Tonbridge occurs as market town in the English county of Kent, with the people of 31,600 inside 2001. These are placed on the River Medway, approximately tetrad miles northward of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 25 miles to the south east of London.

History
It belongs to the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling (population 107,560 within 2001). a town stands at a point in which the Saxons built a bridge through the Flow of any stream Medway. For great deal of its being, a town remained to northerly of a flow of any stream, since the land south was subject to extensive in flood. A single a share of the town is however known as 'Dryhill'.

Tonbridge was recorded in the Domesday Book 1087 as Tonebrige, which could show the bridge belonging to the estate or even even manor (from either the Old English tun), or or else the bridge belonging to Tunna, a most common Anglo-Saxon human's title. In the late 1800s, the 'Tonbridge' title was actually referred to as Tunbridge: old maps before this date indicate it in and of itself, when does an 1871 map. In the late 1890s/early 1900s, this was changed to Tonbridge by the Royal Mail when it stimulated confusion by having Tunbridge Wells, a great deal other recent town. A latter has universally spelt its title that way.

An 11th Century castle was built here by Richard Fitz Gilbert, a noble inside William the Conqueror's invading army. A town was besieged by William Rufus, soon fallowing his accession to a potty, the lord of the manor having pledged allegiance to William's brother, Robert. It was subsequently taken by King John, during his conflict using barons & was afterwards besieged by Prince Edward, boy of Henry III. On this occasion a besieged garrison burnt a town like than watch it fall. A town & Tonbridge Castle were rebuilt after this & in the 13th century became an official home & records repository of Edward II. At that period, Tonbridge was arranged to become the mediaeval walled town. Bulwarks were never built but, probably because a castle's big bailey could have easily accommodated a town's public within days of strife. A encompassing bank & ditch referred to as The Moat was erected, although single traces of this encircling defence okay, remain. a historic core of the town however contains a prominent total of working buildings dating from either the 15th Century. In a period of the Civil War the town was on the Parliamentarian side and the Royalist attempt to require it was repulsed.

Around 1740, a River Medway wwhen made navigable to Tonbridge, leaving such materials as hops & timber to become carried down flow of any stream to Maidstone & London. A bit of of a buildings & the dock come however recognizable in todays world, downriver of the bridge.

Late, a town & its surroundings became famed for the production of finely inlaid wooden cabinets, boxes & more objects known as Tunbridgeware. A second speciality is the production of cricket balls.

Tonbridge today
A town is house to many left over Grammar Schools, including The Judd School and Tonbridge Grammar School for Girls. Tonbridge School, founded in 1553, occurs as swell respected personal boys' school in the centre of the town. Numbers of primary & lycee in the Tonbridge region provide the superiority of education, & this has been an incentive for numbers of while moving to the town.

Major industries include lightly engineering, distribution & services. The every month farmers' market sells the wide kind of locally produced food & drinks, together by using extra exotic imports.

A town has largely retained its 'market town' atmosphere & has numerous attractions to visitant & residents like, including a easily-maintained Castle Gatehouse, a big united states park & activities depending in the flow of any stream. Sports facilities including an indoor/outdoor playing pool, a leisure centre & the big sportsground come tons placed some the town centre. Numbers of of the facilities come provided or even subsidised per local authority.

Virtually all of the town's concidering facilities come clustered astir its main street, which run about a single mile through the town centre. There has been increasing criticism from either local residents that there is a proportional abundance of eating place, house agent, banks & 'inexpensive' shops, & the want of major high street retail merchant. Notwithstanding, there are far fewer empty high street premiss than in a mid Nineties, & the town inevitably suffers from either its proximity to big shopping center like Maidstone & Bluewater. Recent proposals to improve edge-of-town camping facilities, particularly from either either supermarket chains, own met sustaining potent opposition from town centre retail merchant.

Tonbridge processed national & international newspaper headline in the summertime of 2004 when it staged an open-top bus parade for Dame Kelly Holmes to celebrate her double Olympic gold success. Above 40,000 humans were guessed to develop packed a town centre or even lined a route from either nearby Hildenborough, roughly tantamount to the entire people of Tonbridge & Hildenborough.

There are first proposals to dual the A21 at Castle Hill & thereby improve a connection to Tunbridge Wells & Pembury in which a newly regional hospital is to exist as constructed.

Communications
Tonbridge railway station is an important railway junction by having lines to London, Ashford, Hastings and Redhill. A town is served per A21 trunk road between London & Hastings and is approximately a M25 motorway.

Miscellaneous
Tonbridge is twinned with the towns of Le Puy-en-Velay in France and Heusenstamm in Germany.