Cuthbert's Church of England Infants School, St Joseph and St Teresa Catholic Primary School, and Wells Central CofE Junior School.

Culture[link]

Wells and Mendip Museum includes many historical artefacts from the city and surrounding Mendip Hills.^[53] Wells is part of the West Country Carnival circuit.

The Wells Film centre shows current releases and, in conjunction with the Wells Film Society shows less well known and historical films.^[54] The previous cinema, The Regal in Priory Road, closed in 1993 and is now Kudos Nightclub. It was built in 1935 by ES Roberts from Flemish bond brickwork with Art Deco features. It is a Grade II listed building,^[55] and was on the Buildings at Risk Register until its restoration which included the restoration and repair of the stained glass façade.^[56] Wells Little Theatre is operated by a voluntary society which started in 1902. In 1989 they took over the old boy's building of Wells Blue School, where they put on a variety of operatic and other productions.^[57]

Religious sites[link]

The west front of Wells Cathedral

A walled precinct, the Liberty of St Andrew, encloses the twelfth century Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, Vicar's Close and the residences of the clergy who serve the cathedral. Entrances include the Penniless Porch^[58] The Bishop's Eye^[59] and Brown's Gatehouse^[60] which were all built around 1450.

The cathedral is of the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells. Wells has been an ecclesiastical city of importance for hundreds of years. Parts of the building date back to the tenth century, and it is a grade I listed building.^[61] It is known for its fine fan vaulted ceilings, Lady Chapel and windows, and the scissor arches which support the central tower. The west front is said to be the finest collection of statuary in Europe,^[62] retaining almost 300 of its original medieval statues,^[63] carved from the cathedral's warm, yellow Doulting stone.^[64] The Chapter House, at the top of a flight of stone stairs, leading out from the north transept is an octagonal building with a fan-vaulted ceiling.^[65] It is here that the business of running the cathedral is still conducted by the members of the Chapter, the cathedral's ruling body. Wells Cathedral clock is famous for its 24-hour astronomical dial and set of jousting knights that perform every quarter hour. The cathedral has the heaviest ring of ten bells in the world. The tenor bell weighs just over 56 CWT (6,272 lb, 2,844 kg).^[66]

St.Cuthbert Parish Church, Wells

The Bishop's Palace has been the home of the bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells for 800 years. The hall and chapel date from the 14th century.^[67] There are 14 acres (5.7 ha) of gardens including the springs from which the city takes its name. Visitors can also see the Bishop's private chapel, ruined great hall and the gatehouse with portcullis and drawbridge beside which mute swans ring a bell for food.^[68] The Bishop's Barn was built in the 15th century.^[69]

The Vicars' Close is the oldest residential street in Europe.^[22] The Close is tapered by 10 feet (3.0 m) to make it look longer when viewed from the bottom. When viewed from the top, however, it looks shorter.^{[70][71][72][73][74][75]} The Old Deanery dates from the 12th century,^[76][77][78] and St John's Priory from the 14th.^[79]

The Church of St Cuthbert (which tourists often mistake for the cathedral) has a fine Somerset stone tower and a superb carved roof. Originally an Early English building (13th century), it was much altered in the Perpendicular period (15th century).^[22] The nave's coloured ceiling was repainted in 1963 at the instigation of the then Vicar's wife, Mrs Barnett.^[80][81] Until 1561 the church had a central tower which either collapsed or was removed, and has been replaced with the current tower over the west door.^[82] Bells were cast for the tower by Roger Purdy.^[83]

Sport[link]

The city has two football clubs, one being Wells City F.C., past winners of the Western League.^[84] The oldest football club in Wells though is Belrose FC who play their football in the Mid-Somerset Football League at Haybridge Park. Wells Cricket Club runs eight sides across senior, junior and ladies cricket.^[85] Wells Wanderers Cricket Club are based in Meare.^[86]

Mid Somerset Hockey Club and Wells City Acorns Hockey Club both play on the Astroturf pitches at the Blue School,^[87] where several other sports clubs are based.^[88] Wells Leisure Centre has a 25 metres (82 ft) swimming pool, gymnasium, sports hall, sauna, steam room, relaxation area and solarium.^[89] The 18 hole Wells Golf Club is on the outskirts of the city and also has a driving range.^[90]

In popular culture[link]

The Bishop's Palace gatehouse and drawbridge

Elizabeth Goudge used Wells as a basis for the fictional cathedral city of Torminster, in her book City of Bells.^[91]

Wells has been used as the setting for several films including: The Canterbury Tales (1973),^[92] A Fistful of Fingers (1994),^[93] The Gathering (2002),^[94] The Libertine (2005),^[95] The Golden Age (2007),^[95] and Hot Fuzz (2007)^[96] The cathedral interior stood in for Southwark Cathedral during filming for the Doctor Who episode The Lazarus Experiment.^[95]

Notable people[link]

Penniless Porch and The Bishop's Eye

• Herbert E. Balch – cave explorer and founder of Wells Museum.^[97][98] His name was given to Balch Road, a council estate that was built in the 1950s.
• Mary Bignall-Rand – Gold medalist and world record breaker in the long jump at the 1964 Summer Olympics.^[99]
• Harry George Crandon – awarded the Victoria Cross during the Boer War.^[100]
• Sir Chris Clarke – county councillor for Wells from 1985 to 2005.^[101]
• Alexander Davie – born in Wells 1847, became 7th Premier of British Columbia.^[102]
• Roger Hollis – Director General of MI5.^[103]
• John Holloway – Governor of Newfoundland (1807–1809) and Admiral of the Blue.^[104]
• John Keate – born in Wells 1773, went on to become headmaster at Eton where he restored discipline with the birch, and once flogged 80 boys in one day.^[105]
• James Keene – professional footballer formerly of Portsmouth FC, playing for IF Elfsborg in Sweden.^[106]
• Harry Patch – last trench veteran of World War I, and at 111, briefly the oldest man in Europe and 3rd oldest man in the world. He was born in the nearby village of Combe Down and at the time of his death in July 2009 he was living in local care home Fletcher House.^[107]
• Hugh of Wells – native of Wells, Bishop, elder brother of Jocelin of Wells.^[108][109]
• Jocelin of Wells – native of Wells, Bishop, aided in creation of Magna Carta and largely responsible for the construction of the cathedral.^[110]
• Edgar Wright – film and television director.^[111] Directed Hot Fuzz, which was filmed in the city.

See also[link]

Somerset portal

• Visitor attractions in Somerset

References[link]