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For the larger local government district, see Tunbridge Wells (borough). {{infobox UK place||country = England|official_name= Royal Tunbridge Wells|latitude= 51.1332|longitude= 0.2647|population = 45,000|shire_district= Tunbridge Wells (borough)| shire_county = Kent|post_town= TUNBRIDGE WELLS|postcode_district = TN1, TN2, TN4|postcode_area= TN |dial_code= 01892|os_grid_reference= TQ585395-->

Royal Tunbridge Wells (often called simply Tunbridge Wells) is a [Wealden town in west Kent in England, just north of the border with East Sussex. It has a population of approximately 45,000 (2001 census) and is the administrative centre of Tunbridge Wells (borough).The borough has a population of 104,030 (2001 census).The town is twinned with Wiesbaden in Germany. In 2006 it celebrated its 400th anniversary.

History The town of Tunbridge Wells was founded around the Chalybeate Spring discovered in 1606 by Dudley North, 3rd Baron North, a courtier to James I of England. The high iron content of the waters was believed to have healing properties and the town developed as a spa town. It was named after the nearby town of Tonbridge, which was at the time spelled "Tunbridge". The similar names and alternative spellings have been a source of confusion ever since, especially to uninformed people travelling on the London-Hastings railway line. The spring (hydrosphere) can still be visited in the Pantiles area of the town, surrounded by Regency architecture.

The prefix "Royal" dates to 1909, when Edward VII of the United Kingdom officially recognised the popularity of the town amongst royalty and aristocracy by bestowing the town with its official "Royal" title. To this day, Royal Tunbridge Wells is one of only two towns in England to be granted this, the other being Royal Leamington Spa.

Layout of the town The town centre is roughly in two separate halves.

The southern part of the centre is the older part of the town, containing at its heart the "Village" area. It is here that The Pantiles can be found, which contain the spring (hydrosphere) which made the town so famous. This area is popular with tourists and residents alike, and live music is usually played in the old bandstand through the summer period.

Also on the southern side of the town is the Spa Valley Railway which operates heritage trains from Tunbridge Wells West Station to nearby High Rocks and Groombridge.The north is the more recently developed part of the town containing the Royal Victoria Place Shopping centre (owned by The Westfield Group) as well as the pedestrian area and many retail shopping outlets. This part of the town also contains some pieces of noted architecture.The north part of the town is also home to the Assembly Halls and the Theatre (formerly Holy Trinity Church), which offers live comedy, drama, film and music. The Ritz Building including the former ABC cinema has been empty since December 2000. A new planning application is expected to come into public consulation in autumn 2007.The site was declared the town's top 'grot spot' by Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum.

At the end of Lime Hill Road is the newly refurbished, but controversial, Millennium Clock, designed by a local sculptor.

In the adjoining village of Rusthall can be found the peculiarly-shaped Toad Rock.

World views of the town Tunbridge Wells is traditionally associated with the prim middle classes, especially in the locution "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells". (The editor of the former Tunbridge Wells Advertiser, allegedly told his staff to concoct letters to fill the letters page. One letter was signed 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells', Icons of England). This phrase has remained in circulation because of its perceived aptness in describing the inhabitants of the town.

Tunbridge Wells is often assumed to be a bastion of the middle classes and comfortably bourgeois. However, like anywhere it has areas of deprivation that suffer from a range of social problems. However, according to the Indices of Deprivation 2004 no area is within the 20% most deprived in the areas within England and the Local Authority as a whole is within the 20% least deprived, (the recognised measure of deprivation).

References to Tunbridge Wells abound in literature as diverse as Arthur Conan Doyle's The Valley of Fear, Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow and Against The Day, Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest, Zadie Smith's White Teeth, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester Tunbridge Wellsand E. M. Forster's A Room with a View. David Lean's epic film Lawrence of Arabia (film) closes with Mr. Dryden answering Feisal I of Iraq: "Me? Your Highness? - On the whole, I wish I'd stayed in Tunbridge Wells." 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.

Tunbridge Wells came into cricketing spotlight during the 1983 Cricket World Cup , when Kapil Dev scored 175 not out off 138 balls for Indian cricket team against Zimbabwe cricket team on July 6, 1983. This was the record for the highest score in a one-day international

Tunbridge Wells was listed 3rd Best place to live in the Channel 4 television programme Best and Worst Places to Live 2006 based on crime, education, employment, environment and lifestyle.

Twinning The town is twinned with Wiesbaden in 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, and also through this the Tunbridge Wells Twinning and Friendship Association was formed.

Government Tunbridge Wells is often thought of globally as one of the spiritual homes of the Conservative party (UK), and in the last 24 local council elections the Conservative Party have won 21 times, with no overall control in 1994 and 1995 and a win for the Liberal Democrats in 1996. BBC News Local Election results The southern and rural boroughs are traditional Conservative strong holds, while the town and northern boroughs have strong Liberal and Labour Party (UK) voters.

Tunbridge Wells (UK Parliament constituency) is a strong Conservative hold, so much so that the party used the constituency as something of a holding seat which it paid little active attention to. MP's Patrick Mayhew and then former Asda boss Archie Norman being fine examples, were replaced in United Kingdom general election, 2005 by former Conservative party strategist Greg Clark he has his main home within the electoral boundaries.

Transport The town is served by the A21 road Hastings road, which is dual carriageway from the M25 motorway to just south of Tonbridge. Here it enters a section of historic Normans forest, that is mentioned in the Domesday Book, before doubling again after three miles, and going on past Tunbridge Wells. This section was scheduled to be developed into a dual carriageway to ease the traffic problems through Southborough, and ease access to the East Sussex coast for the holiday traffic. However, it was one of the ten road improvement schemes cancelled by John Prescott when the Labour Party (UK) gained power in 1997. Improvements have occurred at the Pembury roundabout in preparation for the duelling of the carriageway to give greater access to the hospital,however at the present time there is no scheduled date for the work to commence.

Bus services are operated chiefly by Arriva Southern Counties, with both local rural services as well as express services to locations including Bromley and Maidstone. Eastbourne & Brighton on the south coast are accessible on Eastbourne Buses and Brighton & Hove buses, and Metrobus operate hourly services to Crawley.

Railways Tunbridge Wells town historically had three stations, but now is only served by Tunbridge Wells railway station, located directly on the double-tracked Railway electrification in Great Britain Hastings Line and the High Brooms Station to the North of the town.

The former Tunbridge Wells West railway station, opened by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) in 1866, closed on 6 July 1985 and is now a Beefeater restaurant. The former goods yard/stabling sidings became a Sainsbury's supermarket, and the northern terminus of the Spa Valley Railway.

Staying and eating in Tunbridge Wells The town has a number of hotels, including The Spa, The Royal Wells, The Wellington and The Swan. The most famous might be the Hotel du Vin, formerly Calverley Hotel, which dates back to Decimus Burton's Calverley estate.

There are a number of restaurants, including chains such as Carluccio's, Wagamama. Richard Phillips' former Michelin Guide-starred Thackeray's, located in the former residence of William Makepeace Thackeray, is generally regarded as the favourite restaurant for residents and tourists alike, although many would praise the Bistro at Hotel du Vin especially for lunch. Recently the well-known chef Raymond Blanc opened a brasserie, Le Petit Blanc, in the recently regenerated "Clock" area. As well as a large number of traditional Public House around the town, a number of clubs and bars line the traditional High Street, while wine bars, pubs and other restaurants can be found in the Pantiles, near The Wells. More popular with those who seek live music is The Forum which is situated on the Common, across from the High Street. Other venues, such as the The Royal Wells hotel, The Retreat and The Kelsey Arms provide live entertainment.Finally there are also a number of coffee shops and similar. Relish! which is a café and delicatessen and Bean specialising in chocolate are on Camden Road. Arte Bianca on Chapel Place serves coffee and sandwiches and supplies all kinds of Italian food, both fresh and pre-packed.

Shopping in Tunbridge Wells The Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre was opened by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1992. This, combined with the Calverley, Camden and Grosvenor Roads, provides many chain retail outlets. Hoopers (formerly Weekes), the largest department store in the town, is situated on Mount Pleasant Road. Many smaller shops can be found further south, around the High Street, Chapel Place and the Pantiles.

The once down-at-heel Camden Road has become increasingly bohemian since 2000, with little arty shops opening up, including Bluemoon gallery, as well as more functional shops like Bob's DIY, World of Sewing and In Gear, a gothic subculture clothing and fashion shop. A particular landmark is the snooker club, with its elephant flanked doorway.

Vale Road leads from London Road to the High Street via Tunbridge Wells station. This area has seen considerable investment over the last two decades. There are modern buildings such as the AXA offices and Pomeroi Jewellers. Post Office Square is an exclusive development of apartments with retail premises underneath, currently occupied by health and beauty businesses.

A farmers market is held outside the Town Hall on the second and fourth Saturday morning of each month and in The Pantiles on the first and third Saturday of each month.

Parks and Green Spaces Tunbridge Wells contains many green spaces, ranging from woodland to maintained grounds and parks.

Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons The most substantial area of woodland is the Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons comprising of 250 acreshttp://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=460 of woodland and heathland starting only a short walking distance from Tunbridge Wells town centre. Open areas of the common are popular picnic spots with a maintained cricket ground situated next to Wellington Rocks.

Calverley Grounds Located in the town centre, opposite the train station, Calverley Grounds is a historic park with ornamental gardens and a band stand. The park origianlly belonged to Mount Pleasant House which was converted into a hotel (now the Hotel du Vin) in 1837 until 1920 when the Borough Council eventually secured the purchase of the parkhttp://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?docid=263&catid=166. The facilities include a cafe, 3 tennis courts, a basketball court and 3 croquet courts.

Dunorlan Park The largest maintained green space in the town, Dunorlan Park was once a private garden belonging to a now demolished grand mansion owned by the Yorkshire-born millionaire Henry Reed (merchant). The Gardens were designed by the renowned Victorian gardener Robert Marnock, though over the years the landscape became over grown making the full scope of Marnock's design hard to distinguish. In 1996 the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to restore the park to the original designs.http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=168 A well loved part of these original designs is another opening of the Chalybeate spring. Marnock included the Chalybeate Spring in his garden design and it was left completely unaltered; it is one of the most popular features of the park.

Dunorlan Park restoration project The 2003 the restoration project began at a cost of £2.8 million (£2.1 million of which came from Lottery funding). The park is now listed as Grade II on English Heritage National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=168

Smaller Parks and Grounds Currently undergoing extensive refurbishments, St John's park is located near to both Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School and The Skinners' School and is frequently used as a meeting place for the students before, after and during school. The grounds contain many sporting facilities for the public including 3 tennis courts, a basketball court and a bowls green. The grove lies further south of the town centre, located in the Mount Sion village area of the town, accessible via the High Street. The green space contains a children's play area. Grosvenor recreation ground is close to the town centre, being the towns oldest public park. The park has its own lake and children's play area; situated near the children's play area there is a newly opened cafe serving ice creams and drinks. Hilbert recreation ground adjoins Grosvenor park and has extensive grass opened space. Within the grounds there is a wheeled sports area and football pitches. Some parts are designated a Local Nature Reserve managed by Kent High Weald Project These include Hilbert Woods and the adjoining grass areas. Entrances to Grosvenor and Hilbert recreational grounds are from Auckland Road, Upper Grosvenor Road and Hilbert Road.

Crime The 2005/6 figures for crime in Tunbridge Wells show that there are far fewer crimes than the national average occurring in the area

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; margin: 1em auto 1em auto" align="center"||+ Crime Rates in Tunbridge Wells (per 1000 population)! Offence || Locally || Nationally|-|Robbery||align="center"|0.61||align="center"|1.85|-|Theft of a motor vehicle||align="center"|2.98||align="center"|4.04|-|Theft from a motor vehicle||align="center"|6.47||align="center"|9.59|-|Sexual offences||align="center"|0.81||align="center"|1.17|-|Violence against a person||align="center"|10.68||align="center"|19.97|-|Burglary||align="center"|3.94||align="center"|5.67|}

Educational institutions Tunbridge Wells is a centre for educational excellence, with 75.7% of 15 year olds achieving 5 or more GCSEs A* - C. These are the fifth best results in the country. Channel 4s Best and Worst Places to Live

A number of schools are located in Tunbridge Wells, including the following:

The Salomons Campus of Canterbury Christ Church University provides postgraduate programmes.

Natives of Tunbridge Wells Among those born in Tunbridge Wells are:

Other famous residents As a spa town Tunbridge Wells was a popular resort for the upper classes, including members of the British Royal Family. It was a favoured place for retirement, so a number of famous people have died there.



The Punk rock band the Anti-Nowhere League had its first public performance in Tunbridge Wells.

References External links For the larger local government district, see Tunbridge Wells (borough). {{infobox UK place||country = England|official_name= Royal Tunbridge Wells|latitude= 51.1332|longitude= 0.2647|population = 45,000|shire_district= Tunbridge Wells (borough)| shire_county = Kent|post_town= TUNBRIDGE WELLS|postcode_district = TN1, TN2, TN4|postcode_area= TN |dial_code= 01892|os_grid_reference= TQ585395-->

Royal Tunbridge Wells (often called simply Tunbridge Wells) is a [Wealden town in west Kent in England, just north of the border with East Sussex. It has a population of approximately 45,000 (2001 census) and is the administrative centre of Tunbridge Wells (borough).The borough has a population of 104,030 (2001 census).The town is twinned with Wiesbaden in Germany. In 2006 it celebrated its 400th anniversary.

History The town of Tunbridge Wells was founded around the Chalybeate Spring discovered in 1606 by Dudley North, 3rd Baron North, a courtier to James I of England. The high iron content of the waters was believed to have healing properties and the town developed as a spa town. It was named after the nearby town of Tonbridge, which was at the time spelled "Tunbridge". The similar names and alternative spellings have been a source of confusion ever since, especially to uninformed people travelling on the London-Hastings railway line. The spring (hydrosphere) can still be visited in the Pantiles area of the town, surrounded by Regency architecture.

The prefix "Royal" dates to 1909, when Edward VII of the United Kingdom officially recognised the popularity of the town amongst royalty and aristocracy by bestowing the town with its official "Royal" title. To this day, Royal Tunbridge Wells is one of only two towns in England to be granted this, the other being Royal Leamington Spa.

Layout of the town The town centre is roughly in two separate halves.

The southern part of the centre is the older part of the town, containing at its heart the "Village" area. It is here that The Pantiles can be found, which contain the spring (hydrosphere) which made the town so famous. This area is popular with tourists and residents alike, and live music is usually played in the old bandstand through the summer period.

Also on the southern side of the town is the Spa Valley Railway which operates heritage trains from Tunbridge Wells West Station to nearby High Rocks and Groombridge.The north is the more recently developed part of the town containing the Royal Victoria Place Shopping centre (owned by The Westfield Group) as well as the pedestrian area and many retail shopping outlets. This part of the town also contains some pieces of noted architecture.The north part of the town is also home to the Assembly Halls and the Theatre (formerly Holy Trinity Church), which offers live comedy, drama, film and music. The Ritz Building including the former ABC cinema has been empty since December 2000. A new planning application is expected to come into public consulation in autumn 2007.The site was declared the town's top 'grot spot' by Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum.

At the end of Lime Hill Road is the newly refurbished, but controversial, Millennium Clock, designed by a local sculptor.

In the adjoining village of Rusthall can be found the peculiarly-shaped Toad Rock.

World views of the town Tunbridge Wells is traditionally associated with the prim middle classes, especially in the locution "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells". (The editor of the former Tunbridge Wells Advertiser, allegedly told his staff to concoct letters to fill the letters page. One letter was signed 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells', Icons of England). This phrase has remained in circulation because of its perceived aptness in describing the inhabitants of the town.

Tunbridge Wells is often assumed to be a bastion of the middle classes and comfortably bourgeois. However, like anywhere it has areas of deprivation that suffer from a range of social problems. However, according to the Indices of Deprivation 2004 no area is within the 20% most deprived in the areas within England and the Local Authority as a whole is within the 20% least deprived, (the recognised measure of deprivation).

References to Tunbridge Wells abound in literature as diverse as Arthur Conan Doyle's The Valley of Fear, Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow and Against The Day, Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest, Zadie Smith's White Teeth, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester Tunbridge Wellsand E. M. Forster's A Room with a View. David Lean's epic film Lawrence of Arabia (film) closes with Mr. Dryden answering Feisal I of Iraq: "Me? Your Highness? - On the whole, I wish I'd stayed in Tunbridge Wells." 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.

Tunbridge Wells came into cricketing spotlight during the 1983 Cricket World Cup , when Kapil Dev scored 175 not out off 138 balls for Indian cricket team against Zimbabwe cricket team on July 6, 1983. This was the record for the highest score in a one-day international

Tunbridge Wells was listed 3rd Best place to live in the Channel 4 television programme Best and Worst Places to Live 2006 based on crime, education, employment, environment and lifestyle.

Twinning The town is twinned with Wiesbaden in 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, and also through this the Tunbridge Wells Twinning and Friendship Association was formed.

Government Tunbridge Wells is often thought of globally as one of the spiritual homes of the Conservative party (UK), and in the last 24 local council elections the Conservative Party have won 21 times, with no overall control in 1994 and 1995 and a win for the Liberal Democrats in 1996. BBC News Local Election results The southern and rural boroughs are traditional Conservative strong holds, while the town and northern boroughs have strong Liberal and Labour Party (UK) voters.

Tunbridge Wells (UK Parliament constituency) is a strong Conservative hold, so much so that the party used the constituency as something of a holding seat which it paid little active attention to. MP's Patrick Mayhew and then former Asda boss Archie Norman being fine examples, were replaced in United Kingdom general election, 2005 by former Conservative party strategist Greg Clark he has his main home within the electoral boundaries.

Transport The town is served by the A21 road Hastings road, which is dual carriageway from the M25 motorway to just south of Tonbridge. Here it enters a section of historic Normans forest, that is mentioned in the Domesday Book, before doubling again after three miles, and going on past Tunbridge Wells. This section was scheduled to be developed into a dual carriageway to ease the traffic problems through Southborough, and ease access to the East Sussex coast for the holiday traffic. However, it was one of the ten road improvement schemes cancelled by John Prescott when the Labour Party (UK) gained power in 1997. Improvements have occurred at the Pembury roundabout in preparation for the duelling of the carriageway to give greater access to the hospital,however at the present time there is no scheduled date for the work to commence.

Bus services are operated chiefly by Arriva Southern Counties, with both local rural services as well as express services to locations including Bromley and Maidstone. Eastbourne & Brighton on the south coast are accessible on Eastbourne Buses and Brighton & Hove buses, and Metrobus operate hourly services to Crawley.

Railways Tunbridge Wells town historically had three stations, but now is only served by Tunbridge Wells railway station, located directly on the double-tracked Railway electrification in Great Britain Hastings Line and the High Brooms Station to the North of the town.

The former Tunbridge Wells West railway station, opened by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) in 1866, closed on 6 July 1985 and is now a Beefeater restaurant. The former goods yard/stabling sidings became a Sainsbury's supermarket, and the northern terminus of the Spa Valley Railway.

Staying and eating in Tunbridge Wells The town has a number of hotels, including The Spa, The Royal Wells, The Wellington and The Swan. The most famous might be the Hotel du Vin, formerly Calverley Hotel, which dates back to Decimus Burton's Calverley estate.

There are a number of restaurants, including chains such as Carluccio's, Wagamama. Richard Phillips' former Michelin Guide-starred Thackeray's, located in the former residence of William Makepeace Thackeray, is generally regarded as the favourite restaurant for residents and tourists alike, although many would praise the Bistro at Hotel du Vin especially for lunch. Recently the well-known chef Raymond Blanc opened a brasserie, Le Petit Blanc, in the recently regenerated "Clock" area. As well as a large number of traditional Public House around the town, a number of clubs and bars line the traditional High Street, while wine bars, pubs and other restaurants can be found in the Pantiles, near The Wells. More popular with those who seek live music is The Forum which is situated on the Common, across from the High Street. Other venues, such as the The Royal Wells hotel, The Retreat and The Kelsey Arms provide live entertainment.Finally there are also a number of coffee shops and similar. Relish! which is a café and delicatessen and Bean specialising in chocolate are on Camden Road. Arte Bianca on Chapel Place serves coffee and sandwiches and supplies all kinds of Italian food, both fresh and pre-packed.

Shopping in Tunbridge Wells The Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre was opened by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1992. This, combined with the Calverley, Camden and Grosvenor Roads, provides many chain retail outlets. Hoopers (formerly Weekes), the largest department store in the town, is situated on Mount Pleasant Road. Many smaller shops can be found further south, around the High Street, Chapel Place and the Pantiles.

The once down-at-heel Camden Road has become increasingly bohemian since 2000, with little arty shops opening up, including Bluemoon gallery, as well as more functional shops like Bob's DIY, World of Sewing and In Gear, a gothic subculture clothing and fashion shop. A particular landmark is the snooker club, with its elephant flanked doorway.

Vale Road leads from London Road to the High Street via Tunbridge Wells station. This area has seen considerable investment over the last two decades. There are modern buildings such as the AXA offices and Pomeroi Jewellers. Post Office Square is an exclusive development of apartments with retail premises underneath, currently occupied by health and beauty businesses.

A farmers market is held outside the Town Hall on the second and fourth Saturday morning of each month and in The Pantiles on the first and third Saturday of each month.

Parks and Green Spaces Tunbridge Wells contains many green spaces, ranging from woodland to maintained grounds and parks.

Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons The most substantial area of woodland is the Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons comprising of 250 acreshttp://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=460 of woodland and heathland starting only a short walking distance from Tunbridge Wells town centre. Open areas of the common are popular picnic spots with a maintained cricket ground situated next to Wellington Rocks.

Calverley Grounds Located in the town centre, opposite the train station, Calverley Grounds is a historic park with ornamental gardens and a band stand. The park origianlly belonged to Mount Pleasant House which was converted into a hotel (now the Hotel du Vin) in 1837 until 1920 when the Borough Council eventually secured the purchase of the parkhttp://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?docid=263&catid=166. The facilities include a cafe, 3 tennis courts, a basketball court and 3 croquet courts.

Dunorlan Park The largest maintained green space in the town, Dunorlan Park was once a private garden belonging to a now demolished grand mansion owned by the Yorkshire-born millionaire Henry Reed (merchant). The Gardens were designed by the renowned Victorian gardener Robert Marnock, though over the years the landscape became over grown making the full scope of Marnock's design hard to distinguish. In 1996 the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to restore the park to the original designs.http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=168 A well loved part of these original designs is another opening of the Chalybeate spring. Marnock included the Chalybeate Spring in his garden design and it was left completely unaltered; it is one of the most popular features of the park.

Dunorlan Park restoration project The 2003 the restoration project began at a cost of £2.8 million (£2.1 million of which came from Lottery funding). The park is now listed as Grade II on English Heritage National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=168

Smaller Parks and Grounds Currently undergoing extensive refurbishments, St John's park is located near to both Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School and The Skinners' School and is frequently used as a meeting place for the students before, after and during school. The grounds contain many sporting facilities for the public including 3 tennis courts, a basketball court and a bowls green. The grove lies further south of the town centre, located in the Mount Sion village area of the town, accessible via the High Street. The green space contains a children's play area. Grosvenor recreation ground is close to the town centre, being the towns oldest public park. The park has its own lake and children's play area; situated near the children's play area there is a newly opened cafe serving ice creams and drinks. Hilbert recreation ground adjoins Grosvenor park and has extensive grass opened space. Within the grounds there is a wheeled sports area and football pitches. Some parts are designated a Local Nature Reserve managed by Kent High Weald Project These include Hilbert Woods and the adjoining grass areas. Entrances to Grosvenor and Hilbert recreational grounds are from Auckland Road, Upper Grosvenor Road and Hilbert Road.

Crime The 2005/6 figures for crime in Tunbridge Wells show that there are far fewer crimes than the national average occurring in the area

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; margin: 1em auto 1em auto" align="center"||+ Crime Rates in Tunbridge Wells (per 1000 population)! Offence || Locally || Nationally|-|Robbery||align="center"|0.61||align="center"|1.85|-|Theft of a motor vehicle||align="center"|2.98||align="center"|4.04|-|Theft from a motor vehicle||align="center"|6.47||align="center"|9.59|-|Sexual offences||align="center"|0.81||align="center"|1.17|-|Violence against a person||align="center"|10.68||align="center"|19.97|-|Burglary||align="center"|3.94||align="center"|5.67|}

Educational institutions Tunbridge Wells is a centre for educational excellence, with 75.7% of 15 year olds achieving 5 or more GCSEs A* - C. These are the fifth best results in the country. Channel 4s Best and Worst Places to Live

A number of schools are located in Tunbridge Wells, including the following:

The Salomons Campus of Canterbury Christ Church University provides postgraduate programmes.

Natives of Tunbridge Wells Among those born in Tunbridge Wells are:

Other famous residents As a spa town Tunbridge Wells was a popular resort for the upper classes, including members of the British Royal Family. It was a favoured place for retirement, so a number of famous people have died there.



The Punk rock band the Anti-Nowhere League had its first public performance in Tunbridge Wells.

References External links

Royal Tunbridge Wells
Official tourism web site operated and maintained by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Offers visitor information about the town and local area including themed itineraries, village ...

Tunbridge Wells
Visit Tunbridge Wells - The Official Tourism Web Site of Royal Tunbridge Wells, operated and maintained by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

Welcome to Cirque Surreal

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council - Home Page
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Town Hall, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1RS. Telephone: 01892 526121 | SMS Text: 07870 526121 | Textphone: 01892 545449 | Fax: 01892 534227

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council - Find Us
Directions and contact details for our offices and maps of the Tunbridge Wells area to download and keep. The borough covers all or part of the postcode districts TN1, TN2, TN3 ...

The Royal Wells Hotel, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, South East England, UK ...
Details of this large Tunbridge Wells hotel with its nineteen rooms and two four poster bedrooms. Room rates, conference facilities and functions.

Vist Tunbridge Wells.info
Our website is currently under development and will be launched soon. Please keep checking back.

Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum
The Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum was founded on 1 September 2005 to address the issues in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, the unparished area of the Borough of Tunbridge ...

Royal Tunbridge Wells Croquet Club - Home Page 2008
Features news and information about croquet, the club and its history. Includes events diary, club matches and competition results.

The Spa Hotel - 4 Star Luxury Hotel - Royal Tunbridge Wells - Kent
The Spa is a unique and lovely country house hotel set in fourteen acres of landscaped park land in Tunbridge Wells.

 

Royal Tunbridge Wells



 
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