Overview of the borough and its places of worship List of places of worship in Tunbridge Wells (borough)

the borough of tunbridge wells in southwest of kent.



churchbuilding , fashionable spa town of royal tunbridge wells both boomed in 19th century; many new anglican churches, such st mark s (1864–66), provided there.



calvinistic baptist chapels biblical names common: plaque on former rehoboth strict baptist chapel @ mount sion.

the borough of tunbridge wells covers 33,133 hectares (81,870 acres) of southwest kent next county of east sussex. in 2011 population of borough 115,200: on half lived in main towns of royal tunbridge wells , southborough, had estimated population of 56,600 in 2006. other large villages include ancient cranbrook, goudhurst , lamberhurst , more modern paddock wood , pembury. fertile, undulating , sparsely populated weald, northern edge north downs rise sharply, dominates rest of area. christianity reached england via kent: in 597 augustine sent rome pope gregory convert population, , several 7th-century ecclesiastical buildings survive in county. in westernmost part of county, though, surviving churches date after norman conquest in late 11th century. many parish churches date 12th century, busy time building [these] in kent cathedral , monastic works . typical form consists of nave without aisles , smaller, lower chancel, without apse; examples in borough survive in small villages such bidborough , capel churches in larger villages such cranbrook, goudhurst , hawkhurst date between 13th , 15th centuries, having replaced older buildings. large-scale churchbuilding resumed in victorian era, when decadence , decay had ruined many churches , population growth , results of religious census encouraged church of england improve provision of buildings worship. holy trinity church in royal tunbridge wells expensively funded , designed prominent architect decimus burton @ same time designing town s fashionable residential areas; richly decorated christ church @ kilndown, village no church, has been object of national interest since completion in 1840s; holy trinity @ sissinghurst bankrupted builder continues serve village; , new churches provided nearer centres of population in villages such pembury , horsmonden. southborough s transformation small town , suburb of royal tunbridge wells resulted in 4 anglican churches being built between 1830 , 1886, including mission chapel (now separate parish church) @ high brooms. single postwar anglican church serves new housing estate in royal tunbridge wells.

protestant nonconformist denominations found great support in kent, during 19th century, , many of chapels survive in borough of tunbridge wells. in similar sized neighbouring county of sussex, 244 such chapels opened between 1818 , 1901, against 765 in kent. methodism followed particularly strongly: 325 methodist chapels (including wesleyan, primitive, bible christian , others) built during period, against 327 anglican churches; baptists , congregationalists each gained on 150 new places of worship; , 150 meeting rooms, chapels , halls other denominations opened. decline of methodism since victorian heyday , amalgamation of various strands 1 denomination means 3 chapels still in use in borough, along shared anglican , methodist church @ paddock wood. former chapels, of closed 21st century, found in many villages. calvinism, characteristic religion of rural kent , made mark in places such matfield, cranbrook, lamberhurst , southborough, each of has surviving strict baptist chapel. these typically small, neat, plain, porched , hebrew name : matfield s called ebenezer, former chapel @ hawkhurst, , other closed chapels calvinistic baptists include providence (cranbrook , curtisden green), rehoboth (royal tunbridge wells) , jehovah jireh (in hamlet near brenchley). united reformed church, successor congregational church followers prevalent in county in 19th century, retains 3 churches of own , shared anglicans. in royal tunbridge wells, vast mount pleasant congregational church (1845–48, huge tuscan-columned portico , pediment of 1868) , outlying chapel in town s albion road closed denomination based worship around fewer, larger , better located churches. plymouth , open brethren, served 19 meeting rooms across kent 1901, have been provided in tunbridge wells area; 3 places of worship in use world war ii have been supplemented others since 1980s, including large meeting hall @ 5 oak green. brethren worshippers attachment makeshift premises , purposeful indifference form of pretension in architecture in evidence in these modern buildings, oldest place of worship (the york road assembly of c. 1891) distinctive stuccoed classical-style building.

roman catholic worship takes place in several villages in royal tunbridge wells itself. churches postwar, large st augustine s church in royal tunbridge wells (1965) succeeds landmark building of 1837–38, built of local stone , campanile added later. occupying prominent town-centre position, demolished commercial redevelopment in 1967 after new church opened. in places, catholics used private houses before permanent churches built: happened @ cranbrook , goudhurst, , in pembury part of priest s house (acquired before church built) temporarily registered chapel in 1960s.