View source for Royal Tunbridge Wells

{{short description|Town in Kent, England}}
{{Redirect|Tunbridge Wells}}
{{Distinguish|Tonbridge}}
{{Pp-semi-indef}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}
{{infobox UK place
|official_name            = Royal Tunbridge Wells
|country                  = England
|static_image_2_name      = File:Coat of arms of Royal Tunbridge Wells.svg
|static_image_2_caption   = The coat of arms until 1972
|static_image_2_width     = 75
|region                   = South East England
|static_image_name        = File:The Pantiles, Royal Tunbridge Wells - geograph.org.uk - 530188.jpg
|static_image_alt         = Pedestrian street paved with flagstones, lined with trees and brick and clapboard buildings
|static_image_caption     = [[The Pantiles]], the historic<br /> and tourist centre of the town
|population               = 59,947
|population_ref           = (2016)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/php/uk-england-southeastengland.php?cityid=E35001249|title=Town population 2011|access-date=25 September 2016|publisher=City populations|archive-date=4 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904014645/http://www.citypopulation.de/php/uk-england-southeastengland.php?cityid=E35001249|url-status=live}}</ref>
|os_grid_reference        = TQ585395
|coordinates              = {{Coord|51.132|0.263|type:city(60,000)_region:GB-KEN|display=inline,title}}
|post_town                = TUNBRIDGE WELLS<!-- the post town name does not include Royal - http://www.royalmail.com/postcode-finder -->
|postcode_area            = TN
|postcode_district        = TN1-TN4
|dial_code                = 01892
|constituency_westminster = [[Tunbridge Wells (UK Parliament constituency)|Tunbridge Wells]]
|london_distance          = {{Convert|33|mi|km|abbr=on}} [[Boxing the compass|NNW]]
|shire_district           = [[Tunbridge Wells (borough)|Tunbridge Wells]]
|shire_county             = [[Kent]]
}}

'''Royal Tunbridge Wells''' (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly '''Tunbridge Wells''') is a town in [[Kent]], England, {{convert|30|mi|km|-1|abbr=off}} southeast of [[Central London]]. It lies close to the border with [[East Sussex]] on the northern edge of the [[Weald|High Weald]], whose [[sandstone]] geology is exemplified by the rock formation [[High Rocks]]. The town was a [[spa]] in the [[Restoration (England)|Restoration]] and a fashionable resort in the mid-1700s under [[Beau Nash]] when the [[Pantiles]], and its [[chalybeate]] spring, attracted visitors who wished to take the waters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visittunbridgewells.com/site/discover-the-town/the-chalybeate-spring |title=The Chalybeate Spring |publisher=Visit Tunbridge Wells |year=2012 |access-date=8 April 2012}}</ref> Though its popularity as a spa town waned with the advent of sea bathing, the town still derives much of its income from tourism.<ref name="TWBC Economic Overview">{{cite web |url=http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/upload/public/attachments/10/Report_03.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081003202753/http://tunbridgewells.gov.uk/upload/public/attachments/10/report_03.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 October 2008 |title=Economic Overview of Tunbridge Wells Borough |access-date=22 August 2008 |date=October 2004 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The prefix "[[List of place names with royal styles in the United Kingdom|Royal]]" was granted to it in 1909 by [[King Edward VII]]; it is one of only three towns in England with the title.

The town had a population of 59,947 in 2016, and is the administrative centre of [[Tunbridge Wells (borough)|Tunbridge Wells Borough]] and in the [[Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom|parliamentary constituency]] of [[Tunbridge Wells (UK Parliament constituency)|Tunbridge Wells]].

==History==
===Iron Age===
Evidence suggests that [[Iron Age]] people farmed the fields and mined the iron-rich rocks in the Tunbridge Wells area,<ref name="Money">{{cite book |last=Money |first=J. H. |title=Aspects of the Iron Age in the Weald |pages=38–39 |url=http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/cbaresrep/pdf/029/02906001.pdf |access-date=22 August 2008 |archive-date=3 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003202755/http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/cbaresrep/pdf/029/02906001.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and excavations in 1940<ref name='Money 1941'>{{cite journal|title=An interim report on excavations at High Rocks, Tunbridge Wells, 1940|journal=Sussex Archaeological Collections|year=1941|first=J. H.|last=Money|volume=82|pages=104–9 |doi=10.5284/1086079 |doi-access=free}}</ref> and 1957–61<ref name='Money 1968'>{{cite journal|title=Excavations in the Iron Age hill-fort at High Rocks, Tunbridge Wells, 1957–61|journal=Sussex Archaeological Collections|year=1968|first=J. H.|last=Money|volume=106|pages=158–205 |doi=10.5284/1086415 |doi-access=free}}</ref> by James Money at [[High Rocks]] uncovered the remains of a defensive [[hillfort]]. It is thought that the site was occupied into the era of [[Roman Britain]], and the area continued to be part of the [[Wealden iron industry]] until its demise in the late eighteenth century. An iron forge remains in the grounds of [[Bayham Abbey]], in use until 1575 and documented until 1714.<ref name='Bayham forge'>{{cite web |url=http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/search/fr.cfm?rcn=NMR_NATINV-412199 |title=Iron forge at Bayham Abbey |access-date=22 August 2008 |last=Bateman |first=Jon |date=20 June 2008 |work=Archaeology Data Service |publisher=ADS |archive-date=22 December 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121222222056/http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/search/fr.cfm?rcn=NMR_NATINV-412199 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Church of king charles the martyr.JPG|thumb|left|alt=Church interior with wooden pews, decorated ceiling, and large columns|The church of King Charles the Martyr]]

===Pre-modern era===
The area which is now Tunbridge Wells was part of the parish of [[Speldhurst]] for hundreds of years.{{clarify|date=March 2018}}

The origin of the town today came in the seventeenth century. In 1606 [[Dudley North, 3rd Baron North]], a courtier to [[King James VI and I]] who was staying at a hunting lodge in [[Eridge]] in the hope that the country air might improve his ailing constitution, discovered a [[chalybeate]] spring. He drank from the spring and, when his health improved, he became convinced that it had healing properties.<ref name="Burr">{{cite book |last=Burr |first=Thomas Benge |title=The History of Tunbridge Wells |year=1766 |location=London |url=http://theweald.org/bk.asp?bookid=burr000 |access-date=22 August 2008 |archive-date=31 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131221739/https://theweald.org/d10.asp?BookId=burr000 |url-status=live }}</ref> He persuaded his rich friends in London to try it, and by the time [[Henrietta Maria of France|Queen Henrietta Maria]], wife of [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]], visited in 1630<ref name="Wilson">{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=John Marius |title=Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales |date=1870–72 |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/entry_page.jsp?text_id=903510&word=NULL |access-date=22 August 2008 |archive-date=5 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105082952/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/entry_page.jsp?text_id=903510&word=NULL |url-status=live }}</ref> it had established itself as a spa retreat. By 1636 it had become so popular that two houses were built next to the spring to cater for the visitors, one for the ladies and one for the gentlemen,<ref name="Burr"/> and in 1664 [[Donough MacCarty, 1st Earl of Clancarty|Lord Muskerry]], Lord of the Manor, enclosed it with a triangular stone wall, and built a hall "to shelter the dippers in wet weather."<ref name='Horsfield'>{{cite book |last=Horsfield |first=Thomas Walker |author-link=Thomas Walker Horsfield |title=The History, Antiquities and Topography of the County of Sussex |publisher=Sussex Press |year=1835 |location=Lewes, Sussex |url=http://theweald.org/bk.asp?BookId=Hfield421 |access-date=27 August 2008 |archive-date=31 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131221740/https://theweald.org/d10.asp?BookId=Hfield421 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Until 1676 little permanent building took place—visitors were obliged either to camp on the [[North Downs|downs]] or to find lodgings at [[Southborough, Kent|Southborough]]<ref name="Wilson"/>—, but at this time houses and shops were erected on the walks, and every "convenient situation near the springs" was built upon.<ref name="Burr"/> Also in 1676 a subscription for a "[[chapel]] of ease" was opened, and in 1684 the [[Church of King Charles the Martyr, Royal Tunbridge Wells|Church of King Charles the Martyr]] was duly built<ref name="Burr"/> and the town began to develop around it. In 1787 the antiquarian [[Edward Hasted]] described the new town as consisting of four small districts, "named after the hills on which they stand, Mount Ephraim, Mount Pleasant and Mount Sion; the other is called the Wells..."<ref name="Hasted">{{cite book |last=Hasted |first=Edward |author-link=Edward Hasted |title=The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 3 |publisher=W. Bristow |year=1797 |location=Canterbury |pages=275–300 |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62858&strquery=Tunbridge%20Wells |access-date=17 February 2008 |archive-date=9 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309200600/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62858&strquery=Tunbridge%20Wells |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:The Pantiles, (Royal) Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, ca. 1895.jpg|thumb|right|[[Photochrom]] of the [[Pantiles]], 1895]]
In the 1680s there was a building-boom in the town: carefully planned shops were built beside the {{convert|175|yd|m|adj=mid|-long|abbr=off}} [[Pantiles]] promenade (then known as the Walks), and the Mount Sion road, on which lodging house keepers were to build, was laid out in small plots. Tradesmen in the town dealt in the luxury goods demanded by their patrons, which would certainly have included [[Tunbridge ware]], a kind of decoratively inlaid woodwork.<ref name="Burr"/><ref name="Directory of Kent, Surrey & Sussex">{{cite book |last=Pigot & Co. |title=Directory of Kent, Surrey & Sussex |publisher=Pigot & Co. |year=1839 |location=London |url=http://theweald.org/bk.asp?BookId=Pi1839TW&xid=A&xnm=1 |access-date=27 August 2008 |archive-date=31 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131221741/https://theweald.org/d10.asp?BookId=Pi1839TW |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Chalkin">{{cite book |last=Chalkin |first=C. W. |title=Seventeenth-century Kent: a Social and Economic History |publisher=Longman |year=1965 |location=London }}</ref>

<blockquote>
"They have made the wells very commodious by the many good building all about it and {{convert|2|or|3|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on|disp=sqbr}} around which are lodgings for the company that drink the waters. All the people buy their own provisions at the market, which is just by the wells and is furnished with great plenty of all sorts of fish and fowl. The walk which is between high trees on the market side which are shops full of all sorts of toys, silver, china, milliners and all sorts of curious wooden ware besides which there are two large coffee houses for tea, chocolate etc. and two rooms for the lottery and hazard board (i.e. for gambling)."—[[Celia Fiennes]], 1697<ref name='History Tim Lambert'>{{cite web |url=http://www.localhistories.org/tunbridge.html |title=A Brief History of Tunbridge Wells |access-date=22 August 2008 |last=Lambert |first=Tim |year=2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120012021/http://www.localhistories.org/tunbridge.html |archive-date=20 January 2008}}</ref>
</blockquote>

[[File:calverleyhotel.jpg|left|thumb|alt=Illustration of a grand hotel in the middle distance, groups of figures in 19th-century dress in the foreground|An 1860 engraving of The Calverley Hotel, on Decimus Burton's Calverley estate. It still stands today as Hotel du Vin & Bistro.]]

Following [[Richard Russell (doctor)|Richard Russell]]'s 1750 treatise advocating sea water as a treatment for diseases of the glands, fashions in leisure changed and [[sea bathing]] became more popular than visiting the spas, which resulted in fewer visitors coming to the town.<ref name='Melville'>{{cite book |last=Melville |first=Lewis |author-link=Lewis Melville |title=Society at Tunbridge Wells in the 18th century |publisher=Eveleigh Nash |year=1912 |location=London |url=http://theweald.org/bk.asp?BookId=tw18c272 |access-date=27 August 2008 |archive-date=31 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131221741/https://theweald.org/d10.asp?BookId=tw18c272 |url-status=live }}</ref> Nevertheless, the advent of [[Turnpike trust|turnpike roads]] gave Tunbridge Wells better communications—on weekdays a public coach made nine return journeys between Tunbridge Wells and London, and postal services operated every morning except Monday and every evening except Saturday.<ref name="Given">{{cite book |last=Given |first=J. C. M. |title=Royal Tunbridge Wells – Past and Present – July 1946 |publisher=Courier Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd. |year=1946 |location=Tunbridge Wells |url=http://uk.geocities.com/twyorkroad/tunbridgewellshistorybefore1946.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027032331/http://uk.geocities.com/twyorkroad/tunbridgewellshistorybefore1946.html |archive-date=27 October 2009}}</ref> During the eighteenth century the growth of the town continued, as did its patronage by the wealthy leisured classes—it received celebrity cachet from visits by figures such as [[Caius Gabriel Cibber]], [[Samuel Johnson]], [[David Garrick]], [[Samuel Richardson]]<ref name="Wilson"/> and the successful bookseller [[Andrew Millar]] and his wife<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.millar-project.ed.ac.uk/manuscripts/html_output/1.html|title=The manuscripts, Letter from Andrew Millar to Andrew Mitchell, 26 August, 1766. Andrew Millar Project. University of Edinburgh.|website=www.millar-project.ed.ac.uk|access-date=3 June 2016|archive-date=7 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007144647/http://www.millar-project.ed.ac.uk/manuscripts/html_output/1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>—and in 1735 [[Beau Nash]] appointed himself as [[master of ceremonies]] for all the entertainments that Tunbridge Wells had to offer. He remained in this position until his death in 1762, and under his patronage the town reached the height of its popularity as a fashionable resort.<ref name='Beau Nash'>{{cite web|url=http://www.tunbridgewellsmuseum.org/section.asp?catid=737 |title=Beau Nash |access-date=27 August 2008 |date=9 February 2006 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070724105340/http://www.tunbridgewellsmuseum.org/section.asp?catid=737 |archive-date=24 July 2007}}</ref>
[[File:CalverleyCrescent.jpg|thumb|alt=Row houses with continuous portico and stone walls on a curving street, with lines of cars parked in front|Calverley Crescent, part of the Calverley Park estate]]

===Nineteenth and twentieth centuries===
By the early nineteenth century Tunbridge Wells experienced growth as a place for the well-to-do to visit and make their homes. It became a fashionable resort town again following visits by the [[Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld|Duchess of Kent]], [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] and [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]],<ref name="Wilson"/> and benefited from a new estate on Mount Pleasant and the building of the Trinity church in 1827,<ref name="Wilson"/> and improvements made to the town and the provision of facilities such as [[gas lighting]] and a police service meant that by 1837 the town population had swelled to 9,100.<ref name="Directory of Kent, Surrey & Sussex"/> In 1842 an [[bus|omnibus]] service was set up that ran from Tonbridge to Tunbridge Wells, enabling visitors to arrive from London within two hours,<ref name="Given"/> and in 1845 the town was linked to the railway network via a branch from [[South Eastern Railway (UK)|South Eastern Railway]]'s London-Hastings [[Hastings Line]] at [[Tonbridge]]. During this time [[Decimus Burton]] developed John Ward's Calverley Park estate.<ref name='HMAG'>{{cite web|url=http://www.hmag.org.uk/burton/dbother.aspx |title=Decimus Burton – Work Outside London |access-date=27 August 2008 |year=2008 |publisher=Hastings Borough Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702144659/http://www.hmag.org.uk/burton/dbother.aspx |archive-date=2 July 2007}}</ref>

In 1889 the town was awarded the status of a Borough, and it entered the 20th century in a prosperous state. 1902 saw the opening of an [[Opera House, Royal Tunbridge Wells|Opera House]], and in 1909 the town received its "Royal" prefix. Due to its position in South East England, during the [[First World War]] Tunbridge Wells was made a headquarters for the army, and its hospitals were used to treat soldiers who had been sent home with a "[[blighty wound]]"; the town also received 150 Belgian refugees. The [[Second World War]] affected Tunbridge Wells in a different way—it became so swollen with refugees from London that accommodation was severely strained. Over 3,800 buildings were damaged by bombing, but only 15 people lost their lives.<ref name="Given"/>

Following the war, large-scale housing estates were built at Sherwood and Ramslye to accommodate population growth.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

===Toponymy===
[[Edward Hasted]] asserted that although the wells were originally named the "Queen's-Wells", they soon took on the name of Tunbridge Wells due to their proximity to the town of [[Tonbridge]] (known as "Tunbridge" until 1870):<ref>{{Cite web | title=Tonbridge: Fascinating facts about the town {{!}} Great British Life | url=https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/magazines/kent/22572315.tonbridge-fascinating-facts-town/ | access-date=2025-08-01 | website=www.greatbritishlife.co.uk}}</ref>

<blockquote>
In compliment to [Queen Henrietta Maria's] doctor, Lewis Rowzee, in his treatise on them, calls these springs the Queen's-wells; but this name lasted but a small time, and they were soon afterwards universally known by that of Tunbridge-wells, which names they acquired from the company usually residing at Tunbridge town, when they came into these parts for the benefit of drinking the waters
—Edward Hasted, 1797<ref name="Hasted"/>
</blockquote>

The prefix "[[List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom|Royal]]" dates to 1909, when [[Edward VII|King Edward VII]] granted the town its official "Royal" title to celebrate its popularity over the years among members of the [[British royal family|royal family]].<ref name='Royal prefix'>{{cite web |url=http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=796&docid=1834 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070308233941/http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=796&docid=1834 |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 March 2007 |title=Local Coronation Souvenir donated to Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery |access-date=22 August 2008 |date=2 October 2007 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council }}</ref> Tunbridge Wells is one of only three towns in England to have been granted this (the others being [[Leamington Spa]] and [[Royal Wootton Bassett|Wootton Bassett]]).

Although "Wells" has a plural form, it refers to the principal source, the chalybeate spring in the Pantiles (where the ''waters'' were taken).

==Governance==
[[File:KentTunbridgeWells.svg|thumb|left|alt=District outlines of county of Kent|The borough of Tunbridge Wells as shown within Kent]]

Tunbridge Wells is the administrative centre for both [[Tunbridge Wells (borough)|Tunbridge Wells Borough]] and the parliamentary constituency of [[Tunbridge Wells (UK Parliament constituency)|Tunbridge Wells]]. The Borough is governed by 48 [[Councillor]]s, representing 20 [[Wards of the United Kingdom|wards]] (eight wards fall within the town of Tunbridge Wells itself). Elections are held for 16 Council seats each year on a rotational basis, with elections to Kent County Council taking place in the fourth year of the cycle. Each councillor serves a four-year term.<ref name="Council Democracy">{{cite web |url=http://www2.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=5 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805210214/http://www2.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=5 |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 August 2012 |title=Council Democracy |access-date=22 August 2008 |year=2008 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council }}</ref> Councillors meet regularly at [[Tunbridge Wells Town Hall]].<ref>{{NHLE |desc=Town Hall |num= 1265550 |access-date=23 February 2021}}</ref>

[[Tunbridge Wells local elections]] show a pattern since 1973 of Conservative party dominance, apart from a two-year period from 1994 to 1996 of [[no overall control]] and a two-year period from 1996 to 1998 when the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] held a majority. By 2008, the Conservatives had a large majority with 44 seats compared with the Liberal Democrats' four. The extent of the Conservatives' dominance is further illustrated by the fact that in some wards (e.g. Park) Labour did not even field a candidate in the 2008 council elections.<ref name="Council Democracy"/>

[[File:Tunbridge Wells Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1045932.jpg|thumb|[[Tunbridge Wells Town Hall]]]]
By 2019, the local political situation had changed. In the 2019 local elections, the Conservative majority was cut to 8, and the council leader David Jukes lost his seat following months of controversy over the council's plan to borrow £90 million in order to build new council offices, a new 1200-seat theatre, and underground car parking in Calverley Grounds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://southborough-news.com/2019/05/04/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131221739/https://southborough-news.com/2019/05/04/|title=Calverley Grounds £90 million project unlikely to happen after slump in Conservative vote|archive-date=31 January 2021|publisher=Southborough News, Tunbridge Wells|date=4 May 2019|access-date=19 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://southborough-news.com/2019/06/22/|title=Cancellation of £90 million Calverley Project predicted within two months|publisher=Southborough News, Tunbridge Wells|date= 22 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131221739/https://southborough-news.com/2019/06/22/|access-date= 19 September 2019|archive-date=31 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/tunbridge-wells/news/council-leader-loses-out-to-local-party-203990/|title=Council leader David Jukes loses seat to Lucy Willis of the Tunbridge Wells Alliance|last=Webb|first=Caitlin|date=3 May 2019|website=Kent Online|access-date=13 January 2020|archive-date=13 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113003551/https://www.kentonline.co.uk/tunbridge-wells/news/council-leader-loses-out-to-local-party-203990/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|member of Parliament]] (MP) for the Tunbridge Wells constituency is [[Mike Martin (British politician)|Mike Martin]] of the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]],<ref name='TW MPs'>{{cite web |url=http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=384 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071107102639/http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=384 |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 November 2007 |title=Members of Parliament |access-date=22 August 2008 |date=30 November 2006 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council }}</ref> whose majority at [[2024 United Kingdom general election|the 2024 general election]] was 8,687.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14001004 "Constituency election results"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809120238/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14001004 |date=9 August 2019 }}, BBC. Retrieved 19 September 2019.</ref> In September 2019 its MP at the time, [[Greg Clark]], was one of 21 [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] MPs to have the [[Whip (politics)|whip]] removed, after failing to back the Government, in keeping the option of a [[no-deal Brexit]] on the negotiating table.<ref>Morrison, Sean. [https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/"tory-rebellion-the-21-conservative-mps-who-will-have-the-whip-withdrawn-after-voting-against-the-a"4228391.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912093240/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics |date=12 September 2019 }}, ''[[Evening Standard]]'', London, 04 September 2019. Retrieved on 19 September 2019.</ref> The constituency has been mostly Conservative since its inception in 1974 for [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|the 1974 general election]]; electing a Conservative every election until 2024. Its three previous MPs were [[Patrick Mayhew|Sir Patrick Mayhew]] (1974–1997), the former [[Asda]] chairman [[Archie Norman (businessman)|Archie Norman]] (1997–2005) and Clark (2005–2024).

==Demography==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
|-
|+ Royal Tunbridge Wells ethnicity comparison<ref name="TWBC Demographic Statistics"/>
|-
! scope="col" | Ethnicity
! scope="col" | Tunbridge Wells
! scope="col" | South East
! scope="col" | England
|-
| White || 97.5% || 95.1% || 90.9%
|-
| Asian || 0.6% || 2.3% || 4.6%
|-
| Black || 0.3% || 0.7% || 2.3%
|-
| Chinese / Other ethnic group || 0.7% || 0.8% || 0.9%
|-
| Mixed || 0.9% || 1.1% || 1.3%
|}

In 2006 the town was estimated to have a population of approximately 56,500.<ref name="TW Population">{{cite web |year=2006 |title=What is the population of Royal Tunbridge Wells? |url=http://www.twbc-faq.co.uk/activekb/questions.php?questionid=470 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240527054720/https://www.webcitation.org/6WOX548Q3?url=http://www.twbc-faq.co.uk/activekb/questions.php%3Fquestionid=470 |archive-date=27 May 2024 |access-date=22 August 2008 |work=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council FAQs |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council |df=dmy-all}}</ref> This had increased to 59,947 by 2016. The wider borough of Tunbridge Wells is home to considerably more people—some 104,000 in 2001, up from around 99,500 in 1991.<ref name="TWB Population">{{cite web|url=http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=293&docid=1014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071215032320/http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=293&docid=1014 |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 December 2007 |title=Tunbridge Wells Borough Population Comparison 1991–2001 |access-date=22 August 2008 |date=19 December 2005 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council }}</ref>

The population of Tunbridge Wells is predominantly White and British in its ethnic origin and [[Christians|Christian]] in its religious affiliation: 97.5 per cent of residents of the district described themselves as white in [[2001 United Kingdom census|the 2001 census]], and 75.0% identified themselves as being Christian.<ref name="TWBC Demographic Statistics">{{cite web|url=http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?docid=1029&catid=295 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071215071538/http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?docid=1029&catid=295 |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 December 2007 |title=Your Neighbourhood |access-date=22 August 2008 |date=21 December 2005 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council }}</ref>

The statistics for crime in Tunbridge Wells show that in 2005/6 there were fewer crimes occurring in the area than the national average.<ref name='TW Crime Statistics'>{{cite web |url=http://www.findaproperty.com/crimefacts.aspx?edid=00&salerent=1&areaid=1223 |title=Tunbridge Wells crime statistics |access-date=22 August 2008 |year=2007 |publisher=FindaProperty.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927041934/http://www.findaproperty.com/crimefacts.aspx?edid=00&salerent=1&areaid=1223 |archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:WellingtonRocks.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Rock outcrop backed by trees|The sandstone Wellington Rocks on Tunbridge Wells common]]
Tunbridge Wells is on the Kentish border with [[East Sussex]], about {{convert|31|mi|km|abbr=off}} south of London; the original centre of the settlement lies directly on the Kent/East Sussex border,<ref name='Tunbridglographia'>{{cite journal|title=Tunbridglographia – Being Some Literary Reminiscences of Tunbridge Wells|journal=The Sussex County Magazine|year=1939|first=John|last=Playford}}</ref> as recalled by the county boundary flagstone that still lies outside the church of King Charles the Martyr.

The town is at the northern edge of the [[High Weald]], a ridge of hard [[sandstone]] that runs across [[southern England]] from [[Hampshire]] along the borders of [[Surrey]], [[West Sussex]], [[East Sussex]] and [[Kent]]—the town's geology is illustrated by the exposed sandstone outcrops at the Wellington Rocks and [[High Rocks]] (a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] due to its exposed gulls<ref name='HighRocksSSSI'>{{cite web |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002928.pdf |title=High Rocks Site of Special Scientific Interest |access-date=28 September 2008 |publisher=Natural England |archive-date=3 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003202753/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002928.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>), and the [[Quarry|quarries]] at nearby [[Langton Green]] from which sandstone was taken to build houses in Tunbridge Wells.<ref name='Langton'>{{cite web|url=http://www.langtongreen.org.uk/history.html |title=A History of Langton Green |access-date=26 August 2008 |last=Hynes |first=Leonora |year=2005 |publisher=LangtonGreen.org.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060805111315/http://langtongreen.org.uk/history.html |archive-date=5 August 2006}}</ref> The town is sited at the head of a valley that runs south-east to [[Groombridge]]; like the [[River Teise]], which originates in Tunbridge Wells,<ref name='Dunorlan'>{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199899/cmselect/cmenvtra/477/477mem24.htm |title=Memorandum by the Friends of Dunorlan Park, Tunbridge Wells (TCP 20) |access-date=26 August 2008 |date=April 1999 |work=House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Memoranda |publisher=UK Parliament |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508060549/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199899/cmselect/cmenvtra/477/477mem24.htm |archive-date=8 May 2006}}</ref> the stream in the valley is one of the many tributaries of the [[River Medway]], which runs through a much larger valley north of the High Weald. The [[Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation]] geological unit takes its name from the town.
[[File:KentGeologyWealdenDomeSimple.svg|thumb|alt=Cross-sectional diagram of eroded layers of the Wealden Dome, indicating locations of several towns|The geology of Tunbridge Wells as part of the Weald]]
Nearby villages have been subsumed into the built-up area of the town, so that now it incorporates [[High Brooms]] to the north, [[Hawkenbury, Tunbridge Wells|Hawkenbury]] to the south, and [[Rusthall]] (whose name resonates with the iron content of the rocks) to the west.

===Twinning===
Tunbridge Wells is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with [[Wiesbaden]], Germany.<ref name="Wiesbaden twinning">{{cite web|url=http://www.wiesbaden.de/leben-in-wiesbaden/stadtportrait/partnerstaedte/index.php|title=Wiesbaden's international city relations|access-date=24 December 2012|archive-date=14 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314075044/http://www.wiesbaden.de/leben-in-wiesbaden/stadtportrait/partnerstaedte/index.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
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, leading to the signing in 1989 of the official Twinning Charter. Also through this the ''Tunbridge Wells Twinning and Friendship Association'' (TWTFA) was formed.<ref name='TWTFA'>{{cite web |url=http://www.townforum.org.uk/members/twtfa/twtfa.html |title=Tunbridge Wells Twinning & Friendship Association (TWTFA) |access-date=22 August 2008 |last=Holman |first=Michael |publisher=TWTFA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408204856/http://www.townforum.org.uk/members/twtfa/twtfa.html |archive-date=8 April 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

===Climate===
Tunbridge Wells, like the rest of Britain, has a temperate maritime climate, lacking in weather extremes. The nearest official weather station is [[Goudhurst]], about {{convert|8+1/2|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} east of the town centre.

The absolute maximum temperature in Goudhurst stands at {{convert|34.7|°C|°F}},<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/monitordetail.php?seasonid=14&year=1990&indexid=TXx&stationid=1634
|title=1990 Maximum
|access-date=28 February 2011
|archive-date=7 May 2012
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507121236/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/monitordetail.php?seasonid=14&year=1990&indexid=TXx&stationid=1634
|url-status=live
}}</ref> recorded in August 1990, compared to the average annual warmest day maximum of {{convert|28.7|°C|°F}}.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=TXx&stationid=1634
|title=average warmest day
|access-date=28 February 2011
|archive-date=7 May 2012
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507121257/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=TXx&stationid=1634
|url-status=live
}}</ref> In total, 11.8 days<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=SU&stationid=1634
|title=1971-00 >25c days
|access-date=28 February 2011
|archive-date=7 May 2012
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507121303/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=SU&stationid=1634
|url-status=live
}}</ref> should attain a temperature of {{convert|25.1|°C|°F}} or above.

The absolute minimum temperature recorded in Goudhurst was {{convert|-19.2|°C|°F}} during January 1940, compared to the average annual coldest night minimum of {{convert|-8.3|°C|°F}}.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=TNn&stationid=1634
|title=1971-00 Average annual minimum
|access-date=28 February 2011
|archive-date=7 May 2012
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507121315/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=TNn&stationid=1634
|url-status=live
}}</ref> In total 52.8 nights should report an air frost.

Annual rainfall averages in Goudhurst {{convert|823.3|mm|2|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=RR&stationid=1634
|title=1971-00 rainfall
|access-date=28 February 2011
|archive-date=7 May 2012
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507121323/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=RR&stationid=1634
|url-status=live
}}</ref> with over {{convert|1|mm|0|abbr=on}} falling on 120.7<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=RR1&stationid=1634
|title=1971-00 Wetdays
|access-date=28 February 2011
|archive-date=7 May 2012
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507121328/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=RR1&stationid=1634
|url-status=live
}}</ref> days.

==Economy==
[[File:Royalvictoriaplace.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Interior of multi-storey shopping centre atrium with glass roof|The Royal Victoria Place shopping centre]]
As of 2002 there were around 50,000 people employed in the borough of Tunbridge Wells. The largest sector of the local economy consists of hotels, restaurants, and retail (the centrally located Royal Victoria Place [[shopping mall|shopping centre]], opened in 1992, covers {{convert|29414|m2|sqft}},<ref name='Westfield RVP'>{{cite web|url=http://www.shopproperty.co.uk/DisplayShoppingCentre.aspx?ShoppingCentrecode=38810678457HRGF |title=Westfield Royal Victoria Place |access-date=26 August 2008 |publisher=shopproperty.co.uk}}</ref> which accounts for around 30% of all jobs; the finance and business sector makes up just under a quarter of jobs, as does the public administration, education and health sector.<ref name="TWBC Economic Overview"/> Tunbridge Wells is arguably the most important retail centre between London and [[Hastings]]. [[Childrensalon]] is based in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

The largest single employer in the town used to be the [[Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust]], at the [[Kent and Sussex Hospital|Kent and Sussex]] and [[Tunbridge Wells Hospital|Tunbridge Wells]] Hospitals, employing around 2500 people; the largest single commercial employer was [[AXA|AXA PPP healthcare]], employing around 1,700 in four offices (PPP House, Union House, Phillips House and International House).<ref name='TW Employers'>{{cite web|url=http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?docid=2312&catid=946 |title=Tunbridge Wells Major Employers |access-date=22 August 2008 |date=24 July 2007 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council}}{{dead link|date=September 2015}}</ref> Tunbridge Wells had a relatively low unemployment rate of around 1.0% in August 2008,<ref name='TW Economic Profile'>{{cite web|url=http://www.kent.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/26B76DCA-8628-4DAF-886A-2B9B766625A1/0/ep07tunbridgewells.pdf |title=Economic Profile 2007 Tunbridge Wells |access-date=22 August 2008 |author1=KCC Analysis  |author2=Information Team  |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |publisher=Kent County Council |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003202759/http://www.kent.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/26B76DCA-8628-4DAF-886A-2B9B766625A1/0/ep07tunbridgewells.pdf |archive-date=3 October 2008}}</ref> compared to a UK national rate of around 5.4%.<ref name='UK Unemployment'>{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=12 |title=Unemployment rate up to 5.4% for 3 months to June |access-date=22 August 2008 |date=13 August 2008 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |archive-date=18 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070518132223/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=12 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Transport==
Tunbridge Wells is at the hub of a series of roads, the primary ones being the [[A26 road|A26]], which runs from [[Maidstone]] to [[Newhaven, East Sussex|Newhaven]]; the [[A264 road|A264]], which runs from [[Five Oaks]] to [[Pembury]] (via [[Crawley]] and [[East Grinstead]]); and the [[A267 road|A267]], which runs south from Tunbridge Wells to [[Hailsham]]. The [[A21 road (England)|A21]] passes to the east of the town, following the route of its [[Turnpike trust|turnpike]] ancestor, from [[London]] to [[Hastings]].

Bus services are operated chiefly by [[Arriva Southern Counties|Arriva Kent & Sussex]], providing local town and rural services to [[Tonbridge]], [[Paddock Wood]] and [[Sevenoaks]], as well as express services to locations such as [[Bromley]] and [[Maidstone]]. [[Eastbourne]] and [[Brighton]] on the south coast are accessible on services run by [[Stagecoach in Eastbourne]] and [[Brighton & Hove (bus company)|Brighton & Hove]] respectively, and [[Metrobus (South East England)|Metrobus]] operates hourly services to [[Crawley]].

Tunbridge Wells town historically had three railway stations: two of these are still in use by [[National Rail]] services. [[Tunbridge Wells railway station|Tunbridge Wells station]] is, as its former name of Tunbridge Wells Central suggests, centrally located within the town at the end of the High Street, whilst [[High Brooms railway station|High Brooms station]] is situated in High Brooms, to the north of the town. Both stations are located on the double-tracked [[Railway electrification in Great Britain|electrified]] [[Hastings Line]]; services are operated by the [[Southeastern (train operating company)|Southeastern]] [[train operating company]].

[[Tunbridge Wells West railway station|Tunbridge Wells West station]] was opened by the [[London, Brighton and South Coast Railway]] in 1866 as the terminus of its competing line to Tunbridge Wells, but closed in 1985 along with that line.<ref name="West Station">{{cite web|url=http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/t/tunbridge_wells_west/index.shtml |title=Station Name: Tunbridge Wells West |access-date=26 August 2008 |last=Catford |first=Nick |date=25 March 2007 |publisher=Subterranea Britannica |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029091653/http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/t/tunbridge_wells_west/index.shtml |archive-date=29 October 2007}}</ref> The station building—a Grade II [[listed building]]—is now a restaurant, and a [[Sainsbury's]] supermarket occupies the former goods yard. Part of the line was reopened in 1996 by the Tunbridge Wells and Eridge Railway Preservation Society,<ref name="Spa Valley Railway">{{cite web|url=http://www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk/SpaHistory_04.htm |title=History of the Spa Valley Railway |access-date=26 August 2008 |last=Dives |first=M. |date=8 May 2004 |publisher=Spa Valley Railway |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117032021/http://www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk/SpaHistory_04.htm |archive-date=17 January 2008}}</ref> which now—as the [[Spa Valley Railway]]—operates a steam [[heritage railway]] that runs from Tunbridge Wells West to [[Eridge railway station|Eridge]] via [[High Rocks]] and [[Groombridge]]. The western end of the service was extended from Groombridge to Eridge, on the [[Oxted Line|London-Uckfield]] line of [[Southern (train operating company)|Southern Railway]], on 25 March 2011, serving a platform at Eridge which had been disused for many years. The tunnelled link line between the West and erstwhile Central stations, opened in 1876, remains closed.

In 2009 [[Network Rail]] installed a 12-car turnback siding just south of Tunbridge Wells station between the Grove Hill and Strawberry Hill tunnels to facilitate a more frequent service and to allow restricted types of London trains starting or terminating at Tunbridge Wells to be operated in 12-car formations. Previously such services were 11-car at most.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/BIGGER-AND-BETTER-SERVICES-FROM-TUNBRIDGE-WELLS-106c.aspx |title=Bigger and Better Services from Tunbridge Wells |publisher=Network Rail |access-date=11 May 2010 |date=11 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929043538/http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/BIGGER-AND-BETTER-SERVICES-FROM-TUNBRIDGE-WELLS-106c.aspx |archive-date=29 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/network-rail-to-deliver-47m-bank-holiday-rail-improvement-programme|title=Network Rail to Deliver £47m Bank Holiday Rail Improvement Programme|publisher=Network Rail|access-date=11 May 2010|date=25 August 2009|archive-date=8 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208181755/http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/network-rail-to-deliver-47m-bank-holiday-rail-improvement-programme|url-status=live}}</ref>

Average daily passenger flows on trains between Tunbridge Wells and London increased from about 10,000 in 1999 to over 12,500 in 2008, a compound growth rate of about 2.5 per cent per year. Average daily passenger flows between Tunbridge Wells and [[Sevenoaks]], and between Tunbridge Wells and [[Tonbridge]], have grown considerably faster, though are still much smaller than the flows between Tunbridge Wells and London.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/kent/kent%20rus.pdf|title=Kent RUS (Route Utilisation Strategy)|publisher=Network Rail, Figures 3.7–3.9|access-date=11 May 2010|date=January 2010|archive-date=7 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607015401/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/kent/kent%20rus.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
{{For|a list of all schools in Tunbridge Wells|List of schools in Kent}}

[[Kent County Council]] is one of fifteen local authorities in the UK that still provides selective education through the [[eleven plus exam]].

Tunbridge Wells does not have a university of its own, but the Salomons Campus of [[Canterbury Christ Church University]] is located just outside the town (near [[Southborough, Kent|Southborough]]) and provides postgraduate programmes.

==Sports==

===Football===
{{main|Tunbridge Wells F.C.}}
Tunbridge Wells' [[Association football|football]] team, [[Tunbridge Wells F.C.]], was formed in 1886 and plays in the [[Southern Counties East Football League]] at the [[Culverden Stadium]], and has a history that stretches back to 1886.<ref name='TWFC'>{{cite web|url=http://www.tunbridgewellsfc.co.uk/col.asp?cid=38 |title=TWFC History |access-date=26 August 2008 |date=22 August 2005 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells FC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070905222643/http://www.tunbridgewellsfc.co.uk/col.asp?cid=38 |archive-date=5 September 2007}}</ref> The team were runners up in the [[2013 FA Vase Final|2013]] [[FA Vase]] final at [[Wembley Stadium]], losing 2–1 to [[Spennymoor Town F.C.|Spennymoor Town]].

===Motorsport===
Tunbridge Wells Motor Club is one of the oldest motor clubs in the UK, being founded in 1911. It is still active in the Tunbridge Wells area promoting grass roots motorsport organising an autotest series and several sprint races throughout the year at circuits such as Lydden Hill and Goodwood.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title= Tunbridge Wells Motor Club|url= https://twmc.org.uk/|website= Tunbridge Wells Motor Club|location= |publisher= |access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref> [[FIA World Endurance Championship|World Endurance Championship]] team [[Jota Sport]] are based in Tunbridge Wells.<ref>{{cite web |last= Lloyd|first= Andy|date= 25 February 2025|title= “The JOTA Way” – JOTA celebrates 25 Years of Racing and Winning|url= https://enduranceandgt.co.uk/the-jota-way-jota-celebrates-25-years-of-racing-and-winning/|website= Endurance and GT|location= |publisher= |access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref> Recently, they have won the World Cup for [[Le Mans Hypercar|Hypercar]] Teams back-to-back in [[2023 FIA World Endurance Championship|2023]] and [[2024 FIA World Endurance Championship|2024]].

===Rugby union===
{{main|Tunbridge Wells RFC}}
[[Tunbridge Wells RFC]] plays its home games at St Mark's, and plays [[London & South East Premier]] [[rugby union|Rugby]] at RFU level 5.

===Rugby League===
{{main|Weald Warriors}}
[[Weald Warriors]] RLFC<ref>{{cite web |last=Bennett |first=Ant |url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/wealdwarriorsrlfc/ |title=Weald Warriors RLFC |publisher=Pitchero.com |date=29 November 2012 |access-date=12 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212053951/http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/wealdwarriorsrlfc |archive-date=12 February 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> are a Rugby League team based in the town, at St Mark's. The Warriors were founded in 2012 and currently compete in the 4th tier of English [[rugby league]] in the [[London & South East Men's League]].

===Cricket===
[[File:Nevill Ground - geograph-1895670.jpg|thumb|right|Nevill Ground, the home of the [[Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club]]]]
The [[Nevill Ground]] hosts [[county cricket|county]] and [[international cricket]], and [[Kent County Cricket Club]] uses it regularly as one of its outgrounds. It is the home of [[Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tunbridgewellscc.org.uk/our-teams|title=Tunbridge Wells CC|access-date=11 October 2024}}</ref> Tunbridge Wells came into the cricketing spotlight during the [[1983 Cricket World Cup]] when [[Kapil Dev]] of [[Indian cricket team|India]] made a then world record score of 175 not out against [[Zimbabwe cricket team|Zimbabwe]]. Dev and [[Syed Kirmani]] had an unbroken partnership of 126 that is the [[List of One Day International cricket records|second highest]] partnership for the 9th wicket in a one-day international.<ref name='Cricket'>{{cite web |url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283552.html |title=Highest partnership for the 9th wicket |access-date=13 May 2017 |year=2017 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo |archive-date=22 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522030529/http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283552.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Linden Park Cricket Club]], which plays in local leagues, hosts its home matches at the [[Higher Common Ground|Higher Cricket Ground]] on Tunbridge Wells Common.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lindenpark.play-cricket.com/home|title=Linden Park CC|access-date=11 October 2024}}</ref>

===Field hockey===
Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club is a [[field hockey]] club that is based at the Nevill Ground, and competes in the [[Men's England Hockey League]] and the [[Southern Counties Hockey Association|South East Hockey League]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.twhc.co.uk/|title=Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club |access-date=11 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/clubs/tunbridge-wells-hc|title=England Hockey - Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club |access-date=11 October 2024}}</ref>

===Swimming===
The RTW Monson Swimming Club competes in [[swimming]], [[diving (sport)|diving]] and [[water polo]] and is based at the Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre. Its former member [[Joanne Rout]] took part in the swimming events at the [[1988 Summer Paralympics]] in [[Seoul]], aged 12, winning two relay gold medals (also setting two new world records) and three individual silver medals; and {{As of|2012|lc=y}} remains the youngest-ever British Paralympian.<ref name='Newsround'>{{cite news |title=Is Great Britain any good? |date=4 September 2008 |work=CBBC Newsround |publisher=BBC |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7590000/newsid_7595600/7595629.stm |access-date=4 March 2010 |archive-date=4 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090904021023/http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7590000/newsid_7595600/7595629.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> A plaque can be found located in the club's trophy display. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council honoured Rout with the award of their Civic Medallion after her return from Seoul in recognition of her efforts and achievements at such a young age.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

===Running===
The [[Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon]] is an open [[road running|road race]] that takes place every February, organised by the Tunbridge Wells Harriers running club.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tunbridge Wells Harriers Running Club {{!}} Half Marathon |url=http://www.twharriers.org.uk/tunbridge-wells-half-marathon/ |website=www.twharriers.org.uk |access-date=4 January 2016 |archive-date=6 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106012814/http://www.twharriers.org.uk/tunbridge-wells-half-marathon/ |url-status=live }}</ref> There is a weekly 5-kilometre [[Parkrun|Park Run]] that takes place in [[Dunorlan Park]].{{CN|date=October 2024}}

===Squash===
Tunbridge Wells Squash Club on London Road is a traditional [[Squash (sport)|squash]] club with three courts. There are internal leagues for squash and racquetball, and both men's and ladies' teams in the Kent Priory squash league. Squash facilities are also available at the Tunbridge Wells Sports centre on St John's Rd. which also has a club competing in the Kent priory league.

===Curling===
Fenton's Rink is situated in Dundale Farm near Tunbridge Wells. It is the only dedicated [[curling]] ice rink in England.{{CN|date=October 2024}}

==Public services==
[[File:Tunbridge Wells Library.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Entrance of large brick building with decorated windows and stone relief carving above doorway|Tunbridge Wells Library, Museum and Art Gallery]]

Health services are provided by the West Kent [[primary care trust|Primary Care Trust]]. [[Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust]] runs the new Tunbridge Wells Hospital at [[Pembury]] (usually referred to as Pembury Hospital), nearly {{convert|3|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} from the town, which opened in 2011.

Tunbridge Wells is policed by [[Kent Police]], and in May 2000 the main police station for the area moved from Tunbridge Wells to a new building in Tonbridge<ref name='Tonbridge Police Station'>{{cite web |title=Partners in crime |url=http://demos.constructingexcellence.org.uk/userimages/Image149.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003202754/http://demos.constructingexcellence.org.uk/userimages/Image149.pdf |archive-date=3 October 2008 |url-status=dead |publisher=M4I |date=May 2000 |access-date=22 August 2008}}</ref> and operations at the Tunbridge Wells station, in Crescent Road, were scaled back so that it now operates as an administrative centre. Fire services are carried out by [[Kent Fire and Rescue Service]], which operates one station in Grove Hill Road that is staffed 24 hours a day by both full-time and [[Retained firefighter|retained]] firefighters.

The electricity [[distribution network operator]] is [[UK Power Networks]]. The town had its own [[Tunbridge Wells power station|electricity power station]] that operated from 1895 to 1968. Water services are managed by [[Southern Water]]; the main reservoir in the area is [[Bewl Water]].

The [[Kent and Sussex Crematorium and Cemetery]] opened in 1873, known initially as the Frant Forest Cemetery due to its location, laid out over {{convert|23|acre|ha|abbr=off}} by the then town surveyor.

Tunbridge Wells has a library, museum and art gallery in Civic Way.

==Cultural references==
The town has a reputation for being a bastion of the English [[middle class]] and a typical example of "[[Middle England]]". This is reflected in the locution "[[Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells]]", first used by a fictional writer of letters to national newspapers in the 1950s, to express outrage and defend [[Conservatism|conservative values]].<ref name="BBC Disgusted">{{cite news |title=Tunbridge Wells: The spiritual home of Middle England |date=13 April 1999 |work=BBC e-cyclopedia |publisher=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/318036.stm |access-date=22 August 2008 |archive-date=26 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226141201/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/318036.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Tunbridge Wells is mentioned in [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s ''[[The Valley of Fear]]'', [[H. G. Wells]]' ''[[Christina Alberta's Father]]'', [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s ''[[Gravity's Rainbow]]'', [[Philip Reeve]]'s ''[[Mortal Engines]]'', [[E. M. Forster]]'s ''[[A Room with a View]]'', [[Oscar Wilde]]'s ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'', [[Arnold Bennett]]'s ''[[The Old Wives' Tale]]'', and [[Zadie Smith]]'s ''[[White Teeth]]''.{{Cn|date=June 2024}}

The Inspector Bone mysteries by [[Susannah Stacey]] are set in and around Tunbridge Wells.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stacey |first=Susannah |author-link=Susannah Stacey |title=A Knife at the Opera |publisher=Summit Books |year=1989 |isbn=0-671-65780-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/knifeatopera00susa }}</ref> In [[Fanny Burney]]'s 1796 novel [[Camilla (Burney novel)|''Camilla'']], several characters make an excursion to Tunbridge Wells, and there are many references to The Pantiles and other local sites.<ref>{{cite book |title=Camilla |url=https://archive.org/details/camillaorpicture03burniala |last=Burney |first=Fanny |year=1796 }}</ref>

[[David Lean]]'s epic film ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'' (1962) closes with [[Mr. Dryden]] answering [[Feisal I of Iraq|King Feisal]]: "Me, your Highness? On the whole, I wish I'd stayed in Tunbridge Wells", and in the [[James Bond]] film ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' (1969)Tracy Di Vicenzo says to Bond that she "looks forward to living as Mr and Mrs James Bond of Acacia Avenue, Tunbridge Wells".{{Cn|date=June 2024}}

Tunbridge Wells is referenced in another of David Lean's films, ''[[A Passage to India (film)|A Passage to India]]'', in which Mrs. Moore ([[Peggy Ashcroft]]) exclaims about the odious wife of the [[District Collector (India)|District Collector]] that "My only consolation is that Mrs. Turton will soon be retired to a villa in Tunbridge Wells."<ref>{{cite video| title=A Passage to India| medium=dvd| year=1984}}</ref> Less well known is [[H. G. Wells]]'s sending up in his 1925 book ''Christina Alberta's Father'': "Tunbridge Wells is Tunbridge Wells, and there is nothing really like it upon our planet".<ref name='HG Wells'>{{cite book |last=Wells |first=H. G. |author-link=H. G. Wells |title=Christina Alberta's Father |publisher=Macmillan |year=1925 |url=https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=3748454 |access-date=11 September 2017 |archive-date=31 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131221744/https://www.gale.com/databases/questia?a=o&d=3748454 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In ''[[Spitting Image]]'', when Britain enters a revolution, Tunbridge Wells declares independence under the slogan of "liberty, equality, gardening".<ref name="test">{{cite web |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6frI2Dm1oo |title=Spitting Image clip |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=5 July 2011 |archive-date=6 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206063642/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6frI2Dm1oo |url-status=live }} series and episode unknown.</ref>

In the television [[sketch comedy]] series ''[[Rutland Weekend Television]]'', there is a musical sketch that tells the tale of three [[United States Navy]] sailors who plan to spend an exciting—"More exciting than a book of [[Norman Mailer]]'s"—and glamour-filled 24 hours in Tunbridge Wells.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

==Parks and landmarks==
[[The Pantiles]] and its [[chalybeate spring]] have been the landmarks most readily associated with Royal Tunbridge Wells ever since the founding of the town, though the {{convert|5|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} steel [[Millennium]] Clock at the Fiveways area in the centre of town, designed by local sculptor Jon Mills for the Millennium celebrations, stakes a claim to be a modern landmark.<ref name='Millennium Clock'>{{cite web|url=http://www.visittunbridgewells.com/pages/PhotoGallery.asp?LevelID=105&page=2&RecordsPerPage=8 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071027161057/http://www.visittunbridgewells.com/pages/PhotoGallery.asp?LevelID=105&page=2&RecordsPerPage=8 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 October 2007 |title=VisitTunbridgeWells.com Picture Gallery |access-date=26 August 2008 |publisher=VisitTunbridgeWells.com }}</ref><ref name='Millennium Clock2'>{{cite web|url=http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=159 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060714041635/http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=159 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 July 2006 |title=Arts Development |access-date=26 August 2008 |date=29 January 2007 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council }}</ref>

Tunbridge Wells contains green spaces that range from woodland to maintained grounds and parks.<ref name='TW Parks'>{{cite web|url=http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=163 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071108092937/http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=163 |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 November 2007 |title=Parks and Green Open Spaces |access-date=26 August 2008 |date=23 October 2007 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council }}</ref> The most substantial areas of woodland are the Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons, which comprise {{convert|250|acre|ha|abbr=off}} of wood and heathland and are close to the centre of the town. Open areas of the common are popular picnic spots, and there is a maintained cricket ground situated next to Wellington Rocks.<ref name='TW Rusthall Commons'>{{cite web|url=http://www.twcommons.org/page.asp?id=85 |title=Tunbridge Wells Common and Rusthall Common |access-date=26 August 2008 |date=9 April 2008 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Commons Conservators}}</ref>

[[File:Calverley park 2.JPG|thumb|alt=Formal garden with trimmed lawn, flower beds and stone plinth under a clear sky|The gardens at Calverley Grounds]]

Located in the town centre opposite the railway station, Calverley Grounds is a historic park with ornamental gardens and a [[bandstand]] (now demolished). The park was part of Mount Pleasant House, which was converted into a hotel in 1837, until 1920, when the borough council purchased it for the town. The bandstand dated from 1924 and was damaged by an incendiary bomb in 1940 and parts of the metalwork were sold for scrap metal. The subsequently repaired bandstand and the adjacent pavilion were intended to form part of a new centre to the park but were never completed. The bandstand was demolished in 2010 although the pavilion still exists as a café.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tunbridgewellsmuseum.org/default.aspx?page=1627 |title=Calverley Grounds |publisher=Tunbridgewellsmuseum.org |access-date=16 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001070557/http://www.tunbridgewellsmuseum.org/default.aspx?page=1627 |archive-date=1 October 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Just inside the entrance to the park coming from the station is a memorial to [[Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding|Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding]], hero of the [[Battle of Britain]], who lived and died in Tunbridge Wells.<ref name='Calverley Grounds'>{{cite web|url=http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?docid=263&catid=166 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070928040018/http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?docid=263&catid=166 |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 September 2007 |title=History of Calverley Grounds |access-date=26 August 2008 |date=29 March 2006 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council }}</ref>

[[Dunorlan Park]], at {{convert|78|acre|ha|abbr=off}} the largest maintained green space in the town, was once a private garden that was part of the millionaire [[Henry Reed (merchant)|Henry Reed]]'s now demolished mansion, and only passed into public possession in 1941.<ref name='Dunorlan'/> The gardens were designed by the Victorian gardener James Green, but over the years they became overgrown, making it hard to distinguish the full scope of Marnock's design. In 1996 Tunbridge Wells Borough Council applied to the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]] for a grant to restore the park in line with the original designs, and in 2003/4 Dunorlan underwent a £2.8 million restoration. The [[River Teise]] rises in the park, and two dams on it have created a pond and a boating lake.<ref name='Dunorlan'/> Dunorlan is listed as Grade II on [[English Heritage]]'s [[National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens]].<ref name='Dunorlan Park'>{{cite web|url=http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=168 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071105185759/http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=168 |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 November 2007 |title=History of Dunorlan Park |access-date=26 August 2008 |date=7 February 2007 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council }}</ref>

[[Great Culverden Park]] is a small, {{frac|9|1|2}}-acre woodland in the Mount Ephraim area behind the site of the old [[Kent and Sussex Hospital]] and is the remnant grounds of the previous Great Culverden House designed by [[Decimus Burton]] that used to stand on Mount Ephraim.

The oldest public park in Tunbridge Wells is Grosvenor Recreation Ground designed by landscape architect [[Robert Marnock]], located close to the town centre on Quarry Road. It was opened in 1889 by Mayor John Stone-Wigg, on the land that was formerly Caverley Waterworks.  The lake area with dripping wells remains, but the other lakes, bandstand and open air pool have all gone. There is a bowls club, café, toilets and children's play area, including cycle track. It is adjoined by the Hilbert recreation ground, parts of which have been designated as a local [[nature reserve]] by the Kent High Weald Partnership; these include Roundabout Woods and the adjoining grass areas. The Hilbert Recreation Ground was donated to the town by Cllr Edward Strange in 1931, on the site of the form John Beane's Charity Farm. There are two football pitches, built as part of the King George V playing fields scheme, and a skatepark.<ref name='Grosvenor Hilbert'>{{cite web|url=http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/twbc_drivingdirections.asp?catid=171 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071214005045/http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/twbc_drivingdirections.asp?catid=171 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 December 2007 |title=Grosvenor and Hilbert Recreation Grounds |access-date=26 August 2008 |date=12 March 2008 |publisher=Tunbridge Wells Borough Council }}</ref>

The [[Salomons Museum]] preserves the home of [[David Salomons]], the first [[Jews|Jew]] to serve as [[Lord Mayor of London]] and the first non-Christian to sit in Parliament. It preserves the bench from which Salomons rose to speak as the first Jewish MP ever to speak in Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/salomons-museum/jewish-history.asp |title=Jewish History – Salomons Museum – Canterbury Christ Church University |publisher=Canterbury.ac.uk |access-date=16 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929180451/http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/salomons-museum/jewish-history.asp |archive-date=29 September 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

* [[Friezland Wood]]

==The arts==
The town's largest theatre is the [[Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells|Assembly Hall]] in Crescent Road, which has a capacity of 1020. Nearby, in Church Road, is the [[Trinity Theatre|Trinity Arts Centre]] which is a converted church.

[[Tunbridge Wells Forum|The Forum]] is a 250-capacity live music venue in the town, run by [[Jason Dormon]], where many bands have played their early concerts on their way to success.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://twforum.co.uk/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011208093050/http://www.twforum.co.uk/|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 December 2001|title=Tunbridge Wells Forum|publisher=twforum.co.uk|access-date=10 September 2015}}</ref>

Unfest is an annual free music festival which takes place in May.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.courier.co.uk/Free-Tunbridge-Wells-festival-weekend-Unfest-2014/story-21133531-detail/story.html |title=Free Tunbridge Wells festival this weekend: Unfest 2014 &#124; Kent and Sussex Courier |access-date=26 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526202449/http://www.courier.co.uk/Free-Tunbridge-Wells-festival-weekend-Unfest-2014/story-21133531-detail/story.html |archive-date=26 May 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Tunbridge Wells held its first [[TED (conference)|TEDx]]RoyalTunbridgeWells on 6 June 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title=TEDxRoyalTunbridgeWells {{!}} TED.com |url=https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/14744 |website=www.ted.com |access-date=4 January 2016 |archive-date=6 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106012813/https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/14744 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Local media==
Tunbridge Wells has one local commercial radio station, [[KMFM West Kent]]. The [[BBC]] has its regional centre in the town at the Great Hall on Mount Pleasant Road. It is the base of [[BBC Radio Kent]] and for [[BBC South East]] regional programmes, the complex contains studios and offices.

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Royal Tunbridge Wells}}

== See also ==
* {{Portal-inline|South East England}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Royal Tunbridge Wells}}
{{Wikivoyage|Royal Tunbridge Wells}}
* [http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/ Tunbridge Wells Borough Council]

{{Geographic location
|title = '''Neighbouring towns, villages and places'''
|Northwest = [[Speldhurst]] (village)
|North = [[Tonbridge]] (town)<br />[[Southborough, Kent|Southborough]]
|Northeast = [[Pembury]] (village)<br />[[Paddock Wood]] (town)
|West = [[Rusthall]] (village)<br />[[Langton Green]] (village)
|Centre = Tunbridge Wells
|East = [[Lamberhurst]] (village)
|Southwest = [[Crowborough]] (town)
|South = [[Frant]] (village)
|Southeast = [[Bells Yew Green]] (village)
}}
{{Royal Tunbridge Wells}}
{{Tunbridge Wells}}
{{Kent}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Royal Tunbridge Wells| ]]
[[Category:1606 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Market towns in Kent]]
[[Category:Places with royal patronage in England|Tunbridge Wells]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1606]]
[[Category:Spa towns in England]]
[[Category:Towns in Kent]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in Kent]]