Tonbridge

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For other uses, see Tonbridge (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Tunbridge Wells.

Tonbridge

Tonbridge Castle

Tonbridge
Tonbridge shown within Kent

Population
30,340 (2007)
OS grid reference TQ591468
District
Tonbridge and Malling
Shire county Kent
Region
South East
Country
England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
TONBRIDGE
Post town
TN9 (North-South), TN10 (North
Postcode district East), TN11 (East),
TN12 (Rural)
Dialling code 01732
Police
Kent
Fire
Kent
Ambulance
South East Coast
EU Parliament South East England
UK Parliament Tonbridge and Malling

List of places
UK
England
Kent

Coordinates:

51.1987N 0.2764E

Tonbridge (pronunciation and historic spelling Tunbridge) is a market town in the English
county of Kent, with a population of 38,657 in 2011.[1] It is located on the River Medway,
approximately 4 miles north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and
29 miles south east of London. It belongs to the administrative borough of Tonbridge and
Malling (population 120,805 in 2011).
There are several independent educational establishments in the town, including the
prestigious Tonbridge School.

Contents

1 History
o 1.1 Toponymy
o 1.2 Normans and Tonbridge Castle
o 1.3 Medieval
o 1.4 17th and 18th centuries
o 1.5 19th century to present
o 1.6 Securitas depot robbery

2 Governance

3 Economy

4 Transport

5 Education

6 Sport

7 Environment

8 Local media

9 Notable people

10 Climate

11 Twin towns

12 References

13 External links

History
Toponymy
The town was recorded in the Domesday Book 1087 as Tonebrige, which may indicate a
bridge belonging to the estate or manor (from the Old English tun), or alternatively a bridge
belonging to Tunna, a common Anglo-Saxon man's name. Another theory suggests that the
name is a contraction of "town of bridges", due to the large number of streams the High Street
originally crossed.[2]
Until 1870, the town's name was actually spelt Tunbridge, as shown on old maps including
the 1871 Ordnance Survey map and contemporary issues of the Bradshaw railway guide. In
1870, this was changed to Tonbridge by the GPO[2] due to confusion with nearby Tunbridge
Wells, despite Tonbridge being a much older settlement. Tunbridge Wells has always
maintained the same spelling.

Normans and Tonbridge Castle

Main article: Tonbridge Castle

The motte of Tonbridge Castle

Tonbridge Castle gatehouse

Tonbridge stands on spur of higher land where the marshy River Medway could be more
easily forded. Ancient trackways converged at this point. There is no record of any bridge
before 1191.[3] For much of its existence, the town remained to the north of the river, since the
land to the south was subject to extensive seasonal flooding.[4] One part of the town is called
'Dryhill'.[5] Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare founded the Priory of St Mary Magdalene in 1124.[6]
A castle was built here in the 11th century by Richard Fitz Gilbert,[7] son of the murdered
guardian of William the Conqueror in his infancy. Richard was responsible for governing
England in William I's many absences.
The town was besieged by William Rufus, soon after his accession to the throne, because the
Earl had pledged allegiance to William's brother, Robert. It is thus hardly surprising that the
arrow that killed William Rufus a few years later in the New Forest was fired by Walter Tirel
who was born in town as well as the Earl's in-law.
It was soon afterwards taken again, this time by King John only a few months after the
signing of the Magna Carta. Both the Earl and his son were signatories and guardians of the
document responsible for its compliance. It was subsequently besieged by Prince Edward, son
of Henry III. On this occasion the besieged garrison burnt the town rather than see it fall. The
town and Tonbridge Castle were rebuilt after this and in the 13th century became an official
residence and records repository of Edward II.
The castle was finally taken by Henry VIII when its owner, the Duke of Buckingham, was
executed for treason.

Medieval
At this time, Tonbridge was considered an important strategic settlement. The King intended it
to be a medieval walled town and a charter was issued allowing for walls to be built, a market
to be held, court sessions to be held and two members of the town to attend parliament. Walls
were never built however, probably because the castle's large outer bailey could have easily
accommodated the town's populace in times of strife. A surrounding bank and ditch known as
The Fosse was erected. Today only traces of this encircling defence now remain.[8] The
historic core of the town still contains a large number of working buildings dating from the
15th century; the oldest being Portreeves on East Street.[9]
Tonbridge School, the famous public school, was set up in 1552 under the letters patent of
Edward VI, to educate the male children of locals gentry and farmers (there was already a
nearby school in existence for poorer boys, now Sevenoaks School).
During Queen Mary's reign Tonbridge was involved in an unsuccessful uprising against the
Queen's marriage to the King of Spain resulting in 500 people of the town being involved at
the Battle of Hartley in 1554.[10] As a result of the defiant action it is not surprising the town
did not escape being chosen for a place of execution for a number of Protestants and in 1555
James Tutty[11] and Margery Polley were burnt at the stake in the town and Joan Beach met the
same fate in 1556 at Rochester.[12] A memorial to Margery Polly's fate is to be found on the
green at Pembury.

17th and 18th centuries

During the Civil War, the town was garrisoned by the Parliamentarian side who refortified the
castle. Royalist sympathisers made several attempts to take the town but were repulsed.

The Wharf on the Medway Navigation, downstream of the Big Bridge.

In 1740 an Act of Parliament was passed to make the River Medway navigable to Tonbridge
by the Medway Navigation Company,[13] allowing such materials as coal and lime to be
transported to the town, and gunpowder, hops and timber to be carried downriver to
Maidstone and the Thames. For a hundred years the Medway Navigation Company was
highly profitable, paying out good dividends to its investors but after the arrival of the railway
in 1842 the company went into a steep decline and all commercial traffic ceased in 1911 when
the company collapsed. Some of the original warehouses and the wharves are still
recognisable today, downstream of the town's main bridge.
Later, the town and its surroundings became famous for the production of finely inlaid
wooden cabinets, boxes and other objects called Tunbridgeware, which were sold to tourists
who were taking the waters at the nearby springs at Tunbridge Wells. Another speciality in the
town was until recently the production of cricket balls (the original cricket ball factory in
Preston Road was demolished in 2012 to make way for housing)[14] and other sports goods.

19th century to present

A map of Tonbridge from 1946

During the March 1880 parliamentary elections, Tonbridge was the scene of a riot.[15] On the
announcement of the results, several thousand people started to hurl stones and cobbles at
each other in the High Street near the Rose and Crown Hotel. The county's Chief Constable
Captain Ruskin, with over a hundred policemen, charged the crowds many times during the
evening, only to end up as the target of the crowd, who started hurling stones and cobbles at

them instead of each other. Many people, including twelve policemen, were seriously injured
before the crowd finally dispersed at midnight.
The United Kingdom's first[16] speeding fine was handed out by Tonbridge Petty Sessions
court in 1896. The guilty driver was a Mr Walter Arnold of East Peckham, who was fined one
shilling for speeding at eight miles per hour (mph) in a 2 mph zone in Paddock Wood, in his
Karl Benz powered car. Mr Arnold was apprehended by a policeman who had given chase on
his bicycle.
During World War II a Prisoner of War Camp was built at the junction of Tudeley Lane and
Pembury Road on land belonging to Somerhill. It held German pilots who had been shot
down, and captured Italian soldiers. After the war the camp was used as temporary housing
for people made homeless by the Blitz. The site is now occupied by the Weald of Kent Girls'
Grammar School.
Ruth Ellis, the last woman in the United Kingdom to be hanged, was married[17] at the registry
office in Tonbridge on 8 November 1950.

Securitas depot robbery

Main article: Securitas depot robbery
Tonbridge was the location of the largest cash theft in British criminal history.[18] On 22
February 2006, over 53.1 million was stolen from the Securitas cash-handling depot in Vale
Road to the east of the High Street. During the following police investigation, around half of
the money was recovered. On 28 January 2008 five people were convicted at the Old Bailey.
[19]

Governance
Tonbridge is in the parliamentary constituency of Tonbridge and Malling. Since the
constituency's creation in 1974, its Member of Parliament has been Sir John Stanley of the
Conservative Party.[20] The town is within the local government district of Tonbridge and
Malling, and is divided into the seven local government wards of Cage Green, Castle,
Higham, Judd, Medway, Trench and Vauxhall.[21] These wards have 15 of the 53 seats on the
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. As of November 2007, all 15 of these seats were
held by the Conservative Party.[22] Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is responsible for
running local services, such as recreation, refuse collection and council housing;[23] while Kent
County Council is responsible for education, social services and trading standards. Both
councils are involved in town planning and road maintenance.

Economy

The Oast Theatre

Major industries include light engineering, printing and publishing, distribution and financial
services. Tonbridge, together with its neighbour Tunbridge Wells, has been designated by the
South East Assembly as a Regional Hub.[24]
The town has largely retained its 'market town' atmosphere and has many attractions to
visitors and residents alike, including the well-maintained Castle Gatehouse, a large country
park and activities based around the river. Sports facilities including an indoor/outdoor
swimming pool, a leisure centre and a large sportsground are all located close to the town
centre. Many of the facilities are provided or subsidised by the local authority.[25]
Most of the town's shopping facilities are concentrated on The High Street, which runs for
about one mile through the town centre. There has been increasing criticism from local
residents that there is a relative abundance of restaurants, estate agents, banks and 'cheap'
shops, and a lack of major high street retailers. However, there are far fewer empty high street
premises than in the mid-1990s, reflecting the town's increasing prosperity. The town traders
suffer from its proximity to large shopping centres such as Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and
Bluewater. The Borough Council has published proposals to improve the town's shopping and
leisure facilities.[26]
During the early 20th Century Tonbridge became the South East hub for Plastic Moulding /
Engineering and Printing, with many well known companies such as The Crystalate
Gramophone Record Company, who claimed to be the oldest record producer in Britain. They
bought out The Vocalion Gramophone Company in 1932 when the principal labels included
Rex, Nine-Inch Broadcast, and Ten-Inch Broadcast. From the early postwar years, Crystalate
was very much involved in producing the 1 mini-disc, which were sold in Marks & Spencers,
Woolworths and probably other stores for 6d (2.5p) each between 1930 and 1937, with labels
such as Crown, Embassy and Eclipse. In 1937, Crystalate was absorbed by Decca, which was
itself purchased by Polygram (Philips). Some manufacturing still remains in Tonbridge:
Enalon Limited, founded in 1946, is the last remaining plastic moulder and toolmaker based
in the town.

The River Centre

In 1999, Harvester Trust Tonbridge bought a derelict site on Medway Wharf Road, in the
centre of Tonbridge. A 4 million building which can be used as a church, community centre
and conference centre, was given planning permission in March 2000. Work began in 2001.
The River Centre was officially opened in January 2003, and hosts a wide variety of events
from product launches to awards ceremonies, as well as international church conferences.
However, the links between the founder of this organisation and Todd Bentley have raised
concerns for some.[27]
The Police Station, on Pembury Road, is the headquarters of the West Kent Police Division.
Royal Mail's TN postcode main sorting office is located on Vale Road in the town.
Tonbridge is also the location of Carroty Wood, an outdoor activity and residential centre run
by 'Rock UK' offering groups of young people the opportunity to try out a variety of different
outdoor activities.
A former oast house on the road to Hildenborough has been converted to a small theatre,
called the Oast Theatre.

Transport

The South Eastern Main Line crossing the River Medway upstream of the Sports Ground
Tonbridge railway station is one of Kent's busiest with 4.1 million passengers using it each
year. It is an important railway junction with lines to London, Ashford, Hastings and Redhill.
The town is also served by the A21 trunk road between London and Hastings and the A26
between Maidstone and Brighton. It is also close to the M25 motorway.
Tonbridge is served by numerous bus companies, most of which are run by Arriva Southern
Counties.
There are proposals to dual the A21 from Castle Hill to Pembury, where a new regional
hospital opened in 2011.
Before World War I, aviation pioneers Frank Gooden and Richard Johnson tried to establish
an airfield to the north of Tonbridge at Cage Green Fields, at the top of the ridge which The
Ridgeway ascends, and east of Shipbourne Road. An accident is recorded as having occurred

on 24 December 1913 at the airfield, although neither Gooden or Johnson was injured. The
scheme was ended by the outbreak of war.[28]

Education
Tonbridge School, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde, is a major independent school for
boys, which is in the centre of the town. Most boys there are boarders, and live in the school's
houses, which are all close to the school. The town is also home to several remaining
Grammar Schools, including The Judd School, Weald of Kent Grammar School and
Tonbridge Grammar School (formerly Tonbridge Grammar School for Girls). A number of
Tonbridge's secondary schools have specialist status, including Tonbridge Grammar School
for Maths and ICT, as well as Languages; Weald of Kent Grammar School for Girls, a
specialist school for languages and science; the Judd School for Music with English and also
now Science with Maths; Hayesbrook School for boys, a specialist sports college; and
Hillview School For Girls, which has recently been awarded a Performing Arts Status.[29]
Hugh Christie Technology College is also renowned in the area for its IT expertise,[30] and for
allowing students to take GCSEs in year 9, rather than the usual year 11.
Further and higher education is available at West Kent College on Brook Street. There is also
a small continuing education campus of the University of Kent.[31]
Tonbridge also boasts a great many primary schools including Hilden Grange School Slade
Primary School, Sussex Road County Primary School, Long Mead Community Primary
School, Cage Green Primary School, Woodlands Junior and Infant Schools, St Stephens
Primary School and St Margaret Clitherow R C Primary School. This does not include the
many more in the nearby surrounding areas.

Sport
The 2007 Tour de France passed through the centre of Tonbridge on 8 July, as part of the first
stage (London to Canterbury). The riders climbed Quarry Hill at the south of the town, a
Grade 4 and first King of the Mountains climb of the Tour.
Cowdrey Cricket Club, renamed from Tonbridge Printers CC on the club's 50th anniversary in
1997 after Lord Colin Cowdrey of Tonbridge, is the town's main cricket club, with a thriving
junior section and academy as well as two Saturday teams. The club plays at the Swanmead
sports ground. The town is also home to Tonbridge Cricket Club, founded in 1801.
Tonbridge Athletic Club which trains on the Tonbridge school track, is noted for being Kelly
Holmes' former club. The Tonbridge Half Marathon has been held in September since 2011.
Tonbridge has a Rugby union club, Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Football club.,[32] often referred
to as TJs. The 2009/10 season saw the club's first XV win promotion and go unbeaten in the
league for the second year running, they played their rugby in 2010/11 in London 1. Last
season[clarification needed] also saw the club's 2nd XV win its league and the ladies' side gain
promotion. The senior men's section of the club fields five sides plus a Vets team. The club
has two girls teams (Under 15 and 18), and a thriving junior and mini section. Over the last
four seasons[clarification needed] the club's younger teams have been crowned county champions on
seven occasions. During the summer months, the town has a Touch Rugby club.

Tonbridge's football team, the Tonbridge Angels, play in the Ryman Premier. The town has a
successful canoe club that has produced a number of Olympic participants, and a dinghy
sailing club, the Tonbridge Town Sailing Club, which holds events at Haysden Country Park
on the outskirts of the town.
Tonbridge Swimming Club is based at the Tonbridge swimming pool which has indoor and
outdoor pools.
Tonbridge Baseball Club play in the town,[33] after forming an adult team in 2000 from the
junior team the Bobcats. The Bobcats were coached for many by Tonbridge Baseball Club's
president Margaret Borley MBE.

Environment
To make Tonbridge cleaner and safer, a Pedestrian Action group called PATHS was set up to
turn Tonbridge High Street into a pedestrianised street. In 2014, the High Street is a
throughway for numerous HGVS and heavy commuter traffic [35]
In 2014 the Angel Community Garden was created to eliminate eyesores in the area, and
encourage bees which are declining. The garden has put along the edge of Sainsburys car
park. It was formed in collaboration with Tonbridge Friends of the Earth and Tonbridge &
Malling Borough Council. The project also received some support from some local
shopkeepers and residents, some being members of the West Kent Green Party.

Local media
Tonbridge has two local commercial radio stations, KMFM West Kent, and Heart Kent,
previously Invicta FM. The studios for KMFM are now based in Medway but were originally
based in Tonbridge. The town is also served by county wide station BBC Radio Kent, and
many London based stations can also be received. The local newspaper with the widest
readership covering Tonbridge is the Kent and Sussex Courier.

Notable people
Further information: List of people from Tonbridge

Climate
The Kppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast
Climate).[34]
[hide]Climate data for Tonbridge, England (Tonbridge Weather Station), 1984-2011

Month

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Record high 15.5 17.0 20.9 28.7 30.9 31.9 36.1 36.5 28.9 29.1 17.3 14.5 36.5
C (F)
(59.9) (62.6) (69.6) (83.7) (87.6) (89.4) (97) (97.7) (84) (84.4) (63.1) (58.1) (97.7)

Average high 7.1 8.0 11.0 14.3 17.7 20.5 22.6 22.2 19.2 15.0 10.3 7.5 14.62
C (F)
(44.8) (46.4) (51.8) (57.7) (63.9) (68.9) (72.7) (72) (66.6) (59) (50.5) (45.5) (58.32)

Average low 2.8 2.5 3.9 5.4 8.4 11.1 13.2 12.9 10.6 8.0 5.0 3.3 7.26
C (F)
(37) (36.5) (39) (41.7) (47.1) (52) (55.8) (55.2) (51.1) (46.4) (41) (37.9) (45.06)

Record low 10.0 10 4.5 3.2 0.5 2.8 6.0 6.0 2.0 4.7 5.6 9.5 10.0
C (F)
(14) (14) (23.9) (26.2) (31.1) (37) (42.8) (42.8) (35.6) (23.5) (21.9) (14.9) (14)

[citation needed]