Tonbridge Castle

Last Friday I posted about my favourite castle, Rochester Castle. This Friday I’m posting about my least favourite castle. Tonbridge Castle.

Now before I go on, this is by no means a dig to the people of Tonbridge, who are as lovely as their little town is. Nor is this to say that I didn’t enjoy this castle. I did! It’s just that this castle is unmistakably ill positioned, and it doesn’t shock me in the least that it was sieged and taken over as easily as it was. It’s in a valley.

Pro tip. Don’t build your castle at the bottom of a valley.

To be fair, the castle was likely never built to withstand a siege, and withstand it did not. Within two days of it’s first the occupants had given up the castle, likely because they, too, realised defending a castle at the bottom of a valley is pointless. Rather the defenses were erected to guard one of the two main crossings of the river Medway, the other being guarded by Rochester Castle.

This particular route was the most profitable by far. Merchants and traders usually came up from France by this route, and had to cross the river here if they wished to reach London. The castle was meant to guard the crossing and the very profitable market which the town was known for.

Tonbridge now uses the manor attached to the towers as their town hall, though this too is open to visitors on special occasions. I had the luck to visit for the first time when there was an art show going on within. There is also a small museum consisting of the tower and town history within the right tower which can be viewed for £9, and it takes about an hour to go through. You can go to the top of the towers as well, which does give you a good view of the surrounding castle grounds and hills.

It’s an interesting and deceptively important piece of English history for being in such a small town and such a small ruin of a castle, but one that I enjoyed wandering through all the same. I will say, it’s made all the better by grabbing lunch at a nearby bakery called The Bakehouse at 124.

Wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay safe gentle readers.