Coordinates: 51°11′55″N 0°16′35″E / 51.1987°N 0.2764°E / 51.1987; 0.2764

Tonbridge
Tonbridge Castle
Tonbridge  Tonbridge shown within Kent
Population	30,340 (2007)
OS grid reference	TQ591468
District	Tonbridge and Malling
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TONBRIDGE
Postcode district	TN9 (North-South), TN10 (North East), TN11 (East), TN12 (Rural)
Dialling code	01732
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Tonbridge and Malling
List of places: UK • England • Kent

Tonbridge (pronunciation and historic spelling Tunbridge) is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London. It belongs to the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling (population 107,560 in 2001).

History[link]

Toponymy[link]

The town was recorded in the Domesday Book 1087 as Tonebrige, which may indicate a bridge belonging to the estate or manor (from the Old English tun), or alternatively a bridge belonging to Tunna, a common Anglo-Saxon man's name. Another theory suggests that the name is a contraction of "town of bridges", due to the large number of streams the High Street originally crossed.^[1]

Until 1870, the town's name was actually spelt Tunbridge, as shown on old maps including the 1871 Ordnance Survey map and contemporary issues of the Bradshaw railway guide. In 1870, this was changed to Tonbridge by the GPO^[1] due to confusion with nearby Tunbridge Wells, despite Tonbridge being a much older settlement. Tunbridge Wells has always maintained the same spelling.

Normans and Tonbridge Castle[link]

The motte of Tonbridge Castle

Tonbridge Castle gatehouse

Tonbridge stands on spur of higher land where the marshy River Medway could be more easily forded. Ancient trackways converged at this point. There is no record of any bridge before 1191.^[2] For much of its existence, the town remained to the north of the river, since the land to the south was subject to extensive seasonal flooding.^[3] One part of the town is called 'Dryhill'.^[4] Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare founded the Priory of St Mary Magdalene in 1124.^[5]

A castle was built here in the 11th century by Richard Fitz Gilbert,^[6] a half brother of William the Conqueror. Richard was responsible for governing England in William I's many absences.

The town was besieged by William Rufus, soon after his accession to the throne, because the Earl had pledged allegiance to William's brother, Robert. It is thus hardly surprising that the arrow that killed William Rufus a few years later in the New Forest was fired by Walter Tirel who was born in town as well as the Earl's in-law.

It was soon afterwards taken again, this time by King John only a few months after the signing of the Magna Carta. Both the Earl and his son were signatories and guardians of the document responsible for its compliance. It was subsequently besieged by Prince Edward, son of Henry III. On this occasion the besieged garrison burnt the town rather than see it fall. The town and Tonbridge Castle were rebuilt after this and in the 13th century became an official residence and records repository of Edward II.

The castle was finally taken by Henry VIII when its owner, the Duke of Buckingham, was executed for treason.

Medieval[link]

At this time, Tonbridge was considered an important strategic settlement. The King intended it to be a medieval walled town and a charter was issued allowing for walls to be built, a market to be held, court sessions to be held and two members of the town to attend parliament. Walls were never built however, probably because the castle's large outer bailey could have easily accommodated the town's populace in times of strife. A surrounding bank and ditch known as The Fosse was erected. Today only traces of this encircling defence now remain.^[7] The historic core of the town still contains a large number of working buildings dating from the 15th century; the oldest being Portreeves on East Street.^[8]

Tonbridge School, the famous public school, was set up in 1552 under the letters patent of Edward VI, to educate the male children of locals gentry and farmers (there was already a nearby school in existence for poorer boys, now Sevenoaks School).

During Queen Mary's reign Tonbridge was involved in an unsuccessful uprising against the Queen's marriage to the King of Spain resulting in 500 people of the town being involved at the Battle of Hartley in 1554.^[9] As a result of the defiant action it is not surprising the town did escape being chosen for a place of execution for a number of Protestants and in 1555 James Tutty^[10] and Margery Polley were burnt at the stake in the town and Joan Beach met the same fate in 1556 at Rochester.^[11] A memorial to Margery Polly's fate is to be found on the green at Pembury.

17th and 18th centuries[link]

During the Civil War, the town was garrisoned by the Parliamentarian side who refortified the castle. Royalist sympathisers made several attempts to take the town but were repulsed.

The Wharf on the Medway Navigation, downstream of the Big Bridge.

In 1740 an Act of Parliament was passed to make the River Medway navigable to Tonbridge by the Medway Navigation Company,^[12] allowing such materials as coal and lime to be transported to the town, and gunpowder, hops and timber to be carried downriver to Maidstone and the Thames. For a hundred years the Medway Navigation Company was highly profitable, paying out good dividends to its investors but after the arrival of the railway in 1842 the company went into a steep decline and all commercial traffic ceased in 1911 when the company collapsed. Some of the original warehouses and the wharves are still recognisable today, downstream of the town's main bridge.

Later, the town and its surroundings became famous for the production of finely inlaid wooden cabinets, boxes and other objects called Tunbridgeware, which were sold to tourists who were taking the waters at the nearby springs at Tunbridge Wells. Another speciality in the town was until recently the production of cricket balls and other sports goods.

19th century to present[link]

A map of Tonbridge from 1946

During the March 1880 parliamentary elections, Tonbridge was the scene of a riot.^[13] On the announcement of the results, several thousand people started to hurl stones and cobbles at each other in the High Street near the Rose and Crown Hotel. The county's Chief Constable Captain Ruskin together with in excess of a hundred policeman charged the crowds many times during the night only to end up being the crowd's target who started hurling stones and cobbles at them instead of each other. Many people including twelve policeman were seriously injured before the crowd finally dispersed at midnight.

The United Kingdom's first^[14] speeding fine was handed down by Tonbridge petty Sessions court in 1896. The guilty driver was a Mr Walter Arnold of East Peckham who was fined one shilling for speeding at eight miles an hour in a two mile an hour zone in Paddock Wood, in his Karl Benz powered car. Mr Arnold was eventually apprehended by a policeman who had given chase on his bicycle.

During World War II a POW Camp was built on the junction of Tudeley Lane and Pembury Road on land belonging to Somerhill. It was used to house both German pilots who had been shot down, and also captured Italian soldiers. After the war the camp was used as temporary housing for people made homeless by the Blitz. The site is now occupied by the Weald of Kent Girls' Grammar School.

Ruth Ellis, the last woman in the United Kingdom to be hanged, was married^[15] at the registry office in Tonbridge on 8 November 1950.

Securitas depot robbery[link]

Tonbridge was the location of the largest cash theft in British criminal history.^[16] On 22 February 2006, over £53.1 million was stolen from the Securitas cash-handling depot in Vale Road to the east of the High Street. During the following police investigation, around half of the money was recovered. On 28 January 2008 five people were convicted at the Old Bailey.^[17]

Governance[link]

Tonbridge is in the parliamentary constituency of Tonbridge and Malling. Since the constituency's creation in 1974, its Member of Parliament has been Sir John Stanley of the Conservative Party.^[18] The town is within the local government district of Tonbridge and Malling, and is divided into the seven local government wards of Cage Green, Castle, Higham, Judd, Medway, Trench and Vauxhall.^[19] These wards have 15 of the 53 seats on the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. As of November 2007, all 15 of these seats were held by the Conservative Party.^[20] Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is responsible for running local services, such as recreation, refuse collection and council housing;^[21] while Kent County Council is responsible for education, social services and trading standards. Both councils are involved in town planning and road maintenance.

Economy[link]

The Oast Theatre

Major industries include light engineering, printing and publishing, distribution and financial services. Tonbridge together with its neighbour has been designated by the South East Assembly as a Regional Hub.^[22]

The town has largely retained its 'market town' atmosphere and has many attractions to visitors and residents alike, including the well-maintained Castle Gatehouse, a large country park and activities based around the river. Sports facilities including an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, a leisure centre and a large sportsground are all located close to the town centre. Many of the facilities are provided or subsidised by the local authority.^[23]

Most of the town's shopping facilities are concentrated on The High Street, which runs for about one mile through the town centre. There has been increasing criticism from local residents that there is a relative abundance of restaurants, estate agents, banks and 'cheap' shops, and a lack of major high street retailers. However, there are far fewer empty high street premises than in the mid-1990s reflecting the town's increasing prosperity. The town does inevitably suffer from its proximity to large shopping centres such as Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Bluewater. The Borough Council has published proposals to improve the town's shopping and leisure facilities.^[24]

During the early 20th Century Tonbridge became the ‘South East Hub’ for Plastic Moulding / Engineering and Printing with many well known companies such as The Crystalate Gramophone Record Company who claimed to be the oldest record producer in Britain who later bought out The Vocalion Gramophone Company in 1932 when the principal labels included Rex, Nine-Inch Broadcast, and Ten-Inch Broadcast. From the early postwar years, Crystalate was very much involved in producing the 1 mini-disc', some of which were sold in Marks & Spencers, Woolworths and probably other stores for sixpence [21/2p] each between 1930 and 1937, with labels such as Crown, Embassy and Eclipse. In 1937, Crystalate was absorbed in Decca which itself was purchased by Polygram (Philips). To this date there still remains a manufacturing presence within Tonbridge, with Enalon Limited founded in 1946 being last remaining plastic moulder and toolmaker based within the town.

The River Centre

In 1999, Harvester Trust Tonbridge bought a derelict site on Medway Wharf Road, in the centre of Tonbridge – ideal for a building that would be a church, a centre for community activity and a conference centre. The £4 million building was granted planning permission in March 2000. Amazing offerings were received to make building possible and the work began in 2001. The River Centre was officially opened in January 2003 to the town and wider community, its award winning design offering adaptable, high-quality and modern facilities. Working with businesses and community organisations, The River Centre hosts a wide variety of events from product launches to awards ceremonies, as well as international church conferences.

However, the links between the founder of this organisation and Todd Bentley have raised concerns for some.^[25]

The Police Station is the headquarters of the West Kent Police Division and is located on Pembury Road.

Royal Mail's TN postcode main sorting office is located on Vale Road in the town.

Tonbridge is also the location of Carroty Wood, an outdoor activity and residential centre run by 'Barnabas Adventure Centres' offering groups of young people the opportunity to try out a variety of different outdoor activities.

A former oast house on the road to Hildenborough has been converted to a small theatre, called the Oast Theatre.

Transport[link]

The South Eastern Main Line crossing the River Medway upstream of the Sports Ground

Tonbridge railway station is one of Kent's busiest with 3.8 million passengers using it each year. It is an important railway junction with lines to London, Ashford, Hastings and Redhill. The town is also served by the A21 trunk road between London and Hastings and the A26 between Maidstone and Brighton. It is also close to the M25 motorway.

Tonbridge is served by numerous bus routes, most of which are run by Arriva Southern Counties. The main routes are:

• 402 to Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and Bromley
• 7 and 77 to Tunbridge Wells, Hadlow, West Malling and Maidstone
• 147 to Tunbridge Wells, Willow Lea, and Hadlow
• 218 and 219: run between the town centre, Willow Lea and Cage Green

There are future proposals to dual the A21 from Castle Hill to Pembury, where a new regional hospital opened in 2011.

In the years before World War I, an attempt was made by aviation pioneers Frank Gooden and Richard Johnson to establish an airfield to the north of Tonbridge at Cage Green. The airfield was located at Cage Green Fields, at the top of the ridge which The Ridgeway runs up, and east of Shipbourne Road. An accident is recorded as having occurred on 24 December 1913 at the airfield, although neither of Gooden or Johnson was injured. The scheme was ended by the outbreak of war.^[26] | c.1914.^[26]

Education[link]

Tonbridge School, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde, is a major independent school for boys, which is in the centre of the town. Most boys there are boarders, and live in the school's houses, many of which are in the town centre. The town is also home to several remaining Grammar Schools, including The Judd School, Weald of Kent Grammar School and Tonbridge Grammar School (formerly Tonbridge Grammar School for Girls). A number of Tonbridge's secondary schools have specialist status, including Tonbridge Grammar School for Maths and ICT, as well as Languages; Weald of Kent Grammar School for Girls, a specialist school for languages and science; the Judd School for Music with English and also now Science with Maths; Hayesbrook School for boys, a specialist sports college; and Hillview School For Girls, which has recently been awarded a Performing Arts Status.^[27] Hugh Christie Technology College is also renowned in the area for its IT expertise,^[28] and for allowing students to take GCSEs in year 9, rather than the usual year 11. Further and higher education is available at K College which recently has announced it will be building a new multi million pound campus.^[29] There is also a small continuing education campus of the University of Kent.^[30]

Tonbridge also boasts a great many primary schools including Hilden Grange School Slade Primary School, Sussex Road County Primary School, Long Mead Community Primary School, Cage Green Primary School, Woodlands County Junior and Infant Schools, St Stephens Primary School and St Margaret Clitherow R C Primary School. This does not include the many more in the nearby surrounding areas.

Sport[link]

The 2007 Tour de France passed through the centre of Tonbridge on 8 July, as part of the first stage (London to Canterbury). The riders climbed Quarry Hill at the south of the town, a Grade 4 and first King of the Mountains climb of the Tour.

Cowdrey Cricket Club, renamed from Tonbridge Printers CC (on the club's 50th anniversary in 1997) after Lord Colin Cowdrey of Tonbridge, is the town's main cricket club, boasting a thriving junior section and academy as well as two Saturday teams. The club play at the Swanmead sportsground and can be found online at http://www.cowdreycc.co.uk. The town is also home to Tonbridge Cricket Club, founded in 1837.

Tonbridge Athletic Club which trains on the Tonbridge school track, is noted for being Kelly Holmes' former club.

Tonbridge has its own Rugby union club, Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Football club. [1] Often referred to as TJs. The 2009/10 season saw the club's first XV win promotion and go unbeaten in the league for the second year running, they will play their rugby in 2010/11 in London 1. Last season also saw the club's 2nd XV win its league and the ladies' side gain promotion. The senior men's section of the club fields five sides plus a Vets team. The club has two girls teams (Under 15 and 18), and a thriving junior and mini section. Over the last four seasons the club's younger teams have been crowned county champions on seven occasions. During the summer months, the town has a Touch Rugby club.

Tonbridge has its own football team, the Tonbridge Angels who play in the Conference South, and a successful canoe club that has produced a number of Olympic participants. Tonbridge also has a dinghy sailing club, the Tonbridge Town Sailing Club, which holds events at Haysden Country Park on the outskirts of the town.

Tonbridge Swimming Club is based at the Tonbridge swimming pool which has indoor and outdoor pools.

Local media[link]

Tonbridge has two local commercial radio stations, KMFM West Kent, and Heart Kent, previously Invicta FM. The studios for KMFM are now based in Medway but were originally based in Tonbridge. The town is also served by county wide station BBC Radio Kent, and many London based stations can also be received. The local newspaper with the widest readership covering Tonbridge is the Kent and Sussex Courier.

Notable people[link]

Twin towns[link]

Tonbridge is twinned with the towns of Le Puy-en-Velay in France, and Heusenstamm in Germany.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tonbridge

• Tonbridge at the Open Directory Project
• Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council
• Tonbridge local history society site including 900+ photos
• Tonbridge Tourist Guide - Heart of Kent
• History of Tonbridge Churches
• Carroty Wood Activity Centre

	Hildenborough	Shipbourne	Hadlow
	Leigh		Tudeley
		Tonbridge    East
	Penshurst	Southborough	Pembury

v t e Towns and villages in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England Addington • Aylesford • Barnes Street • Branbridges • Beltring • Birling • Blue Bell Hill • Borough Green • Burham • Ditton • East Malling • East Peckham • Eccles • Golden Green • Hadlow • Hildenborough • Ightham • Kings Hill • Larkfield • Leybourne • Mereworth • Offham • Platt (St. Mary's Platt) • Plaxtol • Ryarsh • Shipbourne • Snodland • Stansted • Tonbridge • Trottiscliffe • Walderslade • Wateringbury • West Malling • West Peckham • Wouldham • Wrotham • Wrotham Heath List of places in Kent

Coordinates: 51°12′00″N 0°16′35″E / 51.200070°N 0.276450°E / 51.200070; 0.276450

Tonbridge School is an independent day and boarding school for boys in Tonbridge, Kent, England, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd (sometimes spelled Judde). It is a member of the Eton Group, and has close links with the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the oldest London livery companies. It is a public school in the specialised British sense of the term.

There are currently about 800 boys in the school, aged between 13 and 18. The school occupies a site of 150 acres (607,000 m²) on the edge of Tonbridge, and is largely self-contained, though the boarding and day houses are spread through the town. Since its foundation the school has been rebuilt twice on the original site.

The Headmaster since 2005 is Tim Haynes, previously Headmaster of Monmouth School and Deputy Master at St Paul's School.

The Good Schools Guide describes the school as "truly excellent". It is one of only a very few of the ancient public schools not to have turned co-educational, and there are no plans for this to happen.

Tonbridge's fees are among the highest of all the independent schools in Britain, at £31,263 per year, compared to Eton's £29,862 or Harrow's £29,670. However, a variety of bursaries and scholarships are available to ensure that boys from less well-off backgrounds can also attend.

History[link]

This article is written like a personal reflection or essay rather than an encyclopedic description of the subject. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (October 2010)

Sixteenth Century foundation[link]

The school was founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd, a local landowner, member of the Skinners Company as well as the East India Company, who was Lord Mayor of London more than once. Judd was also grand-nephew of Archbishop Henry Chichele, the founder of All Souls College, Oxford (a fellow of the college still comes to Skinners' Day at the school each year and a school essay competition is judged by that college). The school was founded under the Letters Patent of King Edward VI, making it one of the oldest of Britain's major public schools.

The Charter ordained that the Governors of the school after the death of the Founder were to be the Worshipful Company of Skinners (known as The Skinners Company), one of the "Great Twelve" City Livery Companies with a history going back some 700 years. It is one of the oldest City Guilds and developed from the medieval trade guild of the furriers: members dressed and traded furs that were used for trimming and lining the garments of the rich.

Unlike many of the great public schools which were founded in this era, Tonbridge was not set up for poor scholars, as shown in the original statutes, in which a clause reads that any boy admitted to the school had to be able to "write competently and to read perfectly both English and Latin". This shows that the school was founded for the sons of the local gentry and 'county families'; few if any boys who lived in or around Tonbridge itself would have qualified for entry.^[1]

The company, as the guild is now called, is no longer associated with the craft but continues to contribute to educating the young and helping the older in need, through their almshouses, charities and schools. The Skinners' Company's School for Girls is the fourth school opened by the Skinners' Company. The other schools respectively are the Sir Andrew Judd's free school, now called Tonbridge School (which was never "free" in the sense of payment, but in the sense of being an independent institution; places were only for the aristocracy, gentry and those associated with the Worshipful Company of Skinners), The Skinners' School and Sir Andrew Judd's Commercial School (now called The Judd School).^{[citation needed]}

Sir Andrew, himself a distinguished member of this Company, left property in the City of London and in the parish of St Pancras as an endowment for the school. The income from these estates is at the disposal of the Governors for the general benefit of the Foundation. The memory of Sir Andrew Judd and other benefactors is honoured in an annual Commemoration Service, held on Skinners' Day at the end of the Summer term.

The school remembers its founder every year on Skinners' Day, and also remembers other benefactors such as Sir Thomas Smythe, Judd's grandson, who was governor of the East India Company for fifteen years and who took part in establishing the colony of Virginia; as well as Henry Fisher, who founded a scholarship from Tonbridge to Brasenose College, Oxford; and Sir Thomas White, founder of St John's College, Oxford and Merchant Taylors' School, who gave Tonbridge a fellowship, later converted into a scholarship, at his college.^{[citation needed]}

Many headmasters came and went in the intervening period, including one James Cawthorne (head from 1743 to 1761), a severe disciplinarian, so severe that his ghost is said to have remorselessly haunted the dormitories of the school's various houses for over a century after his death. Tragically in 1761, Cawthorne locked a boy in a cupboard as a punishment before going deer hunting in Knole Park. Whilst he was returning from Knole, Cawthorne was thrown off his horse and suffered fatal injuries. Nobody realised what had happened to the pupil before it was too late and the boy had died.

The British Empire[link]

The school first began to flourish in the 19th century when it and other public schools supplied the demand for capable men to administer and soldier for the British Empire. It is recorded that alumni served in the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the Boer War and even under the 8th Earl of Elgin during the Second Opium War. Indeed Headmaster Knox once noted that "wherever the Union Flag stands o'ershadowed, there you will find a Tonbridge boy ready to bring it into the light".^{[citation needed]}

Tonbridge, as a provincial public school, is not one of the nine public schools mentioned in the Public Schools Act 1868, but it is as old as, or older than, five of those which are (the Act was not intended to define which schools were "Public Schools", but to apply certain conditions to some of them). It is among the 25 public schools mentioned in the Public Schools Yearbook of 1889, and is one of the founding schools of the HMC.

In the Victorian Era, Headmaster Welldon introduced "Praeposters" in the Sixth form, who were allowed to wear tall hats and tailcoats, to be absent from "Call" or detentions, and to inflict corporal punishment on younger boys. The chapel, and the institution of "Fagging", grew in importance in this period as well. It was also at the time of the expansion of public schools in the Victorian era that Tonbridge can be said to have become one of Britain's major public schools, there having only been about three before the expansion, often defined by the list of schools that play Racquets.

The Edwardian period saw considerable sporting success for the school. In 1905 and 1906 its 1st XI cricket team enjoyed two unbeaten seasons under its captain, Archibald Featherstonehaugh (pronounced "Fanshaw"). In the years that followed Tonbridge produced many first-class cricketers, including Colin Cowdrey in the late 1940s.^{[citation needed]} No. 905 of the SR "Schools" class railway engines was named after the school.

In the 1880s it was finally decided, after much wrangling with various governments, that the Skinners' Company should continue in its ancient trusteeship of the school; it is said that Tonbridge is alone among the ancient public schools in retaining the exact governing body of its sixteenth-century foundation.^{[citation needed]}

The Great War[link]

The school suffered heavy losses during the Great War. Great numbers of alumni were killed, as well as several members of staff who volunteered for service. The fabric of the school was unscathed. The OTC expanded, and had parades instead of work on Monday mornings, and Wednesday half-holidays were given over to field operations. Munitions were made in the school workshops. An area which is now covered by tennis courts was used by boys to grow potatoes and vegetables, in order to make the boarding houses more self-sufficient. It became a point of honour among OT flying officers to swoop down over the school in their aeroplanes, flying low over School House or the Chapel roof. At least once a boy on London Road was able to greet an older brother of his who was doing this. Once an Old Tonbridgian was forced to land on Martins, so hard that his plane reportedly rushed through a hedge into a hop field opposite. The propellor hung for many years in the bottom corridor of the New Buildings. Headmaster Lowry was so stressed by the vast numbers of deaths in battle of his old pupils (he had taught at Eton College and Sedbergh School as well as Tonbridge) that he had to take a brief rest from his duties as Head, and many among the boys and the staff feared that he would not return, but he recovered and came back.

At the start of the Great War, 234 OTs held commissions in the active lists of the Army and Navy, with 124 in the reserve and territorial forces. The total number of Old Tonbridgians who eventually served was 2382, and 21 masters. The Roll of Honour includes the names of 415 OTs and 3 masters. Like many public schools, which provided the officer class of the British military, Tonbridge School lost many of its sons in those years. In 1925, Baron Ironside, an Old Tonbridgian, unveiled the School's war memorial, which was dedicated by the Bishop of Birmingham, also an Old Tonbridgian, which the whole school passes every day in the ante-chapel.

World War II[link]

Tonbridge itself had a more eventful second war. In 1939, Dulwich College was evacuated to Tonbridge, and enjoyed the use of Tonbridge classrooms and playing fields when they were not being used by Tonbridgians. Gas masks were carried by boys during all school periods. During the Battle of Britain, almost every night the siren would sound, and the boarders would hurry to their shelters and spend the nights there, until the all-clear signal at dawn, not an atmosphere particularly conducive to academic study. The headmaster allowed each housemaster to decide for himself whether to go to the shelters, or to keep the boys in bed and "damn the consequences", and eventually all the housemasters drifted toward the latter, as it was realised that the town of Tonbridge had little military importance and so any bombs dropped on Tonbridge would be dropped by accident. Little damage was done to the properties owned by the school in London. It was impossible to black out the chapel during services, so after an experiment of holding Sunday evening chapel in Big School during the Winter terms, it was decided to hold servcies in chapel and hold them progressively earlier as the hours of darkness increased, the earliest being 3.45 pm.

There was a Home Guard contingent at Tonbridge School, who never encountered the enemy but were once engaged in combat by two drunken allied soldiers, who stopped to attack the public schoolboys. These two soldiers lost the fight, one having to leave on a stretcher.

In 1944 a V1 flying bomb launched by the enemy almost succeeded in killing Headmaster Eric Whitworth when it landed near Ferox Hall^{[citation needed]}. A bomb dropped by a lone German bomber almost destroyed the Chapel earlier in the War.

Papers found by the Allies after the fall of Berlin suggested that Hitler's staff intended to make Tonbridge School the Upper-Medway regional HQ for occupying forces, had Operation Sea Lion gone ahead. During the War an anti-tank trench was dug alongside the Head (the school's main cricket pitch). The OTC (Officer Training Corps) issued the groundsmen with grenades, rifles and German phrase-books. On the recommendation of Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside, Chief of the Imperial General Staff and an Old Tonbridgian, an evacuation plan was drawn up by the school in case of a German invasion. Boys were to disperse across the country while teachers formed resistance cells.

Post-War years[link]

Lawrence Waddy took over as Headmaster in 1949. The Tonbridge he inherited was still a largely Victorian institution; fagging and ritual caning were still in place, and sport was considered more important than academia. Over the next 40 years personal fagging was abolished (ending in 1965), and the intellectual life of the school was revitalised (particularly under the Headmastership of the scholarly Michael McCrum). McCrum, headmaster 1962-70, abolished the right of senior boys to administer corporal punishment, taking over for himself the task of administering routine canings. Tail-coats and top hats for praeposters were abandoned as archaic. 1st-Year Socials were set up with nearby girls' schools such as Benenden School and Roedean School. Boaters, straw hats worn by boys, were no longer compulsory uniform after a major town-gown fight in the 1970s. By the 1990s the school was larger, richer and more prominent than ever. The Headmaster until 2005 was Martin Hammond.

In 2005 the school was one of fifty leading independent schools found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel, exposed by The Times, which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents.^[2] Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.^[3] However, Mrs Jean Scott, the head of the Independent Schools Council, said that independent schools had always been exempt from anti-cartel rules applied to business, were following a long-established procedure in sharing the information with each other, and that they were unaware of the change to the law (on which they had not been consulted). She wrote to John Vickers, the OFT director-general, saying, "They are not a group of businessmen meeting behind closed doors to fix the price of their products to the disadvantage of the consumer. They are schools that have quite openly continued to follow a long-established practice because they were unaware that the law had changed."^[4]

Basic fees are now^[when?] around £30,000 per year for boarders, making Tonbridge one of the most expensive British schools, though it provides a large number of scholarships for gifted pupils, and many bursaries for less well-off pupils.^{[citation needed]}

A section of the main school building.

Academics[link]

The Good Schools Guide described the school as academically "Truly excellent," noting that "In 2008, the average GCSE candidate achieved 4A*s and 6As. 87 per cent got all A*/A and 98 per cent got all A*/A/B."^[5]

The School, as of 2008, has the highest performing Politics and Economics Departments in the Eton Group, and the second highest-performing History Department after Westminster.^{[citation needed]}

Almost all boys go on to University, with between thirty and forty every year going to Oxbridge. Tonbridge School has been named the top Oxbridge school in the south-east based on admissions to Oxford and Cambridge over the preceding five years.^{[citation needed]}

According to a 'Guide to Independent Schools' published in The Spectator on 12 March 2011, Tonbridge is the fourth highest scoring boy's boarding school in the UK by A-Level results, after St Paul's School, London, Westminster School and Eton College.

According to the Financial Times A-Level league tables for 2011, Tonbridge is the ninth highest-scoring school in the country, overtaking Eton but being overtaken by Winchester College.

Sport[link]

The school has a strong sporting tradition, especially in rugby and cricket, with many other sports played as well. Traditional public school sports like rugby fives and fencing are played to high standards, as well as more modern sports including football, climbing, squash, and tennis. The school has one of the oldest of only about twenty racquet courts in the country (with another one yet to be built where the Old Gymnasium used to be), and has several fives courts.

Until 1869, Tonbridge had its own distinctive variant of football, which was played with thirteen players per side, with various eccentric rules, which was described by those who played it as a "ferocious" and "dirty" game. In 1869, the school discussed whether to adopt the Harrow, the Rugby, or the Association rules for football, and within two years the decision had been made to adopt the Rugby variant; Rugby Union rules and Football Association rules were rapidly overtaking local customs all over the country at this point, as the public schools started to play against each other as opposed to only playing internal matches.

Tonbridge's 1st XV rugby team was undefeated for 3 straight seasons (2004/5, 2005/6 and 2006/7), and is the only public school 1st XV since the Second World War to have two unbeaten seasons in a row, let alone three. The 1st XI Hockey team was unbeaten in its regular fixtures in the 2006/7 and 2008/09 season, while the Athletics squad has enjoyed two consecutive unbeaten seasons - 2005/6 and 2006/7.^{[citation needed]}

The school has produced a number of international rugby players throughout the history of rugby union. In 1871, in the first ever international rugby match, Tonbridge was represented by two players, J.E. Bentley and J.H. Luscombe. These players were also members of a team called the Gipsies Football Club, a London-based rugby football club for Old Tonbrigians founded in 1868. This club produced four other internationals including England captain Francis Luscombe, and was also one of the founding members of the Rugby Football Union.^[6]

With the opening of the Tonbridge School Centre for Sports and Media in summer 2008, a much greater focus has been given to sports within the school. The centre was opened by Sebastian Coe in front of a crowd of thousands. The new centre contains a 25-metre swimming pool, a gym, a climbing wall, a sports hall suited for badminton, indoor football, cricket nets practice or basketball, and a fully equipped, high-tech media centre.

Houses[link]

There are twelve houses at Tonbridge School: seven boarding, and five day houses. Each house has its own house colours. The houses, in order of foundation, are:

Each house contains some 65 pupils. The names are either drawn from the location of the house itself (e.g. Park House, Parkside House, School House (originally located in the main school building) and Hill Side), or are names of benefactors, headmasters and others who have left their mark on the school over the years (e.g. Smythe House, named after Sir Thomas Smythe (see also Smythe Library), Judde House, named after the founder of the school, Whitworth and Welldon, both named after headmasters of the school, and Cowdrey House, named after Colin Cowdrey, arguably the most famous Tonbridge alumnus). The only exceptions are Ferox Hall, which takes its name from the Latin for ferocious, and Manor House, which was named by a former Housemaster.

There are also several "out-houses" around the town, intended to help further prepare boys for university life. Boys retain affiliation to the house they lived in previously during their time in out-houses.

Competitions between houses are held in many fields, particularly sport, as well as other activities such as music, art, debating, and design & technology. One example is the inter-house shooting competition; the winning house is awarded the Hansard Trophy, named after Cornelius Hansard, an Old Tonbridgian who served in the Second Boer War. The trophy, having been held by School House for two years running (2006 & 2007), is now held by Smythe House. The most prestigious of all of the house competitions are the senior house match competitions for each of the four main sports (rugby, football, hockey and cricket) which have been dominated in recent years by Park House.

The Cras, a cross-country running competition between the houses, is also a major source of house rivalry. The Cras is one of the oldest competitions still run by the school and is highly prestigious to win. Runners score points for their position, and the lowest scoring house (the one with the runners who finished best) receives a trophy. In the last one hundred years, only two boys have consecutively won the Cras in each of their five years at the school. There are various legends as to how the name was given to this race, the two most popular are that it is an acronym for "Compulsory Run Around School", or that the name is down to a mispronounciation by a former head of ground staff who originally came from the West Country, who pronounced "cross-country" as "CRAS-country". Past individual winners of the Cras include Eric Stuart Dougall (winner of the first Cras and a recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War I), Olly Freeman (current international triathlete) and Maurice Holmes (cricketer).

On the final Friday of the school year the boys compete for their houses in the house athletics competition. Cups are awarded for events and an overall trophy for the winning house. The senior boy who has won the most events is presented with the Victor Ludorum trophy (Latin for "Winner of the games"). This award is not unique for Tonbridge as several other British public schools also award it at similar events. There can be only one winner, and as such it is highly prestigious to win and a sign of outstanding athletic ability.

Buildings[link]

The main school building was built in the 1800s, on top of the site of the previous main school building. Recent additions include the Vere Hodge Centre, the E.M. Forster Theatre, and the Tonbridge School Sport and Media Centre. All three are of modernist design, incorporating quantities of glass and steel and high levels of technology, while the latter contains a swimming pool, gym, fencing salle and multiple changing rooms, and is to be used as a training facility for the 2012 Olympics.^{[citation needed]} The choice of materials for the Sport and Media Centre has attracted criticism from some^[who?] as the copper is prone to overheat in the summer, and has hence been deemed a minor risk to health and safety.^{[citation needed]}

The Chapel of St. Augustine was opened in October 1995 after its predecessor was severely damaged by fire in 1988.^{[citation needed]} Legend has it that the chaplain had given a stirring sermon on fire and brimstone earlier in the day concerning God's punishment on the unfaithful.^{[citation needed]} This legend is not completely accurate,^{[citation needed]} and an old boy^[who?] who was at the school at the time of the fire and in the chapel that morning during the 'last service' recalls with absolute clarity that the bible reading that day was given by a master of the school, Mr Burn, on the Tongues of Fire story.^{[citation needed]} The Marcussen organ is a four-manual tracker-action instrument with 66 speaking stops, including two 32' stops; it is well known throughout Europe by those familiar with such instruments as a fine and impressive example; it is the largest Marcussen organ in the south-east of England.^{[citation needed]}

The Smythe Library, built in 1962, was designed by William Holford in 1962.^{[citation needed]} It contains approximately 26,000 volumes, some of which have been in the school's possession since the 17th century.^{[citation needed]} Its collection includes a complete set of Punch.

Now offices, the former Headmaster's House (located next to the High Street) is the oldest part of the school, dating in parts from the 16th century. Its structure contains Roman masonry, most likely quarried from a temple to the god Priapus that is believed to have stood by the Medway near where Tonbridge Castle stands today.

Old Judde, which now houses the Modern Languages Department, was built in the 19th century and is remarkable for the enclosed terrace garden at its rear.^{[citation needed]} The garden is raised several feet above ground level because it was built directly on top of the building that formerly occupied the site.^{[citation needed]}

Facilities[link]

Tonbridge School's facilities include a sports centre and a large climbing wall with many routes at all levels, a swimming pool with extra depth at one end for scuba diving, an exercise gym, a large sports hall with five cricket nets and facilities for badminton and basket ball, and a large multi-purpose room for Judo, other martial arts, table tennis, fencing, pilates, yoga, spin class and the like.^{[citation needed]} The building also hosts a media centre with news room with industry-standard recording and editing equipment.^{[citation needed]} There is also a cafe and a bar. The school has three hockey astros - one floodlit water-based astro and two sand-based astros, used by Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club and Sevenoaks Hockey Club as well as by the school. It has a six-lane floodlit tartan athletics track, used by Tonbridge Athletics Club; it includes facilities for discus, javelin, shot-put, high jump, long jump, triple jump and steeplechase. The School has over 100 acres (0.40 km²) of pitches.^{[citation needed]} The main cricket pitch (The Head) is occasionally used for Kent 2nd XI cricket matches.^{[citation needed]} The school also has squash courts, fives courts and two rackets courts (one of which is under construction). There is also a shooting range. Sports also occur off site. These include golf, clay pigeon shooting, horse riding and sailing.^{[citation needed]} The school owns several fleets of boats, most notably a fleet of 6 fireflies and 6 R.S. Fevas, both of which are regularly renewed.^{[citation needed]}

School terms[link]

All terms have a half-term holiday and two weekend exeats within.

• Michaelmas Term - Early September to mid-December (most new boys join the school during this term)
• Lent Term - Early January to late March
• Trinity Term - Late April to early July

School traditions[link]

Motto[link]

The school's motto (Deus Dat Incrementum) is not to be confused with that of Westminster School, London (Dat Deus Incrementum). The two have quite different meanings due to their word order.^{[citation needed]} Whereas Tonbridge's lays emphasis on the fact that God, and nobody else, gives growth, Westminster's emphasises the fact that God gives growth and does not, for example, receive it, buy it or rent it. However, the motto "Dat Deus Incrementum" can be seen on the main school building at the entrance to the Physics department. The motto is the same as that of Marlborough College.

Tonbridge School slang[link]

Like many other ancient public schools, Tonbridge has its own distinct collection of terms. Here are a few still used to this day:

• - Bantams = Novi sports teams
• - Banter = Wisecrack
• - Block = Lined paper
• - The Cras = School Cross Country race
• - Novi = New boy
• - Master = teacher
• - The fifty = 1st XV rugby pitch
• - The Head = 1st XI cricket pitch (one of the most famous school cricket pitches in the country)
• - House square = Piece of silk awarded by the House to a boy. It may be turned into a House waistcoat etc.
• - Rustication = Suspension (literally "to be sent to the countryside")
• - Off ex = Permission from Housemaster to miss games/sport due to other commitments/injury.
• - The OC = School tuck shop
• - The Pound = The school stationary shop
• - Minors = Cross Country, Fives and Sailing colours
• - Memoranda = School rules
• - The pepperpot = tower on the chapel
• - The Athena Society = in the past it was a 12 man elective dining club; it is now open to all 6th form scholars to hear outside speakers.
• - Commendation = award for good work to be given to your Housemaster.
• - Distinction = awarded for outstanding work, the piece of work is kept by the Headmaster for posterity.
• - Imposition paper = punishment for poor prep. Boy is required to redo or copy something and have his Housemaster sign the sheet.
• - Headmaster's detention = Three hour detention from 7pm-10pm supervised by the Headmaster on a Saturday evening. Boy must be wearing a suit.
• - Secondmaster's detention= Wednesday morning detention for poor work.
• - Railway run = Punishment whereby the boy has to run a mile to the railway bridge and come back with a particular flower which grows there.
• - Powder Mills handicap= Race between members of the Cross Country club.
• - School Praeposter = twelve boys who help masters run the school
• - House Praeposter = boys who help masters run the Houses
• - Skinner's day = End of the academic year
• - Second Master = Deputy Headmaster and in charge of discipline
• - Times Leader = punishment given by praeposters in some houses which involved copying out sections of the Times
• - Lower Master = Master in charge of Vth form and below
• - Upper Master = Master in charge of VIth form.

Tonbridge Society[link]

The Tonbridge community has, in addition to boys, three main groups which come together in the Tonbridge Society to support each other and the school. The Parents' Arts Society provides a focus for parents and other friends of the school and gives them the opportunity to benefit from its educational and cultural facilities. The Old Tonbridgian Society provides a social and support network for the boys after their five years there. There is an Old Tonbridgian Masonic Lodge, with branches in London, Oxford and Cambridge. Finally, the Tonbridge School Foundation is committed to supporting the development of the school in many different ways. Collectively the Tonbridge Society represents all members of the Tonbridge family and brings the groups together for events of overlapping interest.

The Novi[link]

In Tonbridge terminology a 1st Year boy or boys are known as novi (rhyming with "no guy") which is short for (in Latin) "novicius" (novice) or "novicii" (novices).

Uniform[link]

Normal weekday dress, according to the Memoranda (school rules), consists of the traditional school tweed blazer, white shirt, school trousers, black or grey socks and black plain dress shoes. Boys must also wear a school tie with their jackets or suits; at least thirty varieties are available at the School Shop, including two varieties of leavers tie made by T.M. Lewin, and Benson and Clegg of Jermyn Street (many old school and regimental ties are traditionally from here). Boys may wear a house waistcoat if they have had one made. All students are expected to dress accordingly on all regular days of school. School hats (straw hats with a ribbon in the school colours, also known as "barges") are available in the School Shop, but these are no longer mandatory and almost never worn by the majority of boys. Stiff collars are no longer necessary either. On Sundays, students are expected to put on formal wear. This consists of the school suit, and polished shoes. Boys in the sixth form may wear lounge suits. Boys in the upper sixth can wear a light-coloured shirt on weekdays. School Praepostors may wear brown polishable shoes on weekdays but not on formal occasions. School coloured scarves may be worn during the winter. After lessons and games and at some weekends, boys can choose to wear casual wear as long as it is acceptable and inoffensive in nature. In times gone by, scholars and Praeposters had to wear gowns, and members of the choir to wear surplices; Praeposters also had to wear tall hats and tailcoats. Boaters are no longer compulsory, and have not been since a major town-gown fight in the 1970s.

House traditions[link]

Houses tend to have their own traditions, especially in the older boarding houses. These are normally not well known outside the house.

Head of School[link]

The Head of School is famously allowed to graze his sheep on the Head (the 1st XI cricket pitch) which is next to the main buildings.^[7] He is also allowed to grow a beard and historically was permitted to carry a sword.^[7] In the past only praepostors were allowed to wear coloured shirts (as opposed to plain white) and have brown shoes.^[7]

Sports Colours[link]

Colours are awarded for the majority of sports at junior and senior team level with the presentation of a specific tie related to that sport. First team members in the major sports (Rugby, Cricket, Racquets, Athletics, Squash, Golf, Hockey and Shooting) are allowed to wear a Tonbridge blazer with the badge of their discipline sewn over the left breast.

Skinners Day[link]

Skinners Day marks the end of the school year. Historically it was used by the Worshipful Company of Skinners (to whom Sir Andrew Judd bestowed the school) as a formal inspection. The day starts with the last Chapel service of the year, attended by the Governors and the Court of the Skinner's Company. During the service, the Commemoration of the Benefactors is read aloud (which essentially gives a brief history of the school), before ending with the School Hymn. After Chapel, there is a prize-giving service on the Upper Hundred, after which the cricket match against the Old Tonbridgians begins on the head. The day concludes with house afternoon teas, hosted by the various housemasters. This ends the school year. Senior Skinners inspect the school wearing ceremonial robes and furs.

Other information[link]

Combined Cadet Force[link]

The School has a CCF (Combined Cadet Force) contingent, to which most of the fourth form (14- to 15-year-old boys) belong. Boys can choose to join either the Royal Navy (RN), Army or Royal Air Force (RAF) sections of the CCF. Many older boys keep on CCF as an activity right up to and including their last year at school, the Upper Sixth, by which time they have become Non-Commissioned Officers,^[8] and are helping to run the contingent by teaching the younger boys. This allows them to exercise leadership skills which they have been taught as they have moved up through the ranks and through the school. The Army Section is affiliated with the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (PWRR).^[9]

In 2010, Tonbridge celebrated 150 years of the CCF, as one of the founding schools. An open day was held which was visited by the Chief of Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup and an Apache gunship helicopter. Each of the services was represented on the day including the Royal Marines. The day also included an "incredible" Tonbridge School honor guard drill and was visited by Sevenoaks School, Judd School and Skinners School.

Third, Fourth and Fifth Years[link]

Community Service (helping the old, the infirm and handicapped members of the local community, or working in local primary schools or hospitals) exists.

Also possible are advanced Chemistry; Aero-Modelling; Art, Ceramics and Photography; Assistance to the Librarian; Assistance with some of the first-year activities; Bridge; Chess; Computing projects; Conservation; Design Technology Projects; Film-making; Music, primarily for music specialists; Phytology; Play-writing; Preparation of the School Magazine; Rackets; Radio; Recording Studio; Stage sets, props and lighting; Tonbridge's Literary Supplement; Work within a boy's house.

Almost all of the activities listed above can be used for a component of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, should a boy choose to enrol.

Notable masters[link]

• George Austen 18th century Second master and father of Jane Austen
• Derek Chadwick
• Hilary Davan Wetton
• Clive Dytor
• Martin Hammond
• John Inverarity
• Vicesimus Knox - 18th Century Headmaster
• Reverend John Langhorne (1836–1911), classics master and house master from 1860 to 1877.
• Tony Little
• Michael McCrum
• Robert Maxwell Ogilvie
• Paul Parker
• Anthony Seldon
• Haldane Campbell Stewart Director of Music 1898-1918, organist and choirmaster at Magdalen College Oxford, cricketer for Kent County Cricket Team.
• Andy Whittall

Notable Old Tonbridgians[link]

Former pupils of the school are known as Old Tonbridgians (OTs) and can join an organisation called the Old Tonbridgians Society.

See also[link]

• Public school (Britain)
• Eton Group
• Worshipful Company of Skinners
• List of SR V "Schools" class locomotives

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Hoole, G.P. (1985). A Tonbridge miscellany. Tonbridge School. OCLC 19671527. 
• Orchard, Barry (1991). A Look at the Head and the Fifty. London: James & James. ISBN 978-0-907383-25-3. 
• Rivington, Septimus (1898). The history of Tonbridge School from its foundation in 1553 to the present date. London: Rivingtons. OCLC 18236326. 
• Somervell, D.C. (1947). A history of Tonbridge School. London: Faber & Faber. OCLC 11852252. 
• Hughes-Hughes, W O (1886). The Register of Tonbridge School from 1820 to 1886. Tonbridge: Hughes-Hughes. http://www.theweald.org/B10.asp?BookId=TnReg901. 

External links[link]

• Tonbridge School Website
• Tonbridge School on Ofsted
• The Worshipful Company of Skinners
• Tonbridge School Foundation
• Profile at the Good Schools Guide