+ All Categories
Home > Documents > Tonbridge Heritage Trail

Tonbridge Heritage Trail

Date post: 10-May-2017
Category:
Upload: almstick2076
View: 234 times
Download: 2 times
Share this document with a friend
2
www.fortifications.org www.fortifications.org This leaflet is available in alternative formats please telephone: 08458 247 600 Summer 2005 Tonbridge’s first motte and bailey castle was built after the Norman Conquest by Richard FitzGilbert and with the addition of the gatehouse and the curtain walls, it soon became “as strong a fortress as few be in England”. Today Tonbridge is a delightful town still dominated by the castle. A variety of buildings reflecting a whole range of periods and styles can be found dotted throughout the town, which include Tudor timber-framed buildings and fine 18th century weather-boarded and tiled houses. Trail length: 1.26 km Other available leaflets Kent: Canterbury, Dover, Rochester, Sandwich, Tonbridge, Hythe, Battle of Britain. Nord-Pas de Calais: Bergues, Boulogne, Calais, Cassel, Gravelines, Montreuil. West-Vlaanderen: Leper, Lo, Menen, Nieuwpoort, Oostende, Veurne. HOW TO GET THERE Car: Tonbridge is located at the junction of the A26 and the A21. Rail: Tonbridge has a mainline access with direct access to London and the south coast (08457 484950) Tonbridge station is south of the town about 10 minutes walk from the start of the trail Bus: Stops outside the station and the castle For more information regarding disabled access at Tonbridge please contact: Tonbridge Castle Tourist Information Centre Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1BG Tel: 01732 770929 Fax: 01732 770449 E-Mail: [email protected] or check the website www.tonbridgecastle.org Every effort has been made to ensure that all information given in this pack is correct as the time of going to press (Summer 2005). No liability can be accepted by the authors for any loss, damage or injury caused by errors or omissions in this wording. OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST. Ightham Mote is a superb 14th century moated manor house, 6 miles north of Tonbridge and 2 1 / 2 miles south of Ightham off the A227, owned by the National Trust. Special parking arrangements can be made for disabled users. Check the website on www.nationaltrust.org.uk or call 01732 810378 Tonbridge Accessible Heritage Trails Tonbridge
Transcript
Page 1: Tonbridge Heritage Trail

www.fort i f icat ions.org

www.fortifications.org

This leaflet is available in alternative formats please telephone: 08458 247 600

Summer 2005

Tonbridge’s first motte and bailey castle was built after the Norman Conquest by Richard FitzGilbert and with the addition of the gatehouse and the curtain walls, it soon became “as strong a fortress as few be in England”. Today Tonbridge is a delightful town still dominated by the castle. A variety of buildings reflecting a whole range of periods and styles can be found dotted throughout the town, which include Tudor timber-framed buildings and fine 18th century weather-boarded and tiled houses.

Trail length: 1.26 km

Other available leafletsKent: Canterbury, Dover, Rochester, Sandwich, Tonbridge, Hythe, Battle of Britain.

Nord-Pas de Calais: Bergues, Boulogne, Calais, Cassel, Gravelines, Montreuil.

West-Vlaanderen: Leper, Lo, Menen, Nieuwpoort, Oostende, Veurne.

HOW TO GET THERECar: Tonbridge is located at the junction of the A26 and the A21.

Rail: Tonbridge has a mainline access with direct access to London and the south coast (08457 484950) Tonbridge station is south of the town about 10 minutes walk from the start of the trail

Bus: Stops outside the station and the castle

For more information regarding disabled access at Tonbridge please contact:Tonbridge Castle Tourist Information CentreTonbridge, Kent, TN9 1BG Tel: 01732 770929 Fax: 01732 770449E-Mail: [email protected] or check the website www.tonbridgecastle.org

Every effort has been made to ensure that all information given in this pack is correct as the time of going to press (Summer 2005). No liability can be accepted by the authors for any loss, damage or injury caused by errors or omissions in this wording.

OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST.Ightham Mote is a superb 14th century moated manor house, 6 miles north of Tonbridge and 21/2 miles south of Ightham off the A227, owned by the National Trust. Special parking arrangements can be made for disabled users. Check the website on www.nationaltrust.org.uk or call 01732 810378

Tonbridge

Access ible Heri tage Trai ls

Tonbridge

Page 2: Tonbridge Heritage Trail

BankStreet

STA

RT

8%

17%

4%

11%

4%7%

6%

6cm

Ch

urc

h

4cm

70 cm7c

m

Castle Stre

et

HighStreet

N

No

Pat

h o

n R

oad

Church Street

East

Str

eet

Tarm

acP

avin

g

Wid

th R

estr

ictio

n

Dis

able

d T

oile

t

Dis

able

d P

arki

ng

Res

t A

rea

Ref

resh

men

ts

Cas

tleD

ownh

ill G

rad

ient

Up

hill

Gra

die

nt

Ste

p u

p

Ste

p d

own

Chu

rch

010

0m

Met

res

RO

UTE

DES

CR

IPTI

ON

Star

t at t

he C

astle

car

par

k w

here

ther

e ar

e di

sabl

ed p

arki

ng s

pace

s.

Mak

e yo

ur w

ay th

roug

h th

e ga

teho

use

and

expl

ore

the

baile

y an

d th

e ca

stle

gro

unds

. The

re is

an

info

rmat

ion

cent

re to

you

r lef

t.

R

etra

ce y

our s

teps

tow

ards

the

car p

ark

and

follo

w th

e pa

th o

n th

e le

ft ar

ound

the

moa

t out

side

the

railin

gs. T

here

is a

slo

pe d

ownh

ill.

Follo

w th

e pa

th a

long

the

river

tow

ards

the

Hig

h St

reet

whe

re y

ou

turn

left.

C

ross

the

road

at t

he tr

affic

ligh

ts a

t the

Che

quer

s In

n, a

nd

cont

inue

up

the

Hig

h St

reet

on

the

right

han

d si

de p

ast t

he R

ose

and

Cro

wn

Hot

el. T

urn

right

into

Chu

rch

Lane

. Be

care

ful,

ther

e ar

e no

pav

emen

ts in

Chu

rch

Lane

and

you

will

hav

e to

use

the

road

.

G

o pa

st th

e C

hurc

h an

d ta

ke th

e pa

th to

the

right

dow

n C

hurc

h St

reet

. Cro

ss th

e ro

ad a

nd tu

rn ri

ght a

long

Eas

t Stre

et to

war

ds th

e to

wn

cent

re. B

e ca

refu

l as

ther

e is

no

pede

stria

n cr

ossi

ng a

nd

the

kerb

s ar

e el

evat

ed. E

ast S

treet

is a

lso

quite

nar

row.

Tu

rn le

ft do

wn

the

Hig

h St

reet

to c

ross

at t

he C

hequ

ers

Inn.

Tu

rn ri

ght t

hen

left

into

Cas

tle S

treet

and

bea

r lef

t int

o th

e C

astle

G

roun

ds a

nd m

ake

your

way

bac

k to

the

car p

ark

on th

e rig

ht.

PO

INTS

OF

INTE

RES

T

O

rigin

ally

an

11th

cen

tury

Nor

man

mot

te-a

nd-b

aile

y co

nstru

ctio

n,

the

cast

le w

as e

vent

ually

rebu

ilt in

sto

ne in

the

keep

was

eve

ntua

lly

rebu

ilt in

sto

ne in

the

late

11t

h ce

ntur

y an

d th

e ga

teho

use

adde

d in

the

13th

cen

tury

. Ext

ensi

ve p

rogr

amm

es o

f res

tora

tion

hav

e en

sued

.

Th

e so

uth

curta

in w

all o

rigin

ates

from

the

12th

cen

tury

and

was

ad

apte

d th

roug

h th

e ag

es.

As T

onbr

idge

was

a s

trong

poi

nt d

urin

g th

e Se

cond

Wor

ld W

ar, p

art o

f the

def

ence

s in

clud

ed w

eapo

n pi

ts

that

wer

e du

g at

the

top

of th

e w

all a

nd p

illbox

es a

t eith

er e

nd.

Th

e C

hequ

ers

Inn

is th

e ea

rlies

t rec

orde

d in

n in

Ton

brid

ge a

nd th

e pr

esen

t bui

ldin

g da

tes

from

the

15th

cen

tury

.

Th

e R

ose

and

Cro

wn

Hot

el w

as b

uilt

in th

e 16

th c

entu

ry a

nd is

tim

ber-f

ram

ed th

roug

hout

with

a G

eorg

ian

bric

k fa

çade

. It w

as th

e m

ost i

mpo

rtant

coa

chin

g in

n in

Ton

brid

ge a

nd in

the

1820

s up

to 3

0 co

ache

s pa

ssed

thro

ugh

ever

y da

y.

N

ext t

o th

e Ke

ntis

h w

eath

er-b

oard

ed h

ouse

is T

yger

s H

ead,

a

beau

tiful

med

ieva

l jet

tied

build

ing.

The

chu

rch

is th

e pa

rish

chur

ch

of S

S Pe

ter a

nd P

aul,

once

the

larg

est p

aris

h in

Ken

t.

Th

e M

an o

f Ken

t is

a ch

arac

teris

tic 1

7th

cent

ury

timbe

r-fra

med

bu

ildin

g. T

he in

ns h

elpe

d se

rve

the

need

s of

trav

elle

rs a

nd b

y th

e 17

th c

entu

ry th

ere

wer

e at

leas

t a d

ozen

in a

nd a

roun

d th

e to

wn.

TO

NB

RI

DG

E-A

cc

ess

ible

He

rita

ge

Tra

il


Recommended