Tonbridge

History:

Situated on the banks of the river Medway, Tonbridge has been a market town since the Earl of Gloucester was granted the right to hold a weekly market in 1259. A castle was built there in the 11th century by Richard Fitzgilbert, a nobleman in William the Conqueror's invading army, and rebuilt in the 13th century.

The town and its surrounding areas became famous for the production of finely inlaid wooden cabinets, boxes and other objects, which were called "Tunbridgeware".

Tonbridge was spelt "Tunbridge" until 1870, but the spelling of the name was changed in an effort to avoid confusion with nearby Tunbridge Wells, a larger, but considerably newer, town about five miles to the south.

Tonbridge is 4 miles (6 km) north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles (19 km) south west of Maidstone and 29 miles (47 km) south east of London.

By car:

The main roads into Tonbridge are the A21, which runs from the M25 down to Hastings, the A26, which goes south to Brighton and north to Maidstone and the A227 which also goes north to Gravesend.

By train:

1 Tonbridge station is very near the centre of town and has trains from London Charing Cross, Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Redhill, Ashford and East Kent. Additionally there are services to London Cannon St via London Bridge. London is served by four services per hour and the journey takes 30-45 minutes. Tickets cost about £10.

By bus:

There are local buses to Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks (route 402) and Maidstone (routes 6 and 7), and other towns.