The January issue of The Tonbridge Insider is on sale now (what's that? it's free? Well even better then.) It should be popping through your letter box any day now and there's a new page in there called Tonbridge Log. I wonder which impostor writes that! Nice front cover as well and honestly it really was only that the editor liked it and thought it summed up the big freeze weather....
5 comments:
Please help the Friends of 180 save the building at 180 High Street. It is an attractive building with a Georgian core and an Edwardian frontage. It has been occupied by members of the Austen family, the Woodgates of Somerhill, Hookers of Tonbridge Castle as well as the Gorham family and Warners Solicitors. The current owners, a Deacon Properties, a development company want to demolish it entirely and build yet another block of modern, featureless flats. This building is part of our heritage. It sits within the Conservation Area but when other buildings around it were listed it was missed. Before Tonbridge loses its identity to modernity please help us to start saving our heritage for the children now.
I see this as no different to 1-3 Bank Street. Its not a building that people have taken photographs of on their visit to Tonbridge. This area needs development that will help with the economic development of the High Street and Town and although the trees may need to be protected I am sure the council will only allow a sympathetic design for a new building.
And if you need to name drop, in the sixties, the uncle of a famous Chelsea footballer was once a barber at 1-3 Bank street but that is not a good enough reason to keep it!
There is a significant difference between 180 High Street and 1-3 Bank Street. First of all the age of the building (being older), the prominence of the building in the High Street coupled with a significantly more attractive outlook architecturally.
The uncle of a Chelsea footballer is of less historical significance to the town than the Woodgate, Hooker and Gorham families.
The only reason people have not stopped to take photographs is because the historical connections of this building have only recently been verified.
The Jane Austen Society have said that they are eager to include this building as a verified Austen family building and that they will actively promote it as such. With so many tourists due to visit the South East of England this April for the Royal Wedding then keeping the building will add to their places to visit if they come to Tonbridge.
well said Jennifer - I completely agree. he last thing Tonbridge needs is to replace historic buildings with boring blocks of flats
The Friends of 180 are having their inaugural meeting on 26 January 2011 at The Chequers in Tonbridge High Street at 8 p.m. If you would like to attend you will be made welcome.
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