The Uphill Struggles of Royal Tunbridge Wells

Royal Tunbridge Wells grew from a chance discovery — a spring in a wooded valley in 1606 — into one of England’s most fashionable resort towns of the 18th and 19th centuries. This walk begins with the early story of The Pantiles and traces the town’s improvised expansion in the early 1700s, when rival clusters of lodging houses competed to attract stylish visitors “taking the waters” and enjoying the entertainments of the Walks. The route then climbs to the ambitious 1828 greenfield development at the top of the town: the refined Calverley estate, designed by the celebrated architect Decimus Burton to rival the attractions of the Pantiles in the town below and a carefully planned counterpoint to the resort’s earlier, more chaotic growth. The route will also call in on the noted women’s suffrage movement of Tunbridge Wells, whose bold and sometimes incendiary actions so enraged one very famous author that he launched a public tirade against them. Taken together, this is a chronological journey in which the town’s development unfolds before your eyes — a story of chance, ambition, rivalry, in a way you might not have expected!

• Saturday 12 September, 10:30am – 12:15pm
• Monday 14 September, 2pm – 3:45pm
• Wednesday 16 September, 10:30am – 12:15pm
• Friday 18 September, 2pm – 3:45pm

Pre-booking required: Book online here (If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact David Woosnam on 07950 200031 and I can sign you up manually) – max number of people per walk: 16

Estimated Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes

Start Location

The walk will start outside the chemist at No. 4 The Pantiles (across the road from the Church of King Charles the Martyr) and finish in front of the Town Hall at the top of Mt Pleasant.

Accessibility details

There are several steps at the beginning of the walk, and quite a steep climb up one hill. After that, the walk is on the level.

Additional information

Sorry – no dogs! (unless you live in Calverley Park villas).