September 2017 Thursday 7th Friday 8th Saturday 9th Sunday 10th

PLACES TO VISIT / EVENTSArchaeological Dig 11.00-3.00 11.00-3.00Burrswood 10.00-16.00 10.00-16.00 10.00-16.00 10.00-16.00Cranbrook Museum 14.00-16.30Cranbrook Union Mill 14.30-17.00 14.30-17.00The Forum 13.00-15.00High Rocks 10.00-12.30Mabledon House *** 10.00-17.00The Pound 14.00-17.00The Skinners’ School 10.00-16.00Somerhill 14.00-16.00Spa Valley Railway Station 9.30-15.00Tunbridge Wells Town Hall 9.30-3.30Willicombe House 11.00-16.00 11.00-16.00

PLACES OF WORSHIPAll Saints, Tudeley 9.30-18.00 9.30-18.00 9.30-18.00 9.30-18.00King Charles the Martyr 10.00-15.00 10.00-15.00 10.00-15.00 13.00-15.00St Augustine’s, Crescent Road 10.00-17.00 10.00-17.00 10.00-17.00 14.00-17.00St. Barnabas’, Stanley Rd 10.00-17.00 13.00-17.00St.James’s, St. James’ Road 10.00-16.00 10.00-16.00 10.00-16.00 12.00-16.00St. John’s, Groombridge 11.00-14.00St. Mark’s, Broadwater Down 10.00-16.00 10.00-18.00St. Martin’s, Ashurst 10.00-16.00St. Mary’s, Speldhurst 11.00-17.00 12.00-16.00

St. Matthew’s, High Brooms 10.00-16.00

September 2017 Thursday 7th Friday 8th Saturday 9th Sunday 10th

St. Peter’s, Southborough 10.00-15.00St. Paul’s, Rusthall 14.00-16.00 14.00-16.00 10-12 &14-16 14.00-17.00St. Thomas a Becket, Capel 10.00-16.30 10.00-16.30St. Thomas’s, Southborough 10.00-16.00Masjid Al-Noor Mosque, Camden Rd 13.15-17.00 13.15-17.00

GUIDED TOURS AND WALKS Assembly Hall Tour 13.00 & 14.00Decimus Burton Walk 14.00Edwardian Buildings of Tunbridge Wells Walk 11.00

Grosvenor & Hilbert Park Walk 14.00-17.00(exhibition)

10.30-16.00 (exhibition)

10.30-13.30 (exhibition)

10.30-12.30 (walk)

Historic Cranbrook Walk 14.00The Opera House *** 16.30 15.00&16.30

The Story of Tunbridge Ware Walk 14.00 14.00

Trinity Arts Centre 13.00 & 14.30Tunbridge Wells Cemetery Walk 14.00-16.00

(exhibition)14.30 (walk)

Tunbridge Wells Common Walk 10.30Tunbridge Wells Museum, Library and Art Gallery Literary Evening 18.00-20.00

2 Churches, 4 Chapels and a Burial Ground Walk 14:00:00 14:00:00

Woodbury Park Cemetery Tour 15.00

*** Limited numbers - advance booking essential (first come first served) - See text for details

Choose your Place / Event(s), Day & Time

in & around TUNBRIDGE WELLS Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th September 2017

Be a tourist in your own Borough for free during...

Heritage Open Days in Tunbridge Wells are sponsored by:

and supported by:

WHY NOT JOIN THEROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS CIVIC SOCIETY?

(This insert has been paid for by RTWCS, as a contribution to the HOD project fund.)

The benefits of membership are many:• knowing, above all, that you are helping to protect the ‘quality of life’ of you and your

family in Tunbridge Wells, by joining the collective voice of the inhabitants of our town;• and that you are joining what is for Tunbridge Wells:• a forum for discussion and debate of local issues;• a network for the exchange of information, ideas and views;• a channel for the representation of your views and interests;+ with the opportunity for you to attend 12 meetings/events a year;+ receive a quarterly 24pp. full colour Newsletter, updating you on latest events;+ and receive a 25% discount on all our many Local History publications.

Annual Subscription: Individual £15; Family (2+ people) £22.50

information correct at time of going to press. E&OE

Historic Cranbrook Walk,Cranbrook Museum, Carriers Road, Cranbrook, TN17 3JSA guided walk around historic Cranbrook led by the Cranbrook Local History Society. Meet at the Museum.

The Opera House (Wetherspoons),88 Mt. Pleasant Road, TN1 1RTA talk and behind-the-scenes tour of this Grade II-listed Edwardian theatre, now a public house. Just three tours limited to 25 people per tour. Essential to book from 26th August at twheritageoperahouse@gmail.com

The Story of Tunbridge WareTunbridge Wells Library, 84 Mount Pleasant Rd, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1JNA walk focusing on a world famous cottage industry, unique to the town. Meet at the Tunbridge Wells Library.

Trinity Arts Theatre,Church Road, TN1 1JPA Grade II*-listed former church, designed by Decimus Burton, now a theatre and arts centre. Short talk and guided tour, with costumes and children’s event.No booking needed for this event. Just turn up and join the next tour!

Tunbridge Wells Cemetery Walk,Benhall, Mill Road, TN2 5JJExhibition and walk based on the subject of “Paupers”, organised by the Friends of Tunbridge Wells Cemetery.Meet at 14.30 at the chapel.

Tunbridge Wells Common WalkTunbridge WellsA guided walk of Tunbridge Wells Common. Meet at Fir Tree Car Park. Not suitable for wheelchairs.

Tunbridge Wells Museum, Library and Art Gallery84 Mount Pleasant Rd, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1JNA literary event involving local poets and writers, on the “Creative Response to the changing Cabinet of Curiosities”, organised by Friends of Tunbridge Wells Museum.Meet at Art Gallery.

PLACES/EVENTSArchaeological dig - SHAAS Southborough Archaeology,Millhouse Barn, Powder Mill Lane, TN4 9EGCome and explore a possible Victorian era finery forge, thought to be linked to a 16th century finery site and the Wealden Iron Industry.

BurrswoodTunbridge Wells TN3 9PYA Grade II-listed building, designed by Decimus Burton in an “old English” style for David Salomons.

Cranbrook Museum,Carriers Road, TN17 3JXA 16th century farmhouse/cottage which has 11 rooms of very interesting local history collections.

Cranbrook Union Mill,The Hill, Cranbrook, TN17 3AHA Grade I-listed windmill which is over 200 years-old and is fully working. It is the tallest surviving windmill in England.

The ForumThe Common, TN4 8YUBuilt in 1939 as a restroom and public convenience, this building is now a live music venue. An opportunity to see a brief history display and walk around the music and arts centre.

High Rocks,High Rocks Lane, TN3 9JJThe site of an Iron Age camp, it has 8 acres of wooded sandstone cliffs, some 80ft. high, the most astonishing in the Weald. A major visitor attraction in the 19th century, it was somewhat overlooked for much of the 20th century, but is now under restoration. Open Thursday 7th Sept.

Mabledon House,London Road, Southborough, TN4 0UHGrade II-listed Neo-Gothic house built c.1805. It was the childhood home of Decimus Burton, the architect of much of Tunbridge Wells. Booking is essential; places are on first come first serve basis from 21st August-1st September by email at twellsheritage@gmail.com (600 visitors maximum).

The Pound,Grove Hill Road, TN1 1SDA Grade II-listed pre-20th century manorial pound, where cattle and sheep which had been grazing and strayed off Tunbridge Wells Common, were kept until reclaimed, on payment of a suitable fee, by their owners.

St. Thomas a Becket Church, Capel,Church Lane, Capel, Tonbridge, TN12 6SXA Grade I-listed Norman church from well before the 13th century, with rare and notable 13th century wall paintings. An arts and crafts show will be held on Saturday and Sunday.

St. Thomas’s Church,Pennington Road, Southborough, TN4 0SHA Grade II-listed church dating from 1860, with a connection with Edith Cavell and a display of church and community archives.

Masjid-Al-Noor Mosque,Camden Rd, Tunbridge Wells, TNA unique opportunity to observe prayers (at 13.30), and experience a guided tour and talk of a mosque.

GUIDED TOURS AND WALKSSee table for days and times of these events.All places, walks or tours are free, but booking is either essential, required, or recommended for a number of them, because only a limited number of visitors can be accommodated.

Assembly Hall Theatre,Crescent Road, TN1 2LUA behind-the-scenes tour of this Tunbridge Wells’ theatre. 20 people max per tour. Booking required at the box office from 21st August– 01892 530613.Decimus Burton Walk,St Augustine’s Church, Crescent Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 2LYA guided tour of some of the buildings designed by Decimus Burton in Tunbridge Wells, starting with a short talk in St. Augustine’s Catholic Church. Meet at St Augustine’s Church at 2pm. Limited to 20 people - essential to book at paulavis63@gmail.com from 21st August to 1st September. Edwardian Buildings of Tunbridge Wells Walk,TN4 8AS“Imperial Pride: Public and Commercial Buildings in Edwardian Tunbridge Wells.” A fascinating walk exploring the wealth of the town’s Edwardian architectural heritage.Meet at car park of Westcombe House, St Johns St. Limited to 20 people - essential to book at helenmitcham9@gmail.com or 01892 529672. Grosvenor & Hilbert Park,TN1 2HUExhibition and guided walk on history and recent restoration of the Park. Opened in 1889, it was Tunbridge Wells’ first public park, and was designed by the noted landscape gardener, Robert Marnock.Meet at the café

St.Barnabas’s Church,Stanley Road, TN1 2RHAn imposing Victorian neo-Gothic church, built in 1887.

St. James’s Church,St James’ Road, TN2 3RLBuilt in 1860-62 with Ewen Christian, a president of the RIBA, as its architect.

St.John’s Church,Groombridge Hill, Groombridge, TN3 9QEA listed Grade I seventeenth century church with a wealth of stained glass.

St. Mark’s Church,Broadwater Down, TN2 5LUGrade II-listed church in the French Gothic style, built in 1862-64, by the Earl of Abergavenny. Exhibition of the church, parish, the residents and houses of millionair’s row, as well as the innovative Ramslye and Showfields estates, and their amazing past.

St. Martin’s’s ChurchAshurst Road, Ashurst, TN39TEOriginally a 10th century monk’s house, the church was restored in the 13th and the 19th centuries.

St.Mary’s Church,Speldhurst Hill, Speldhurst, TN3 OPAThis medieval church was re-built in the nineteenth century following a fire, and has famous stained glass windows by William Morris and Edward Burne Jones.

St. Matthew’s ChurchHigh Brooms Rd, TN4 9BWAn exhibition dedicated to the story of High Brooms.

St. Paul’s Church,Langton Green, Rusthall, TN4 8PBEarly Victorian church by Henry Isaac Stevens on the edge of Rusthall Common. View a Local History Group exhibition on the history of Rusthall Lodge.

St. Peter’s ChurchChurch Road, Southborough Common TN4 0RU A Grade II listed building, designed by Decimus Burton and built in 1830 with the altar at the west end of the church, a fine organ and a tower with 6 bells.The Church willopen it’sdoor with historical information and photos on display.

Two Churches, Four Chapels and a Burial GroundKing Charles the Martyr Church, London Road, TN2 5LUAn interesting guided walk. Meet at King Charles the Martyr Church.

Woodbury Park Cemetery Tour,Woodbury Park Road, TN4 9NHVisit the Victorian mortuary garden, displaying monuments to national and local people of interest, set in a tranquil habitat of ecological importance. Organised by Friends of Woodbury Park Cemetery.Meet at cemetery gate (end of cul-de-sac off Woodbury Park).

The Skinners’ School,St. John’s Road, TN4 9PGSkinners’ is Tunbridge Wells’ Grammar School for boys.It was established in 1887 after a 17-year tussle between Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge as to who was to get this new school. View the Grand Hall and Byng Hall, the WW1 Memorial and other school buildings.

Somerhill,Tudeley Road, Tonbridge, TN11 0NJA Grade I-listed Jacobean mansion is now a school campus. Its historic parkland was painted by J.M.W. Turner. While its address is Tonbridge, it is just within the boundary of the borough of Tunbridge Wells.

Spa Valley Railway Station,West Station, Nevill Terrace, TN2 5QYTour the station and engine sheds for free, but if you want to travel to the High Rocks, you’ll have to buy a ticket.

Tunbridge Wells Town HallCivic Way, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1XRAn opportunity to visit the Council Chamber and the Mayor’s Parlour..

Willicombe House,Willicombe Park, Sandhurst Road, TN2 3UUThe elegant home of the major Victorian Tunbridge Wells developer, William Willicombe, with an attractive garden. For much of the 20th century, it was a training centre for children’s nurses, but is now a retirement complex.

PLACES OF WORSHIPAll Saints Church,Tudeley, Tonbridge, TN11 0NZA medieval English ‘village’ church, but the only one in the world to have all its twelve stained-glass windows designed by the great Russian artist Marc Chagall. Go and find out why.

King Charles the Martyr,London Road, TN2 5LUThe original church of Tunbridge Wells, dating from 1679, with very fine plaster ceiling and listed Grade I.

St. Augustine’s Catholic Church,Crescent Road, TN1 2LYBuilt in 1975, replacing its earlier 1838 and smaller building in Grosvenor Road, it reflects the modern 3-sided approach to religious worship.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORMI wish to apply for Individual Family membership (tick as appropriate)

NAME (S) (PLEASE PRINT)

ADDRESS Postcode

Tel. No. Email I wish to pay my subscription, due annually on 1st. September, by (chose one):

cheque, made payable to the Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society:Online at www.thecivicsociety.org:By Direct Debit/Standing Order to our Bank:

CAF Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, West Malling, Kent ME 19 4JQ.Sort code: 40-52-40 / Account No: 00017200Account name: Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society

and please tick: I consent to my data being held on the Society’s computer for administrative purposes.

Signed Date Please send this form in an envelope (and your payment, if by cheque) to:

Mrs Trina Lewis, RTWCS Membership Secretary,Claremont Lodge, 49 Claremont Road, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1SY

Thank you and welcome to your personal opportunity to be involved in your community.

Information correct at time of going to press. E&EO