FREE PASSES AS THE HERITAGE OPEN DAYS SEASON BEGINS!
This lists local Heritage Open Days in brief in date order, ahead of other events. For our main feature on the amazing open days, see: https://www.timeslocalnews.co.uk/culture-food/discover-heritage-hotspots-on-your-doorstep
• Tunbridge Wells Heritage Open Days Photographic Competition Gallery
From Sep 10: The Civic Society is inviting students living in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells to enter a free photographic competition inspired by this year’s Heritage Open Days theme ‘Edible England’. The competition closing date is Sep 12 2021. Submit entries to twellsheritage@gmail.com .
There will be an online gallery of images on Facebook and other social media pages. For details and links see: Tunbridge Wells Photographic Competition Gallery
ARCHAEOLOGY TOUR: Meet at St Paul’s Church, Langton Road, Rusthall
• Archaeology on Rusthall Common: Full Archaeology Tour
Sep 11, 10.30am: Go back thousands of years with guide and researcher Nigel Stapple. Meet at St Paul’s Church, Langton Road, Rusthall TN4 8XD
• Guided Walk with the Commons Warden, Tunbridge Wells Common
Sep 11, 2pm: Discover the rocks, the racecourse, the avenues, the ponds and more with Steve Budden. Meet at the Fir Tree Road car park, Tunbridge Wells TN4 8AH. (Max 25 people)
• High Brooms Heritage Walk: Lost Shops and Businesses
Sep 11, 2.30pm: A Southborough Society walk led by local historian Fiona Woodfield. Meet at Nursery Road, High Brooms, Southborough TN4 9BS. (Pre-booking preferred)
• Tonbridge Parish Church, St Peter and St Paul
Sep 11: Learn about the church’s links with Jane Austen’s family at 1 Church Lane, Tonbridge TN9 1DA
• Wild Child! Forest School Fun on the Commons
Sep 11, 10am & 1pm (Tunbridge Wells, Fir Tree Road car park) & Sep 12 (Rusthall, Common View): Kent High Weald Partnership will lead half-day sessions of woodland play. Children can learn fire making, leaf printing, marshmallow toasting, den building and digging for insects. (Adults stay with their children)
• Tunbridge Wells Cemetery
Sep 11, 3pm & Sep 12, 2pm: The Bishop of Guildford will open an exhibition about the 100 missionaries to China buried here and bless a Ginkgo tree. Cemetery Lodge, Benhall Mill Road, Tunbridge Wells TN2 5JH
• Capel Church Art and Craft Show
Sep 11 & 12: Church of St Thomas a Becket, Church Lane, Capel TN12 6SX
• Tunbridge Wells Quaker Meeting House
Sep 11 & 12: See displays on the Stepping Stones project and Quaker principles and practice. 1 Grosvenor Park, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2BB
• Visit Hawkenbury Allotments Site
Sep 11 & 18: A guided walk to see the vegetables, fruit, flowers and hens in this normally ‘secret’ garden at 1 Halls Hole Road, Tunbridge Wells TN2 4UA
• Barsleys: From Tailor to Department Store – Four Generations
Sep 10-11 & 13-18: A display of the archives at this family-owned department store at 16-20 Commercial Road, Paddock Wood TN12 6EJ
• John Brunt VC: Remembering a WW2 Hero
Sep 10-19: A history of the pub and the WWII hero, at 24 Church Road, Paddock Wood TN12 6HB
• Hoppers
Sep 10-19: The restored former Hoppers’ Hospital, which these days offers self-catering accommodation. Five Oak Green Road, Five Oak Green TN12 6RL
• Georgian and Victorian Corn Milling in the Southborough Valley
Sep 12 & 19: Iron, gunpowder, corn and railways – a rare chance to investigate the archaeological site at Mill House Barn, Powder Mill Lane, Tunbridge Wells TN4 9EG. (Illustrated tours every 30 minutes)
• Walk: Public and Commercial Buildings in Tunbridge Wells 1890-1914
Sep 12 & 19, 10am: Reimagine the elegant and wealthy town of the time. Led by local historian Helen Mitcham, MA. Meet at Grosvenor Park, Tunbridge Wells. (Booking essential)
• Archaeology on Rusthall Common: A Mini Guided Tour suitable for Families
Sep 12, 10.30am: Go back thousands of years with guide and researcher Nigel Stapple. Meet at The Toad Rock Sand Pit, Harmony Street, Rusthall TN4 8NS
• Guided walk of Rusthall Common with the Commons Warden
Sep 12, 2pm: Discover Toad Rock, Happy Valley, Bulls Hollow, the ponds and more with Steve Budden. Meet at St Paul’s Church, Langton Road, Rusthall TN4 8XD. (Max 25 people)
• Southborough Heritage Walk: Southborough Common’s lost industries and workplaces
Sep 12, 2.30pm: A Southborough Society walk led by local historian Fiona Woodfield. Meet at Southborough Common, London Road, Southborough TN4 0RJ. (Pre-booking: Preferred)
• Tunbridge Wells walks: Drinking around St John’s
Sep 14, 10.30am: Join local historian Fiona Woodfield to discover more about the area’s brewery, pubs, dairy, farms and mineral water industry. Meet at St John’s Church, Amherst Road, Tunbridge Wells TN4 9LG. (Pre-booking: Preferred)
• For full details of all the Heritage Open Days, and to check for any changes, visit: http://tunbridgewellsheritageopendays.org and https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk
DINNER JAZZ IS BACK
Tonight, Sep 9, The Pantiles bandstand will welcome world class musicians Simply Dan in a seated, socially distanced environment, so book at one of the participating restaurants: The Tunbridge Wells Hotel 01892 530501; Kirthon 07592 271151; and La Casa Vecchia 01892 544700. Entrance £5pp. (Reservation required)
A SHAW THING
Sep 9, 7.30pm: The West Kent WIs are starting to meet in person again. The Nevill group are back at St Mark’s Church Hall to welcome a talk by local crime writer William Shaw, whose current book is The Trawlerman. For WI membership details, visit: https://nevillwi.weebly.com and https://west-kent.thewi.org.uk
BEERS ON THE BLUEBELL
Sep 10-12, from 12noon: The Bluebell Railway’s first beer festival is supported by the Sussex Branches of Camra. Choose from 90 cask beers and enjoy cider, perry and live music, too. https://www.bluebell-railway.com
IT’S HARVEST TIME!
Sep 11 & 12: A warm welcome to this year’s Pantiles Harvest Food Festival and all the delicious local produce it will bring. Perfect timing for Organic September! Expect stalls, tastings, cooking demos, entertainment and more… https://thepantiles.com
QUEEN COMES TO TUNBRIDGE WELLS!
Sep 11, 7.30pm: No, not that Queen, but ‘One Night of Queen’ at the Assembly Hall – a rocking tribute night out with one-time Stars In Their Eyes winner Gary Mullen and his band The Works. https://assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk
RIDE OR STRIDE
Sep 11: Take to your bike or boots on your own or with a group for this year’s Friends of Kent Churches sponsored Ride & Stride. Plan your own route with a list of open churches and chapels. https://www.kentrideandstride.co.uk
FULL STEAM AHEAD AT OUR OWN MODEL RAILWAY
Sep 11 & 12:The Spa Valley Railway holds its first Model Railway Weekend at Tunbridge Wells West, Groombridge & Eridge Stations. Saturday also brings a Fish & Chip Supper and a Real Ale Train. Roll-up to https://spavalleyrailway.co.uk
BOOK A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE…
From Sep 11: The High Weald Walking Festival begins, and as many of the first week’s guided walks in our area are booked, head to the website now for next week’s walking winners. If you prefer to walk separately, you can now view and download a no fewer than 30 self-guided walks. They are only available until the end of September, so don’t miss out! https://www.highwealdwalks.org
A CLASSICAL MASTERCLASS
The English Symphony Orchestra with Guest Soloist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason
Sep 12, 3pm: 2020 was to have been the year of Beethoven, so it’s only right that as the English Symphony Orchestra (ESO) return to the Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells, they do it with the music of the legendary German composer, one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time.
The concert opens with one of Beethoven’s most dramatic scores, the tragic Coriolan Overture, and concludes with one of his funniest and most exuberant, the Second Symphony.
In between, the ESO are joined by one of music’s fastest-rising stars, pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason. Alongside her famous siblings, including BBC Young Musician winner Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cellist), Jeneba is an artist of rare charisma and appeal, helping to attract new audiences for classical music everywhere she performs.
Jeneba will be playing Mozart’s most famous Piano Concerto, in D minor, with cadenzas by Beethoven.
There is a free pre-concert talk at 2pm for all ticket holders. https://www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk
BREATHTAKING RUNS AROUND BEWL
Sep 12: It’s the big Hermes Marathon at Bewl Water, which includes four events – the Ultra Marathon (3 laps of Bewl), The Marathon (2 laps), The Half Marathon (1 lap) and a 10km run. The biannual race series starts near the Visitor Centre and follows the around-the-reservoir route, featuring wooded trails, country lanes and lovely views. Runners World rated this course as one of the top 10 marathons in the UK. https://bewlwater.co.uk
TO MARKET, TO MARKET…
Sep 12: Kent’s largest Farmers’ Market is back this Sunday in Sovereign Way, Tonbridge. Plenty of fabulous fresh local produce. https://tonbridgefarmersmarket.co.uk
FILMS: THE OSCAR WINNERS ARE IN TOWN
Sep 13: Mads Mikkelsen stars in Another Round at Trinity Theatre. The Plot: Four weary high school teachers embark on a risky experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the workday. Initial results are positive, but as the units are knocked back and stakes are raised it becomes increasingly clear that some bold acts carry severe consequences…
Sep 14: Anthony Hopkins stars in The Father at Trinity Theatre. The Plot: A mischievous 80-year-old lives alone, defiantly, rejecting the carers that his daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) introduces. But help is becoming a necessity for Anne, and her father’s grip on reality is unravelling… https://www.trinitytheatre.net
MACK THE KNIFE… AND FORK!
Sep 14: Macknade (of Faversham Food Hall fame) are thrilled to be opening their new dining space at Hoopers Department Store, Tunbridge Wells on Tuesday.
They have created an informal restaurant, offering all-day dining taking you from breakfast and brunch to lunch, with larger plates and leisurely drinks. You can also browse and take home a selection of produce used on the restaurant menu. For visual tasters, check out the Macknade at Hoopers Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/macknadetwells For more information, visit: https://macknade.com/blog/macknade-at-hoopers
Photos: © Sarah Bond (unless otherwise stated or an advertising image)
