History & Heritage
For more than three centuries, King Charles the Martyr has stood at the heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells. Its story is closely connected with the discovery of the Chalybeate Spring, the development of the Pantiles and the growth of the town.
From a small 17th-century chapel to the historic parish church we know today, discover the people, architecture and events that have shaped this remarkable place.
The Beginnings of Tunbridge Wells
The story of King Charles the Martyr begins with the origins of Tunbridge Wells itself.
This church began as the first permanent building in Tunbridge Wells. Before 1676 there was no village here, nor any name on a map.
Summer visitors had for many years sought benefit from drinking the Chalybeate waters, but there were no lodging places closer than Rusthall or Southborough, both more than a mile away.
Thomas Neale, an entrepreneur and London builder, recognised the commercial possibilities of the area.
He purchased the site of the springs and the area now called the Pantiles, and assisted with a scheme to design and build a chapel.
Beyond its devotional function, the building would also serve as an assembly room or temporary shelter from inclement weather.
The Original Chapel
A remarkable 17th-century building whose history can still be traced in its interior.
On entering the church from the street, you may notice that the arrangement of the building does not seem to agree with the orientation of the plasterwork ceiling.
This is the result of past alterations to the main axis of the building.
The original chapel occupied the part of the present church between the font and the organ case.
The window beside the font fills the original doorway. None of the present-day arrangement in the chancel formed part of the first chapel.
Stand with your back to the font and look up to see a symmetrical arrangement of five round domes, exquisitely decorated by John Wetherell.
Wetherell was a plasterer who had worked for Christopher Wren at Greenwich.
Slaked-lime plaster was used for ceilings of this kind, with the craftsmen working from tables on scaffolding.
Beyond the five domes is a larger octagonal dome, with the date 1682 moulded into the plaster.
The first altar, painted and raised on a pedestal, stood beneath this octagonal dome.
The galleries were added at a later date.
The Enlargement of the Chapel
As Tunbridge Wells grew in popularity, the chapel had to grow with it.
By 1688, the rising popularity of the resort and the resulting overcrowding in the chapel made enlargement necessary.
The original west wall, where the two central pillars now stand, was removed.
An extension was constructed that virtually duplicated the original building, making the enlarged interior nearly square in plan.
Two more entrances were created during this period. One of them can be seen in Kip's engraving.
Henry Doogood, one of Christopher Wren's most celebrated plasterers, created the magnificent second ceiling.
The date 1690 is recorded in its octagonal dome.
Doogood's plasterwork is regarded as an outstanding achievement of 17th-century European art.
Panelled galleries on three sides of the chapel were mainly used by servants and tradespeople.
They could be reached only from outside, reflecting the strict social divisions of the period within the church itself.
These exterior stairways can be seen in historic views of the chapel, including Kip's engraving and Dodd's lithograph.
Princess Victoria's Visit
A royal connection that remains part of the church's history to this day.
Imagine attending Sunday morning service in the summer of 1835.
Standing near the foot of the stairs leading to the South Gallery, you might have looked across to the North Gallery and seen the young Princess Victoria, then sixteen years old, seated with her mother.
They were presumably screened from the remainder of the gallery. A large brass plaque attached to the panelling now commemorates Victoria's visits.
Victoria's seat was not at the back of the church, as the present arrangement might suggest, but at the front.
It overlooked the preacher in a large three-decker pulpit that formerly stood against the west wall.
Seating arrangements reflected the customs of the period. Gentlemen occupied the central benches, facing west towards the pulpit, while women sat at the sides facing inward.
The Chapel Transformed
The Victorian era brought major changes to the building and its role in the town.
The chapel became a Parish Church in 1889, following a major transformation of its interior.
The orientation of the building was reversed.
Where today's chancel step stands, visitors in 1880 would have found themselves beneath the organ gallery.
A few feet away, against the side wall, stood the Communion table, behind the worshippers and partially concealed beneath the gallery.
The alterations began with removal of the gallery and the creation of a chancel arch through the chapel wall.
The old schoolroom behind the chapel gave way to a new Sanctuary, furnished with Credo and Paternoster boards brought from the recently demolished Wren church of All Hallows in the City of London.
Seating in the Nave was turned to face the new Sanctuary, and the former three-decker pulpit was removed.
After lengthy delays, a small parish of sixty-seven acres, much of it open common-land, was finally agreed.
The changes of the 1880s created much of the arrangement familiar to visitors today, while preserving the extraordinary ceilings and other historic features of the earlier chapel.
Explore Our Historic Church
Our heritage extends beyond the story of the building. Discover its architecture, magnificent organ, royal connections and the story of King Charles the Martyr.