Anke: Royal Tunbridge Wells

The Cherub and The Christmas Giveaway!

Before we get to the part that you've come here for, the fabulous Christmas giveaway, let's have a little fun festive post first. Oi, stop scrolling to the bottom!

I discovered this little nugget of a historical fact not from a text book or a lengthy session sitting in the museum but from a good old-fashioned walking tour.

I hope that over the Christmas period you might stop by King Charles the Martyr Church and leave a few pennies as this is one of our town's most treasured buildings. When you are there you take a walk around and have a closer look at the handsome chap in the photo at the top. What do you notice? That's right, this usually beautiful little cherub is sporting an enormous moustache. But why?

Well, pull up a mince pie and I shall tell you. Back in the late 1670s, John Wetherell was busy plastering away, covering the ceiling in magnificent domes and roundels, adorned with ornaments of fruit, cherubs' heads and palms. This was really top quality workmanship, the craftsmen he employed to help him had also worked for Sir Christopher Wren. But it seems that one of the apprentices he had hired was finding the whole thing a bit of a bore, so he waited until his master had gone for lunch and decided to have some fun. That rather mischievous lunch break prank resulted in two of the cherubs being comedically adapted. The thing is we aren't really sure if John Wetherell actually noticed either. Naughty apprentice. He's fired!

Anyway, I've shown you one of the cherubs in the photo above but you're going to either have to go yourself and try and find the other or partake on one of these local walking tours. I recommend the latter, especially as you can also learn about the unique pews, the Christopher Wren connection, and also the famous people who once worshipped at the church.

Whilst we're on the subject there is quite a good Tunbridge Wells Treasure Hunt on this weekend (until 20th December) with some great prizes. Details here.

Right, let's get to the bit you've all sat through that for, the tuppence in the pudding, the Christmas giveaway! To be entered to win this year's fabulous gift, which is not quite as good as Create DM's giveaway of an iPod Touch, hey where are you going?! Right, attention back to me, to be in with a chance of winning my great giveaway then just leave a comment and you'll be in the draw. What's the prize you ask? Well it's this rather tremendous fridge magnet featuring Jan Kip's engraving of King Charles the Martyr Church. You know you want it! Comment away!

Competition closed. Congratulations to Beverley Aston for winning the Christmas Giveaway.

Read All About It!

With so much media coverage of newspapers in the, errm, newspapers recently, it seemed a rather apt time to be invited to take a tour of the offices of our local paper, The Courier, to see what I could uncover.

Clicking any of the photos in this post takes you to larger versions.

The editor, Ian Read, had invited us along a few weeks earlier whilst we were chatting about a new regular local feature soon to be launched. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to have a snoop around and believe me I wasn't disappointed, I was actually quite amazed.

They'd even laid on a parking space for me, how kind.

After we'd signed in and been patted down for any other local publications (I'm joking) Ian took us up the stairs and into the newsroom. I honestly hadn't realised how large an operation it takes to bring you your newspaper every Thursday. I also hadn't realised how small the crew was that brings you the Tunbridge Wells edition. You can see them in the foreground of the photo below and scattered throughout the article.

The newsroom with the Tunbridge Wells crew in the foreground.

Rather than hang around here disturbing the frantic flow of paperwork and journalists running around, Mrs Anke and I were whisked away for a tour of the building. We were led away from the coffee machine and water cooler down to the depths where the print presses once rumbled. We stood in what looked like a large dark warehouse, it was hard to imagine this was once home to those giant noisy machines pushing a river of paper around whilst a busy workforce threw the resulting bundles of papers into the backs of waiting vans, it's sadly now rented out for storage. Today the paper is electronically sent to a printers up North and printed alongside the huge nationals like The Sun.

The old print room.

Piles of old issues to be archived.

The Courier was born in 1872 out of one man's determination to produce a paper for the people and one to see off the long-established, and rather staid, Gazette, the broadsheet owned by the local colossus that was John Colbran.

That brave man was local journalist Matthew Edwardes. He felt that a prosperous town that was bordering Kent and Sussex, hence the name, was ready for a change. He felt that the people wanted a paper that was easier to read with clear type, large headlines, plenty of white space, and in a compact format. A design philosophy that still stands today no matter what medium you are in.

Ian Read, the editor, hard at work, well at least whilst he posed for this picture.

Starting off in a rather plain building in Grove Hill Road with second-hand presses, Edwardes and his printer, Thomas Ablott, built up the newspaper through determined effort and pure doggedness. After just a few years their circulation had completely overwhelmed the Gazette and had managed to even steal some of the advertisers from their more established rival. This was in part helped by their publication being half the price and more importantly carrying a section which posted the important visitors and residents of the town that week, a required read for those fashionable townsfolk who prided themselves on knowing everything and everyone.

Matthew toiling away.

Mary concentrating hard.

Matthew Edwardes died in 1926 having not recovered properly from a bout of the flu, it was said that he was a workaholic and that his death was the result of overwork and stress. Every member of the Courier staff attended his funeral. His portrait still hangs in the Courier's board room today proudly watching over those secret meetings editors have with their underlings.

Andy looking very serious on the phone.

Sam hard at work.

Today the Courier is no longer in Grove Hill Road, after a devastating fire and subsequently outgrowing the old building they moved to the Industrial Estate in 1974. Upon my visit there was a lot of packing going on as they are on the move yet again and I'm happy to say that they are moving right back into the centre of town. A great boon for our local economy, and also for the journalist's diets I would imagine.

Want a story? Hang around here, well maybe not next to the papers, that'd just be odd.

I digress, back to the tour. We wandered a maze of corridors and stairs, all of which are lined with the most gorgeous watercolour drawings of staff and stories, alas Ian couldn't tell me who had created them but if anyone knows then please drop me a line. We arrived at a door marked Photography Department, aha my kind of department, but hiding my camera under my arm we made swift progress through here not stopping. Photographers are very sensitive apparently.

We walked on, down stairs and up stairs, past some offices being packed neatly into boxes and into the Board Room. Taking care to knock first in case there was any secret goings-on happening inside we crept in for a snoop about. Here we got to see the portraits of the founder and his wife, they were recently taken along to the BBC Antiques Roadshow for valuation but at £50 they are worth more to the town sentimentally.

The portraits in the Board Room.

The Board Room table.

The latest issues.

Turning the lights off we walked the corridor to the very end to find a completely empty room that nobody knows the use of, rather intriguing I thought. Especially the set of keys handing on the wall to which nobody knows the lock.

Anyhoo, we walked along more winding corridors and back into the frenzy of the news room where Mrs Anke and I were allowed free reign to wander about and look for juicy stories and gossip. Alas some of the amazing things we found are reserved for the pages of print so you'll have to buy a copy instead. Speaking of which, keep an eye out for the new community page arriving in the paper soon, it'll be very handy for those of you wanting to get your community projects into the paper.

Another view of the newsroom.

One of many awards.

Pile of old issues.

We're really looking forward to part two of our tour when the paper finally moves back into town. A huge thank you to Ian, Mary, Andy, Matthew and Sam for making us very welcome.

Oxfam Bookfest Walk

Sixteen of us gathered outside the museum on a gorgeously sunny Sunday morning. We were here to take a tour of town, a tour organised for the Oxfam Bookfest by a local blue badge tour guide, Catherine.

The tour group walks along York Road.

You may think that taking a tour of a town you live in would be pointless, after all you live here and know everything right? Boy you couldn’t be further wrong. This tour was specifically aimed at locals who wanted to know the deepest darkest secrets of the Wells.

Being a “New Town” tour, we were told that there would be no visiting the obvious hotspots and we’d be concentrating on our more recent history.

I’ll give you a brief rundown of the tour and some of the highlights as I really want you to go buy yourself a ticket and enjoy it for yourself.

Starting at the museum we had a brief talk about the civic buildings and what they had replaced. When shown some of the old images of Calverley Terrace the group collectively let out a lot of ooohs and there was some furious head shaking going on. Leaving Civic Way the tour walked towards the Opera House, it was supposed to take in the Adult Education Centre but as it is currently undergoing some restoration that was skipped and it was straight into the Opera House for a brief behind the scenes tour.

We all assembled in the fabulously named Crush Room Bar for another history talk. Everyone was then invited to take a walk out onto the balcony to take a look out over the new town. Living up to its name there literally was a crush to get out.

The group take it in turns being careful not to disturb the ghosts of the haunted box.

We then climbed to the dress circle to hear some more history about the performances that once were and the history of the building’s construction. There were a few gasps of disbelief to the fact that the butchers underneath used to be a Sainsburys (see comments before for more), amongst other fascinating tidbits.

If you book the tour you’ll be able to find out who once raided the opera house, who Bambi the Cat was, and what is missing from the ceiling. You’ll also be able to find out which of the boxes is haunted. Legend has it that three builders fell from the scaffolding when working on the ceiling and two of them died. As these two used to sit and have their lunch in same box every day they are said to now haunt it. Everyone naturally made a beeline for the box to see if they could feel anything. Can you smell their ham sarnies and tea in there?

Heritage Open Weekend 2010

The damp end to the Summer did nothing to dampen my spirit as this weekend is Heritage Open Weekend 2010 here in Tunbridge Wells and the opening of many of our previously inaccessible buildings to the public. One of the best weekends of the calendar.

Detail of the ceiling of the Opera House.

Thursday always sees a few attractions open early so I took the opportunity to have a look around the Opera House on Mount Pleasant, something that I have never done before, strange I know.

Sign above the door.

Interior view of Opera House.

Our tour of the famous building took us from the entrance (have you ever noticed the names of the two separate entrances over the top of the doors?) up the closed-off stairs to the original bar above, this room has the balcony in it you can see from the road. Some of the original wooden bar furnishings still adorn the room, although now appear to serve as shelving for tea and biscuits.

View of the school from the playground.

We climbed right to the top of the building, well almost, to the recently restored Dress Circle when you can access the balcony of seats to get a commanding view of the stage below which is now home to throngs of people enjoying a pint as this opera house is now a pub.

From up in the gods the details of the ceiling can really be appreciated all decorated in red, gold and blue. During the War an incendiary bomb went right through the roof at this point and landed on one of the proscenium arch stanchions above the stage, the damage wasn't great but there was rather a large hole to be repaired. I have to be honest and say that the Opera House really would dearly love some care and attention and a few pounds spent on it to really bring it back to its former glory. I heartily recommend a tour around to see the great details lurking and hidden within.

Next time you're going in for a pint, use the right-hand side entrance as this was supposedly the side that the gentry entered the building where they were greeted and their hats and coats taken, the other side patrons were left to find their seats themselves. I'm not too sure if Wetherspoons still run this policy though.

Saturday morning saw the opening of the rest of the Heritage locations. I headed straight over to another place that I'd never visited before, St. Barnabas School. Here some of the pupils were giving the tours around the building but I managed to bag myself the font of all school knowledge, Dave Prodrick. David took me around the Victorian corridors which reminded me of my old school days, not in Victorian times I hasten to add, and also around the highly decorated classrooms.

A rather jolly welcome to school, even on a wet day.

This school, opened by John Stone Wigg in 1896 was originally one of the schools for the poor, you can tell this apparently by the electricity substation that was built right next to the playground many years ago, the building being a place that no-one cared about. Thankfully the only part of history that today's school retains is the wonderful three storey brick and sandstone architecture as it is now an excellent place of learning.

Thanks very much for the informative tour, David.

A view of the Harrison and Harrison organ.

A view of the church interior.

The most interesting visit of my weekend so far though was probably the most modern building of the whole schedule, St. Augustine's Church. This church dates back to 1837, although not in this current form, the original Roman Catholic chapel was at the junction of Grosvenor Road and Hanover Road, right where Tesco stands today. The congregation grew in numbers over the years and the Jesuits decided to relocate and sold the land to Tesco who demolished the beautiful original chapel in the 1960s. Criminal.

The only surviving piece of the old chapel.

The plans for the new building were approved in 1974 and the work took 12 months and cost £177,500 to complete. It's a strange church architecturally as the Presbytery, where the priest lives, is actually underneath the church itself. This is because the building is on one of our famous steep hills so to keep the main hall on one level the hill was infilled with living quarters.

For such an unassuming building on the outside, the inside is quite interesting to see, it feels very modern and somewhat European in its design with very thin windows surrounding the entire hall and a very large timbered ceiling above on which sits a rather whimsical scaffold-style cross, pop outside around the back to have a look.

If you do pop in, take notice of the big church organ in the centre of the main hall with its rather amusing button "Swell to Great." I didn't push it.

There is one piece of the old church that still remains to this day, very sad news but at least one piece survives, and that is the simple wooden statue of Jesus who watches over people's prayers over by the confessional chambers. The statue, just like its church surroundings, also has the appearance of the modern era, it's a delightfully simple yet elegantly carved piece of wood that looks like it was hewn yesterday. He also had two small lights on the wall next to him, a red one saying Wait and a green one saying Come In. He was telling me to wait. So I did. And whilst I did my attention was drawn to a notice on the wall telling parishioners to remember the wonderful Stephen Upsall, our recently passed friend from Trinity Theatre. I took a few minutes to pay my respects, light a candle and bid farewell.

A quick game of hopscotch on the way home from school.

A Tour of the BBC Studios

The BBC has been under a lot of scrutiny lately: even today they've yet again hit the headlines about how they spend our licence fee and just where it goes. So, as sort of roving reporters, the wife and I bagged a backstage tour of the BBC Studios right here in Tunbridge Wells to find out if they're spending our money wisely.

The empty BBC South East News studio. Click for larger.

We were met at the BBC Shop and taken straight behind the scenes through a rather plain door marked "Newsroom" where we were greeted by scores of busy people frenetically writing and creating today's programme.

There was a section for the weather, where we took a sneaky peek around Michael Fish's desk where he writes his reports and produces the famous graphics (the pairs of sparkly high-heeled boots were a nice touch underneath); there were sections writing tomorrow's news, a section creating online content and also a section where people were writing the news that would be on-air in just moments from now. It was only when we glanced over to the right that we noticed the news studio itself through some opaque glass and realised that we were standing behind the newsreader, right in the place where you at home can see people rushing around backstage.

So, with the news going out live in just ten minutes time we made our way into the nerve centre, the gallery. This is the darkened room where the director, producer, engineers, and all the other technical staff sit to control the show. We sat quietly at the back and watched in awe as everyone was chattering away at once in front of far more screens than we could count. There was a live feed to an outdoor reporter sitting in someone's living room in Gillingham, there were lots of different camera views of Ceri Perkins practicing her lines and agonising over whether or not to use the word "exhibition" or "showcase", and many screens devoted to those funky graphics that accompany reports.

Behind the scenes of the BBC News. Click for larger.

With just a couple of minutes to go the news was still being re-written and items were being moved around and deleted, then as the main BBC News ended we cut live to Ceri and the famous bongs. The pace in the gallery stepped up a notch, the director was letting the newsreader know what was coming up and what cameras to switch to, someone else was counting down in her other ear and others were queuing up all the news items, and still the producer was changing the show, debating whether or not to give a few more seconds to Michael Fish and his weather. It was nothing short of organised chaos. I didn't blink for ten minutes and I was stressed as anything by the end of it, but I guess to these folks it's just another days work. They did make it look very slick but amazingly professional at the same time.

It was fun watching the autocue scroll past and seeing which words the newsreader changed on the fly, and especially the bit that just said "ad-lib" which Ceri took in her stride by cracking a rather witty line to introduce Michael Fish, which gave everyone in the gallery a chuckle.

With the show over and the stars out of the way we were allowed into the main studio where the wife had a go at reading the news and presenting the weather. The studio is so much smaller than you expect, it's about the size of a normal living room. We got to see just what is hiding inside a newsreaders desk and just how comfy those big red sofas are that the presenters sit on in the evening. Very, is the answer.

The wife has a go at presenting the news.

We even got to take a tour into the studios of Radio Kent and leaf through the music library, which again is a lot smaller than you expect.
I don't think I'll ever watch the news the same again, just knowing how much work, effort and chatter goes on at the end of that calm newsreader's earpiece.

A huge thank you to all at the BBC who made us feel amazingly welcome, they really are the most friendly people, and especially the lovely Kassi Jones who organised and gave us the tour.

So, the answer is yes, they're worth every penny. Click for larger.

The wife has a go at presenting the news. Click for larger.

A couple more photos from our tour can be found here.