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MARKING TIME WITH LOCAL LANDMARKS 015


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THE TOWN’S TIMEPIECES 1. The former occupants of The Clock House, a period building on the High Street, dating from c1850, were Payne & Sons, one of England’s oldest family jewellers, established in 1790 and now only open for private appointments. 2. Described by its creator as “an elegant spire made up of tracery fretwork with forged branches bearing numbers – a jewel to spark off intrigue and imagination of passers-by”, the towering Millennium Clock in the town centre may have divided opinion when it was fi rst unveiled, but there’s no doubt the clock provides locals with an ideal meeting place. 3. A gleaming golden squirrel sits atop the clock in Calverley Road, once the emblem of UK pension giant, NPI, who made the building their headquarters in 1966. When NPI ceased trading, the building became a business and conference centre. 4. An elegant square clockface is perched above the imposing red-brick Skinner’s School (not shown), founded in 1887 by the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the City of London livery companies. 5. Built in 1676, King Charles the Martyr Church began as the first permanent building in Tunbridge Wells and has grown to become an established landmark close to The Pantiles. It also boasts an impressive sundial. 6. Once considered a Georgian medicinal Mecca, The Pantiles was created following the discovery of a Chalybeate Spring in the early 17th century and is now arguably better known for its famous Jazz nights, diverse boutique shops and mix of popular cafes, restaurants and bars. The beautiful Pantiles clock sits above the buzzing bars and cafes of the elegant colonnade.


7. Designed by architect Decimus Burton, Trinity


Theatre was built in 1829 and survived as a church until its deconsecration in 1972 and has since been transformed into a thriving regional arts venue. 8. Tunbridge Wells West station closed in 1985 and the Grade II listed station building is now an American-style restaurant, but the original clock continues to chime the right time.


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© N Chadwick geograph.org.uk/p/5820639


© Tomasz Cichecki


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