Friday, November 12, 2010

Tonbridge Priory tunnels from the Castle????

A lady just came into my shop to ask about the framed print in the window. It's a hand coloured 1735 print of Tonbridge Priory and it's just reminded me of this mostly forgotten part of the history of the town. For those who don't know the Priory stood for around 750 years on the area roughly between the Sainsbury's petrol station and the railway tracks; of course I don't think Mr. J. Sainsbury's ancestors had set up shop yet in the year 1100 and certainly the railway hadn't been thought of! All that's left of it now though, of course, are a few clues in street names such as Priory Road, Priory Street, St. Augustine's old people's home, Priory Vetinary Clinic etc. The most intriguing part of it's history for me is the bit we don't know, the bit that's just folklore and rumour. I read a book a few years back called Tonbridge Legends, written in about 1890, which has a short tale in it about a man, fuelled by drunken bravardo talk in a nearby hostelry, discovering tunnels under the castle and finding some treasure and also something so unspeakably horrific that he had to leave town right there and then, never to return. But surely that was just a made up tale with no grain of truth in it whatsoever. Wasn't it? Then I read an old guide to Tunbridge Wells, compiled in 1814, with a section on Tonbridge, or 'Tunbridge' as it then was, in it. In this section, written some 76 years earlier than Legends, it too mentions the folklore about tunnels running from the Castle to the Priory. I quote: "It is said, that there was a subterraneous passage carried under the bed of the river, from the priory to the castle, in order to supply the garrison with the necessaries in the time of distress; but I can find no warrant for this report except the uncertain voice of tradition."  That's all it says and clearly it's by no means conclusive but, nevertheless the seeds were sown in my mind that there might, just might be something in these tales. It's so frustrating that there doesn't seem to be anything else about it in any other books on Tonbridge; certainly there hasn't been in any that I've read and, believe you me, I've searched them. When I wrote the Tonbridge Community column for the Courier I mentioned this same story and, afterwards, a number of people came forward with their own version of the legend and tales of other secret tunnels emanating from the castle.  Can anyone throw any light on this lovely Tonbridge mystery....

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Regarding the rumours of the Tonbridge Tunnels, I stumbled upon the hint of some evidence in a
Preliminary Site Assessment Report
from Southern Testing published by TMBC as part of the Planning Application for 20a Priory Street back in 2006.

Underground Workings
The Chelsea Speleological database identifies underground workings approximately 0.9km west of the site. These underground workings include 'secret' tunnels associated with Tonbridge Castle.


Although I never followed this up, the database may contain some firm evidence of their existence. I must admit I was surprised to see the legendary tunnels mentioned in an official report.

Paul Bailey said...

I hate to be a spoil-sport, but I should think just about every town of a similar age to Tonbridge has stories and legends about tunnels.

The one you speak of, running from the Castle to the site of the old Priory does sound rather fanciful, and would be quite a feat of engineering today, let alone in medieval times. For a start it would have had to pass below the river bed, and don't forget the area south of the Medway was once criss-crossed by streams (the Botany stream would have been another obstacle). The water table would have been quite high as well, making any tunnel prone to flooding (very few properties in this area have cellars, probably for this very reason).

Finally, Tonbridge Castle would have been well garisonned and well provisioned, and quite capable of withstanding a lengthy siege, without the need to construct such a tunnel; even if the engineering skills (and the necessary money) were available six or seven huindred years ago.

Pure fantasy, I'm afraid, no doubt fuelled by rather too much strong ale!!

Anonymous said...

might be a good idea to check out any masonic links, i.m sure they would know

knights templar for example

Anonymous said...

PB beat me to it. Almost every town seems to have some secret tunnel legend. It's nonsense.

Tonbridge blogger said...

Listen to all you doubters! It's a great local legend and goes back at least 200 years in printed form from what I can make out. They did have the technology to build tunnels in those days. Many were built to excavate the area for castle building, they used them during sieges; even the romans were well capable of digging tunnels. There were tin mines going a mile out o sea off Cornwall medieval times and well before. The Yorkshire dales is littered with a network of old lead mines built by the Romans. What about the Egyptians? The pyramids were incredible feats of building technology. So don't tell me they couldn't make a tunnel half a mile or so from Tonbridge Castle to the Priory, river or no river. There's no doubt it was possible. Okay, granted, there is no actual hard eveidence yet otherwise we wouldn't be debating it in the first place; but I'm going to make it my business to find that proof. Maybe the comment on here (the only sensible one) about secret tunnels in a building site assesment report in the area of Priory Street is a start. If this folklore ends up being true I'll make you all eat your hats when I go down there and find the rest of that hidden treasure!!..

Anonymous said...

watch and learn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcOBSHjFoJc&feature=related

Paul Bailey said...

It's one thing digging mine workings in search of something valuable, such as tin ore, but why dig a tunnel, at vast expense, that serves no useful purpose? My point about flooding also seems to have been conveniently ignored.

Sorry TB, nice though the tunnel story might be, it just doesn't stack up!

Anonymous said...

What is that racket coming from your shop Mr Books? Trying to scare customers away?

Anonymous said...

Perhaps it's the sound of digging...
No posts for a week now - wonder if we should send out a search party?

Paul Bailey said...

Yes, it's been nice and quiet. Perhaps the unspeakable horror, lurking in the tunnel, has done for poor old TB!!!

Anonymous said...

Mark Thomas - Secret Map of Britain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQnPVI5IS6s&feature=related

Anonymous said...

I think Mr Books has left some teenagers in charge, I have been past the end of the street a couple of times recently and some god awful music has been blaring out from his shop.

Cant see any mud or stones about from his tunneling, perhaps he has dug another hole to bury it all??

Anonymous said...

I stumbled across Tonbridge Legends in the library today and read about the alleged tunnels under the castle.The author does say in his Introduction that drawings exist of a network of tunnels under a castle that, while it is not named, is believed to be Tonbridge. He claimed that these drawings are in the British Museum Library. Might be a load of hokum, but thought I'd mention it!

Wilson said...

I took the liberty of looking on the British Museum website.. quite a few sketches of the castle, these 3x items were the best lead i can give anybody - one two three

cheers