Tonbridge and Malling is a

local government district The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...

with

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

status in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Tonbridge is the largest settlement but the authority is based in the modern development of

Kings Hill Kings Hill is a civil parish in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It is one of several new villages built in Kent since the 1950s (other examples including Vigo and New Ash Green). Development started in 1989 near West Mall ...

Geography

Tonbridge and Malling Borough covers an area from the North Downs at Burham and

Snodland Snodland is a town in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It lies on the River Medway, between Rochester and Maidstone, and from central London. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 10,211. History "Snoddingland" ...

in the north to the town of

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated populat ...

in the south. The

River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex ba ...

s north-east through the borough towards the

Medway Gap The Medway Gap is a topographic feature in Kent, England. It was created when the prehistoric River Medway cut roughly south to north through the line of chalk hills now known as the North Downs; other rivers such as the Darent and the Stou ...

, having in the west of the area received the River Eden. The castle-passing

Eden Valley Walk The following is a list of recreational walks in Kent, England. Short walks *Ashenbank Wood. Woodland Trust managed wood categorised as ancient woodland in Cobham, Gravesend with two waymarked routes, either part of the Darnley Trail with some ...

is also mostly in this borough.

Administrative history

The district was created on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the

urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...

of Tonbridge, together with

Malling Rural District Malling was a rural district in Kent, England which covered West Malling, East Malling, Snodland, Larkfield, Borough Green Borough Green is situated in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. The central area is situated on the A ...

and the civil parishes of

Hadlow Hadlow is a village in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It is situated in the Medway valley, north-east of Tonbridge and south-west of Maidstone. The Saxon name for the settlement was Haeselholte (in the Textus Roffens ...

and

Hildenborough Hildenborough is a village and rural parish in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It is located 2 miles (3.2 km) north-west of Tonbridge and 5 miles (8 km) south-east of Sevenoaks. The village lies in the River Med ...

from Tonbridge Rural District. The district received borough status on 16 December 1983 and the council was renamed Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. The ceremonial head of the council, the chairman, was known as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

after that date.

History and architecture

Ancient times

The area has been occupied for thousands of years. The

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

people left behind much evidence: megaliths such as

Kit's Coty House Kit's Coty House or Kit's Coty is a chambered long barrow near the village of Aylesford in the southeastern English county of Kent. Constructed ''circa'' 4000 BCE, during the Early Neolithic period of British prehistory, today it survives in a ...

Aylesford Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, England, northwest of Maidstone. Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. Two pubs, a village s ...

and the

Coldrum Stones The Coldrum Long Barrow, also known as the Coldrum Stones and the Adscombe Stones, is a chambered long barrow located near the village of Trottiscliffe in the south-eastern English county of Kent. Probably constructed in the fourth millenniu ...

Trottiscliffe Trottiscliffe ( ) is a village in Kent, England about north west of West Malling. It is often incorrectly spelled ''Trosley'' after Trosley Country Park at the top of the North Downs, which was once part of the Trosley Towers Estate. The spe ...

; and the

Long barrows Long barrows are a style of monument constructed across Western Europe in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE, during the Early Neolithic period. Typically constructed from earth and either timber or stone, those using the latter material repres ...

at Addington being examples.

Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

and

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

finds are also plentiful. There is evidence of the

Romano-British The Romano-British culture arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest in AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a ...

civilisation along the Medway Valley. The immediate district of Tonbridge is omitted from the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

; however most other settlements in the Borough are included. Castles were built at Tonbridge, Allington and

West Malling West Malling ( , historically Town Malling) is a market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of 2,590. Landmarks West Malling contains several historic buildings, including St Leonard's Tower, a Norma ...

in the 13th century. Religious houses: Malling,

and Tonbridge were built: one such was St Mary's Abbey dating from 1092.

Priory on the banks of the Medway, was built in the 13th century. There are surviving medieval manor houses including

Ightham Mote Ightham Mote (), Ightham, Kent is a medieval moated manor house. The architectural writer John Newman describes it as "the most complete small medieval manor house in the county". Ightham Mote and its gardens are owned by the National Trust a ...

and

Old Soar Manor Old Soar Manor is an English Heritage property, owned and maintained by the National Trust. Located near Plaxtol, Kent, England, it is a small 13th century stone manor house. It is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England. Bui ...

19th century onwards

Description

Kentish ragstone geologically speaking is the Upper

Greensand Ridge The Greensand Ridge, also known as the Wealden Greensand is an extensive, prominent, often wooded, mixed greensand/sandstone escarpment in south-east England. Forming part of the Weald, a former dense forest in Sussex, Surrey and Kent, it runs ...

, used in church building in Kent.

Modern times

Hadlow Tower, Hadlow, Tonbridge & Malling, Kent, UK

The land included is mainly agricultural – orchards, and livestock in the main – although major business parks and buildings within coupled with the railways and the motorway means a majority of working residents commute to work in the more built-up villages and Tonbridge. The new settlement of

can be regarded as tied in with the economy of

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...

equally with that of parts of Kent further to the western extremity. A remnant of the once flourishing hop-growing industry is provided by a tourist attraction at

Beltring Beltring is a village in the local government district of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It is in the civil parish of East Peckham. Beltring is known for the annual War and peace show which takes place at The Hop Farm Country Park. Unti ...

: once the ''Whitbread Hop Farm'', it puts on weekend exhibitions and shows. Tonbridge and Malling has 27

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

s in the highest category of the national system, Grade I. This includes eight churches, five reduced structures left over from St Mary's Abbey or

Malling Abbey St Mary's Abbey, also known as Malling Abbey, is an abbey of Anglican Benedictine nuns located in West Malling, Kent, England. It was founded around 1090 by Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester. History The manor of West Malling was given by King Ed ...

and four

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

s, mostly built by lower social ranks than the titled nobility. IghthamMote

A diverse materials and appearance construction is

which is recognised in the highest category of the UK's architecture listing system, Grade I, though no longer in private hands.

East Malling East Malling is a village in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling, Kent, in the part of the civil parish of East Malling and Larkfield lying south of the A20 road. In 2019 the ward had an estimated population of 5478. History The earliest rec ...

Research Station disseminates results of research into matters affecting horticultural crops, with particular emphasis on the fruit, hop and nursery stock industries. Many of the villages are beside long-distance walks with tourist accommodation, enabling tours of the orchards and

bluebell wood A bluebell wood is a woodland that in springtime has a carpet of flowering bluebells ('' Hyacinthoides non-scripta'') underneath a newly forming leaf canopy. The thicker the summer canopy, the more the competitive ground-cover is suppressed, encou ...

Housing

Housing ranges from

mid-rise A low-rise is a building that is only a few stories tall or any building that is shorter than a high-rise, though others include the classification of mid-rise. Definition Emporis defines a low-rise as "an enclosed structure below 35 metres 15 ...

in relatively small areas of towns to

low-rise A low-rise is a building that is only a few stories tall or any building that is shorter than a high-rise, though others include the classification of mid-rise. Definition Emporis defines a low-rise as "an enclosed structure below 35 metres 15 ...

housing, generally with gardens in the villages and most parts of the towns.

Local government

Borough

*''See

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council elections Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is the local authority for the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, United Kingdom. The council is elected every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2003, 53 councillors have been elected from 2 ...

for historic political control and leadership.'' Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council's main offices are at the Gibson Building in

; this is the converted and extended officers' mess building from the former

RAF West Malling Royal Air Force West Malling or RAF West Malling is a former Royal Air Force station located south of West Malling, Kent and west of Maidstone, Kent, England. Originally used as a landing area during the First World War,Tonbridge Castle Tonbridge Castle is a 13th century castle situated in Tonbridge, Kent, England. Early history Following the Norman Conquest, Richard Fitz Gilbert was granted land in Kent to guard the crossing of the River Medway. He erected a simple Motte-and ...

, which had been the offices of the former Tonbridge Urban District Council. Following the 2015 elections, the political makeup of the council was the following: 48 Conservative, 4 Liberal Democrats and 2 Independents. Following the 2019 election the council is still under

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

control, as it has been since 2003.

Wards

The borough is divided for borough council elections into 26

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

, including seven in the town of Tonbridge (Cage Green, Castle, Higham, Judd, Medway, Trench and Vauxhall wards). Outside the town, councillors serve wards covering the following villages or groups of villages, many of which have parish councils also (see below): * Aylesford *

Blue Bell Hill Blue Bell Hill is a chalk hill between Maidstone and Rochester in the English county of Kent. It overlooks the River Medway and is part of the North Downs. Settlements on the hill include the Walderslade suburb of Chatham and the villages of B ...

and Walderslade * Borough Green and Long Mill * Burham, Wouldham and Eccles * Ditton * Downs * East Malling, * East Peckham and Golden Green * Hadlow, Mereworth and West Peckham * Hildenborough * Ightham *

* Larkfield – two wards: North and South * Snodland – two wards: East and West * Wateringbury * West Malling and Leybourne * Wrotham

Civil parishes

The lower tier of local government is the civil parish. In this district they are as follows:

, being the former area of Tonbridge Urban District Council, is an unparished area. In the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

, the area is covered by the larger Tonbridge and Malling Parliamentary Constituency and part of Chatham and Aylesford Parliament constituency.

Mayors and chairmen

Population

In the 2011 census the population was 120,805.

Transport

Six railway routes operate through the borough. The

South Eastern Main Line The South Eastern Main Line is a major long-distance railway route in South East England, UK, one of the three main routes crossing the county of Kent, going via Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ashford and Folkestone to Dover. The other routes are the C ...

on the route London – Tonbridge – Ashford International – Dover crosses the west of the borough with stations at

and

. The

Maidstone East Line The Maidstone line is a railway line between Swanley, Maidstone and Ashford in Kent, England. The line diverges from the Chatham Main Line at Swanley Junction and proceeds down the Darenth valley to Otford junction Retrieved 2012-01-12 (where th ...

on the route Victoria – Maidstone East – Ashford International – Canterbury – Thanet with its stations at Borough Green & Wrotham, West Malling for Kings Hill,

and

Barming Barming is a civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. It lies to the west of Maidstone and at the 2011 census had a population of 2,690. The eastern end of the parish is part of the built-up area of Maidstone, although the remaind ...

crosses the north of the borough. From

, the Hastings line services run to

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...

and

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

, with some through services from Hastings to London, and the

Redhill to Tonbridge Line Redhill may refer to: Places England * Redhill, Bournemouth, Dorset * Redhill, Herefordshire, a location * Redhill, Nottinghamshire * Redhill, Hook-a-Gate, Shropshire * Redhill, Sheriffhales, Shropshire * Redhill, Telford, a location in Shrops ...

services run to Redhill: through services on that line to

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

have been discontinued. The

High Speed 1 High Speed 1 (HS1), legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel. It is part of a line carrying international passenger traffic between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe; ...

line with Eurostar services crosses the north of the borough, but there are no stations here, although southeastern high speed commuter services to / from London St Pancras call at Snodland during the morning and evening peak periods. The Medway Valley Line links the

North Kent Line The North Kent Line is a railway line which branches off the South East Main Line at St Johns junction west of Lewisham station in Greater London and runs to Rochester Bridge Junction near Strood, Medway where it links to the Chatham Main Line ...

Strood Strood is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in Kent, South East England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rochester, Gillingham and Rainham. It lies on the northwest bank of the River Medway at its lowes ...

with the

Paddock Wood railway station Paddock Wood railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line and Medway Valley Line in south-east England, serving the town of Paddock Wood, Kent. The station also serves the villages of Matfield, Brenchley and Horsmonden, which have do not ...

. Stations are at

New Hythe New Hythe is a village in mid-Kent, England on the banks of the River Medway approximately northwest of the county town of Maidstone. It derives its name from the Old English word Hythe, meaning haven or landing place. It is in the parish of E ...

, and

on the Strood – Maidstone West section of the line in the north of the borough and

Wateringbury Wateringbury is a village and civil parish near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The Wateringbury Stream flows into the River Medway just above Bow Bridge. It formerly powered three watermills in the village, one of which survives. The ...

on the Maidstone West – Paddock Wood section of the line in the south of the borough. Beltring and Brandbridges Halt is close to the borough boundary. Trains on this line now run through from Paddock Wood to Tonbridge, but through services from Maidstone West via Strood to London Bridge have been discontinued. The borough has road routes passing through it. There are three motorways: the M2, M20 and the M26; three west-east roads ( A20; A21 and the

A26 road The A26 road is a primary route in the southeast of England, going from Maidstone to Newhaven through the counties of Kent and East Sussex. The road is almost entirely single carriageway with one lane on each side, although some of the road is ...

). Three other roads of similar stature are the A227, A228 and

A229 A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name ...

. In addition there are

long distance footpath A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...

s, among them the

Greensand Way The Greensand Way is a long-distance path of in southeast England, from Haslemere in Surrey to Hamstreet in Kent. It follows the Greensand Ridge along the Surrey Hills and Chart Hills. The route is mostly rural, passing through woods, and al ...

, the

Medway Valley Walk The Medway Valley Walk follows the River Medway from Rochester, Kent, Rochester to Tonbridge. Above Allington, Kent, Allington, it follows the bank of the Medway Navigation. It starts on the Saxon Shore Way at Rochester. The North Downs Way cr ...

, the

Wealdway The Wealdway, Kent and East Sussex, is a public footpath that runs for 83 miles / 134 km from Gravesend, Kent on the Thames estuary, to the A259 at Eastbourne, 3 km north of Beachy Head.The Wealdway 80 miles long distance footpath, 1981, pu ...

and the Eden Valley Walk.

Youth radio station

Tonbridge and Malling has youth projects and organisations including '
Cupid FM
'', the first ever youth radio station or project of its kind within the area. The project received funding and support from Kent County Council and Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council, and during 2006 set up a studio and online broadcast which came to a close in November of that year. The station was run by local teens and music was populated by the latest chart hits.

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the

Freedom of the Borough The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

of Tonbridge and Malling.

Individuals

Military Units

* The

Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (or PWRR, also known as 'The Tigers') is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, second in the line infantry order of precedence to the Royal Regiment of Scotland and part of the Qu ...

. * 29 Squadron,

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

References

''Kent History Illustrated'' Frank W Jessup (KCC, 1966)

External links

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council
{{authority control Non-metropolitan districts of Kent Boroughs in England