Welcome
To Tunbridge Wells With
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Wells, use the information provided
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Situated in the Heart
of Kent, Royal Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding
area offers a rich variety of places to
visit – making it an ideal location
for a short break or leisurely tour of the
Kentish countryside. Royal Tunbridge Wells
has been attracting visitors for 400 years,
ever since the chance discovery of the Chalybeate
Spring by a young nobleman in 1606.
In Georgian times particularly,
Tunbridge Wells became a well-known and
popular spa resort, a rival to nearby Brighton.
Its visitors alternated between Bath for
the summer season and Tunbridge Wells for
the winter season. The lively social scene
in Tunbridge Wells was famously organised
by the dandy, Richard Beau Nash who also
divided his time between Tunbridge Wells
and Bath and made sure that residents and
visitors alike adhered to the 'rules' of
social behaviour. In the early 1800s Tunbridge
Wells became a very desirable place for
rich business and professional people not
just for a holiday but also in which to
live. A great deal of building was undertaken
to the north of the small spa as large villas
and family houses were built - many of them
by the architect Decimus Burton. Evidence
of this grand period of new architecture
in Tunbridge Wells still survives today.
During the 19th century Tunbridge prospered.
In the early 19th century
a theatre was built. It was later converted
to a corn exchange where grain was bought
and sold. In the early part of the century
a new estate was built around Mount Pleasant
Road. The church of the Holy Trinity was
built in 1829. In 1909 Edward VII allowed
the town to add the prefix 'Royal' to its
name. Retaining much of the charm and elegance
of its Georgian heyday, Royal Tunbridge
Wells and the surrounding area today remains
a favoured destination for those who want
to enjoy elegant surroundings in the countryside
and yet just a short distance from the hustle
and bustle of London.
Contact:
0118 971 4700 |
