Essential Travel Guide > England > Kent > Tunbridge Wells

Royal Tunbridge Wells is a historic former spa town in the west of Kent, close to the border of East Sussex. It is an ideal base in which to enjoy a weekend away, or as a stepping point for exploring Kent’s countryside. The town has had a reputation as an upmarket resort area for over 400 years. In 1606, the poorly Lord North was taking a constitutional in the area when he stumbled across a chalybeate spring. He found he felt better after drinking the mineral water, and began to invite fellow noblemen to sample this therapeutic spring. The area grew as an attraction, and even Kings Charles I and II visited with their wives. The Pantiles were built around the spring to provide services and amenities, and this parade of shops still makes up the elegant hub of the town today.

Tunbridge Wells really flourished during the Georgian and Regency periods, under the tutelage of Richard ‘Beau’ Nash. A dandy and social butterfly, he elevated the status of the growing town, attracting socialites and lords and creating a resort to rival Bath and Brighton. Rather than taking a short trip, visitors began to settle in Tunbridge Wells, leading to the construction of the striking Regency architecture that defines the town. An opera house was built in 1902, which today is a pub, and the town received its ‘Royal’ prefix in 1909, during the reign of King Edward VII. Modern Royal Tunbridge Wells still offers a historic bearing, and modern travellers can still sample the mineral spring down at the Pantiles. The town is roughly an hour from Central London in one direction, and the coast (including Brighton and Hastings) in the other.

There is plenty to enjoy within easy reach of Royal Tunbridge Wells, including several stately homes. Hever Castle is particularly famous, having been the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, ill-fated second wife of Henry VIII, and later residence of his fourth bride, Anne of Cleves. Scotney House and Gardens is another country house attraction, and part of the National Trust. Its gardens and medieval ruins are particularly striking.