The Society provides a programme of monthly talks and other meetings thoughout the year. Meetings start at 7.30pm on the second Thursday in the month (unless otherwise stated), and from March will take place at our new home of Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club, 40 London Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1DL. Non-members are welcome.
Programme for 2026
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Friday 5th June
Outing to the Chichester Cathedral Festival of Flowers.
This amazing flower festival in the Cathedral only happens every two years, so hopefully members will take the opportunity to experience it this year! The coach leaves from outside the Assembly Hall at 9am, so please start boarding at 8.45am and we return at 5pm. We are booked on the 12.30-2pm visitor slot. In addition to the Festival of Flowers, there is an on site market in the Cathedral's 600-year old Cloisters and cafe facilities on site for lunch.
The cost is £55.00 per person to include coach travel and admission to the Festival.
To book please click on the link below:
Chichester Cathedral
or pay direct into our bank account:
CAF Bank 40-52-40, RTWCS 00017200, and reference with your name and initial - Chichester Cathedral
or send a cheque payable to RTWCS to: John de Lucy, 28 Warwick Park, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5TB.
If paying by cheque please make sure you include your phone contact details in case of query as there will not be any tickets issued for this event.
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11th June at Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club, 40 London Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1DL
'Never Look at an Ugly Thing Twice': the life & work of C.F.A.Voysey - an illustrated talk by Alastair Dick-Cleland, whom many members will remember from last summer when he introduced us to the wonderful work and properties of the Landmark Trust. Charles Francis Annesley Voysey was one of the leading Arts & Crafts architects, whose practice flourished between 1890 and 1910. He was one of the most successful and sought-after architects of his day, and was awarded the Gold Medal by RIBA in 1940. As well as designing houses in his own distinctive style, he produced numerous designs for wallpapers, fabrics, rugs, furniture and much else besides. Alastair will give us a finely illustrated account of the life and work of this fascinating man.
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Thursday 23rd July
Outing to Brentford Musical Museum and Museum of Water & Steam.
The coach again leaves at 9am for Brentford and the Musical Museum - an amazing array of musical instruments and inventions (such as self-playing pianos and violins). Then the Museum of Water & Steam - based at the former Kew Bridge Pumping Station, or, if you prefer, a nice riverside walk to Kew Bridge.
The cost is £60.00 per person to include coach travel and ploughman's lunch at the Musical Museum.
To book please click on the link below:
Brentford Museums
or pay direct into our bank account:
CAF Bank 40-52-40, RTWCS 00017200, and reference with your name and initial - Brentford Museums
or send a cheque payable to RTWCS to: John de Lucy, 28 Warwick Park, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5TB.
If paying by cheque please make sure you include your phone contact details in case of query as there will not be any tickets issued for this event.
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Saturday 1st August
Garden Party - 6pm to 8pm - at 23 Warwick Park, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5TA.
By kind permission of Jenny Chambers. Please note that the event is only open to members of the Civic Society and their guests and is all ticket.
The price is £23.00 per person to cover drinks and canapes from our usual caterers.
To book please click on the link below:
Garden Party
or pay direct into our bank account:
CAF Bank 40-52-40, RTWCS 00017200, and reference with your name and initial - Garden Party
or send a cheque payable to RTWCS to: John de Lucy, 28 Warwick Park, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5TB.
If paying by cheque please make sure you include your phone contact details in case of query as there will not be any tickets issued for this event.
- 10th September at Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club, 40 London Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1DL
'The Husseys of Scotney' - an illustrated talk by Helen King, Collections and House Manager at Scotney Castle, who will focus on the significance of the Castle's collection, he Picturesque movement, and the work of Christopher Hussey who inherited Scotney in 1952 with his wife Betty, and who left the property to the National Trust. Scotney is considered one of the best examples of a Picturesque garden, and the mansion and Old Castle sit within a designed landscape. The collection is on track to be one of the five largest within the National Trust, and, as an Accredited Museum, it tries to vary the display and tell stories of the inhabitants.
- Friday 11th September to Sunday 20th September
Heritage Open Days in and around Tunbridge Wells.
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8th October at Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club, 40 London Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1DL
Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society Awards Evening - presented by Dr David Wright.
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Sunday 11th October
Event at The Finchcocks Charity 3pm to 5pm - at the Richard Burnett Heritage Collection, The Finchcocks Charity, Waterdown House, 51 Frant Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5LE.
Katrina Burnett of The Finchcocks Charity has once again kindly agreed to host the Civic Society at 51 Frant Road, for a Schubertiade. So, what is a 'schubertiade'? Here is a contemporary description: 'Those were unforgettable evenings. We gathered in some friendly house. There was no ceremony. One arrived, greeted friends, poured wine, opened a book of poems. Then someone would say 'Schubert play us something'. At once the room changed. Conversation ceased. It was not a concert. It was friendship set to music.'
The cost is £30.00 per person to include canapés and drinks.
To book please click on the link below:
Finchcocks Event
or pay direct into our bank account:
CAF Bank 40-52-40, RTWCS 00017200, and reference with your name and initial - Finchcocks Event
or send a cheque payable to RTWCS to: John de Lucy, 28 Warwick Park, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5TB.
If paying by cheque please make sure you include your phone contact details in case of query as there will not be any tickets issued for this event.
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Tuesday 3rd November
Outing to Penshurst Place and Salomons Museum.
We start at 10am with a 'behind-the scenes' tour of Penshurst Place - 'the grandest example of a fortified manor-house in England', ending with refreshments in the Barons Hall. Then lunch at The Leicester Arms. Then a visit to the Salomons Museum, and, possibly, the theatre and stable block.
The cost is £27.00 per person to include refreshments (but not lunch).
To book please click on the link below:
Penshurst Place
or pay direct into our bank account:
CAF Bank 40-52-40, RTWCS 00017200, and reference with your name and initial - Penshurst Place
or send a cheque payable to RTWCS to: John de Lucy, 28 Warwick Park, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5TB.
If paying by cheque please make sure you include your phone contact details in case of query as there will not be any tickets issued for this event.
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5th November at Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club, 40 London Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1DL
Annual General Meeting (NB: First Thursday in November) followed by an open forum for members.
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8th November - 10.30 at the War Memorial
Remembrance Sunday - members are invited to attend the parade in Civic Way.
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10th December at Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club, 40 London Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1DL
'Land's End & Back on a Bus Pass' - our Treasurer, Chris Weller, a Chartered Accountant, illustrates how imaginatively he manages his own resources.
As this is the Christmas meeting the traditional refreshments of wine and mince pies will be provided after the presentation.
Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society - Registered Charity No. 276545