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: tonbridge.castle@tmbc.gov.uk 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.

To n b r i dg e
Tonbridge

Accessible Heritag e Trails

Other available leaflets Kent: Canterbury, Dover, Rochester, Sandwich, Tonbridge, Hythe, Battle of Britain. Nord-Pas de Calais: Bergues, Boulogne, Calais, Cassel, Gravelines, Montreuil.

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

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

Tonbridges rst 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 reecting a whole range of periods and styles can be found dotted throughout the town, which include Tudor timber-framed buildings and ne 18th century weather-boarded and tiled houses. Trail length: 1.26 km

www.fortifications.org

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

www.fortifications.org
Summer 2005

T O N B R I D G E - Accessible
H e r i t a g e Tr a i l
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
Start at the Castle car park where there are disabled parking spaces. Make your way through the gatehouse and explore the bailey and the castle grounds. There is an information centre to your left. Retrace your steps towards the car park and follow the path on the left around the moat outside the railings. There is a slope downhill. Follow the path along the river towards the High Street where you turn left.

POINTS OF INTEREST
Originally an 11th century Norman motte-and-bailey construction, the castle was eventually rebuilt in stone in the keep was eventually rebuilt in stone in the late 11th century and the gatehouse added in the 13th century. Extensive programmes of restoration have ensued. The south curtain wall originates from the 12th century and was adapted through the ages. As Tonbridge was a strong point during the Second World War, part of the defences included weapon pits that were dug at the top of the wall and pillboxes at either end. The Chequers Inn is the earliest recorded inn in Tonbridge and the present building dates from the 15th century. The Rose and Crown Hotel was built in the 16th century and is timber-framed throughout with a Georgian brick faade. It was the most important coaching inn in Tonbridge and in the 1820s up to 30 coaches passed through every day. Next to the Kentish weather-boarded house is Tygers Head, a beautiful medieval jettied building. The church is the parish church of SS Peter and Paul, once the largest parish in Kent. The Man of Kent is a characteristic 17th century timber-framed building. The inns helped serve the needs of travellers and by the 17th century there were at least a dozen in and around the town.

Cross the road at the traffic lights at the Chequers Inn, and continue up the High Street on the right hand side past the Rose and Crown Hotel. Turn right into Church Lane. Be careful, there are no pavements in Church Lane and you will have to use the road. Go past the Church and take the path to the right down Church Street. Cross the road and turn right along East Street towards the town centre. Be careful as there is no pedestrian crossing and the kerbs are elevated. East Street is also quite narrow. Turn left down the High Street to cross at the Chequers Inn. Turn right then left into Castle Street and bear left into the Castle Grounds and make your way back to the car park on the right.

No Path on Road
Church

0 Metres
Paving Tarmac

100m
B an k S tre et

Street Church

st Ca

4%

le St re

et

High Street

17%

START

6cm
7% 8% 11%

70 cm

East Street

7cm

4cm
Downhill Gradient
Castle

6%
4%

Uphill Gradient Step up

Disabled Toilet Disabled Parking

Step down
Width Restriction

Rest Area Refreshments

Church