Discover Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charity_Shop,_Camden_Rd_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1274367.jpg
Author: Nigel Chadwick


Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town and borough in Tunbridge Wells district, in Kent, England. The town is on the western part of Kent, close to the border with the county of East Sussex. It has a population of some 57,000 people (2012 estimate). The town itself is often simply called as Tunbridge Wells.

Human habitation in Royal Tunbridge Wells goes back to prehistory. It has been settled as early as the Iron Age, with habitation continuing into the Roman period. The rocks in the area was rich in iron, enabling continuous extraction of the ore into the 16th century.

There was not much of a proper settlement at Royal Tunbridge Wells until 1676, when houses and shops were built followed by a "chapel of ease", which led to the construction of a proper church in 1684. In the 1680s, the town experienced a construction boom with the development of shops along the Pantiles promenade.

Royal Tunbridge Wells was an early tourist destination attracting visitors to its chalybeate spring with mineral spring waters containing salts of iron. The popularity of bathing in well water continued until the 18th century, when sea bathing came into fashion. The town was originally called Tunbridge Wells until 1909, when King Edward VII granted it the official "Royal" title to celebrate its popularity amongst members of the royal family. It is one of only three towns in England to have received such a special privilege, the other two being Royal Leamington Spa and Royal Wootton Bassett.

Today Royal Tunbridge Wells is still a popular tourist destination. The hospitality industry it the largest sector of the economy.

Calverley Park, Royal Tunbridge Wells: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calverley_park_2.JPG
Author: Palefire

Visiting Royal Tunbridge Wells

Take the A21 road from London and continue on the A26 road to enter Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Places of Interest in Royal Tunbridge Wells

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.