Welcome to the website of the Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society. The Society is an independent organisation
which campaigns for the conservation and improvement of this attractive town with its important heritage and rich cultural life.
- see more about our objectives and background;
- get the latest news on current issues;
- learn about Tunbridge Wells' greatest architect Decimus Burton;
- see what the Southborough Society has to say about our opposition to the plans to develop the Friendly Societies' Hall;
- download our latest Newsletter;
- check out our latest Publication (use the Publications tab to buy on-line);
- send us your comments on any of our activities or on current issues in the town.
Updated booklet on the commemorative Plaques of Royal Tunbridge Wells now available to order
What does a pioneering female aviator have in common with the
inventor of Subbuteo, a founder of the RSPB, and a chap who spent
a fortnight one November in a tent in only his underclothes?
Signs on buildings to commemorate notable residents were first
erected in London in the 1860s and developed over time into the
now familiar blue plaques. In Royal Tunbridge Wells there are now
51 plaques in the Tunbridge Wells colour of claret. They were
funded by the council and by 'Royal Tunbridge Wells Together' but
researched and erected by the Civic Society.
This booklet marks their location and explains whom they
commemorate. They include not just 'the great and the good', but
those who have made a mark in other ways - reformers, inventors,
pioneers (male and female), even an anarchist and a courtesan. The
plaques are all visible from the public highway, though some are
inevitably less visible than others.
In A5 format it costs just £5.95. You can get your copy by clicking on the link above to our Publications page and ordering on-line.
Our next event for 2026:
Thursday 14th May 7.30pm at Christ Church, High Street, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1UT
'An Archaeological Review of Our Local Landscape' - an illustrated talk by Nigel Stapple when we shall learn what he has been uncovering since his last report to us in May 2023. Nigel reckons that our part of West Kent has, historically, been much overlooked by mainstream archaeology, with very
few 'professional' excavations taking place. Whilst we have a reasonable historical narrative from the 17th century onwards, our older history (and indeed our prehistory) has been somewhat neglected. However, community-led archaeological research since 2012 has shown our local landscape to have had a far richer past than most of us would realise. From Mesolithic rock shelters, Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements to Iron Age hill forts, Roman period finds, Saxon dens, medieval villages and 16th century industrial ironworking, we are surrounded by a fascinating and culture rich landscape.
