Royal Tunbridge Wells means the wells belonging to 'Tonbridge' or 'Tunbridge', as it was then known. The prefix 'Royal' was granted in 1909, by King Edward VII in celebration of its popularity, over the years, amongst members of the royal family.
The Wells
In 1606, when Lord North discovered a chalybeate spring near to Tunbridge, Tunbridge Wells did not exist, and there is no history before that date.
In 1606 Lord North, a courtier to James I, was staying at a hunting lodge in Eridge in the hope that the country air might improve his ailing constitution. Discovering a chalybeate spring, he drank the waters regularly, and when his health improved, became convinced that it had healing properties. He persuaded his rich friends in London to try it, and by the time Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I, visited in 1630, 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, and in 1664 Lord Muskerry, Lord of the Manor, enclosed it with a triangular stone wall, and built a hall to shelter the dippers in wet weather.
Until 1676, little permanent building had taken place, and visitors were obliged either to camp on the downs or to find lodgings at Southborough. Thomas Neale, entrepreneur and London builder, saw the commercial possibilities of the place. He purchased the site of the springs and the area now called the Pantiles, and assisted with a scheme to design and build a chapel which, beyond its devotional function, would serve additionally as an assembly room or temporary shelter from inclement weather.
King Charles the Martyr Chapel
A chapel of ease was opened, and in 1684 the church of King Charles the Martyr, was duly built. By 1688, the rising popularity of the town, and the consequential overcrowding of the chapel, made enlargement necessary. The original west wall was taken down, and an extension made that virtually duplicated the first building, making the enlarged interior nearly square in plan. Two more entrances were made at this time. Henry Doogood, most celebrated of Wren's plasterers, created a magnificent second ceiling, in its octagonal dome. His work was so consummately excellent that it can be counted as a major achievement in 17th Century European art. Panelled galleries on three sides of the chapel were mainly for servants and trades people, and could be reached only from outside, effectively separating the social strata in church as well as out of it.
In the 19th Century, there were special seating arrangements in the Nave. Gentlemen occupied the central benches, facing west toward the pulpit, their backs to the Communion table, and the lady worshippers sat at the sides, facing inwards.
The chapel became a Parish Church in 1889. Structural alterations began by removing the gallery, and cutting through the chapel wall to form a chancel arch. The old schoolroom behind gave way to a Sanctuary, furnished with Credo and Paternoster boards, brought from the newly demolished Wren church of All Hallows, in the City. Seating in the Nave was turned around to face the new Sanctuary, and the old three-decker pulpit was taken away.
The Railway
Tunbridge Wells historically had three railway stations: two of these are still in use by National Rail services. 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 station is situated in High Brooms, to the north of the town. Both stations are located on the double-tracked electrified Hastings Line; services are operated by the Southeastern train operating company.
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. The station building, Grade II listed, is now a restaurant, and a Sainsbury supermarket occupies the former goods yard. In the 1990s, however, part of the line was reopened by the Tunbridge Wells and Eridge Railway Preservation Society,[ which is now the Spa Valley Railway, and operates a steam heritage railway running from Tunbridge Wells to Eridge, where it reconnects with the Network Rail. The tunnelled link line between the West and erstwhile Central stations, opened in 1876, remains closed.
