Tonbridge Castle — Attraction in Tonbridge and Malling

Tonbridge Castle is situated in Tonbridge, Kent, England. 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-bailey castle on the site. To dig the moat and erect the motte 50,000 tonnes of earth were moved. In 1088, the de Clare family (descendants of Fitz Gilbert) rebelled against King William II. His army besieged the castle. After holding for two days the castle fell and as punishment the king had both the castle and the town of Tonbridge burnt to the ground. Before 1100, the de Clares replaced the wooden castle with a stone shell keep. This was reinforced during the thirteenth century, and in 1295 a stone wall was built around the town. The twin-towered gatehouse was built by Richard de Clare, third Earl of Hertford or his son Gilbert. Construction of the gatehouse took 30 years, being completed in 1260. The gatehouse shares many similarities with the ones at Caerphilly Castle built by Gilbert in 1268-1271. The great seal of England was temporarily kept here during one of Edward I's visits to France. The castle was not lived in between 1521 and the late 18th century, except for a short period during the civil war. The mansion was added in 1793. Both castle and mansion are Grade I...

The Castle had very reasonable pricing and was very well preserved. The audio guide isn’t really needed as you can guide yourself around with all of the information that they have but if you prefer to have the audio tour then that is completely fine.

Castle’s interior is locked behind the door with a special key fob so you can’t just walk in without paying, I found that to be quite clever. This place however, would very much benefit from having a café as they only offered takeaway drinks and snacks which I felt was a lost opportunity for them. And it did feel like a slight cop out.

The infographics short film playing in the room with the guards is not too comprehensive but also informative at the same time. And the dummies that they have posing as figures are very realistic and actually quite scary when you get to the Castle storeroom below ground! They may want to consider holding a Halloween event for scary stories in the Castle basement or in the main hall because a castle like that has a slightly unsettling aura, which would really help bringing in more tourism...

What a hidden gem. I discovered this place by chance when driving home from Kent. I was intrigued so I went exploring...... I was greeted by the loveliest reception staff and was directed around with an audio tour (which turned out to be free). I was taken around the area and inside the building. Inside, it’s large and has many layers of history that hide in plain sight. I was taken around a fun and interactive story which transported me back in time. Figures, lighting and displays really bring the space to life! The pictures are from the top of the structure and give beautiful views of the surrounding area. I finished off my tour sat in the sun with a nice coffee. What a lovely way to end my day. This place is great value for money and definitely worth a visit if...