The Pantiles is a delightful pedestrianized colonnaded walkway named after the small tiles laid to prevent slipping on the muddy ground in 1689 – now replaced by flagstones. Peaceful, beautiful and inspiring, this assembly point for visiting 1700s gentry is where you’ll still find the original Chalybeate Spring, and in the summer you can actually sample the waters, served by a costumed dipper. This area is packed with lovely antique shops, boutiques and art galleries, and there’s a Farmers Market on the first and third Saturday per month. It is a lovely place to visit in the summer.
In 1687, a fire broke out in the house … at the bottom of the walk, by which the life of one poor child was lost, and all the shops, and other buildings, so lately erected on the green bank, were entirely consumed but was rebuilt quickly.
Check out the Story of Tunbridge wells and the famous Composer George Frideric Handel .
I found this handy little history book you can read online or download for free:
In February 2012, the 6th Marquess of Abergavenny bought the Lower Pantiles which had previously been owned by the Nevill family until 1939. A management company has been established to oversee a sympathetic development of the area to maximise the opportunities and benefits for the local community while enhancing the attractive historic inheritance and part of the area is currently going through regeneration process, so who know what spirits are stirring with all the activity in the area at present.
As for the Haunting Happenings in the area, there have been many reports over the years of several apparitions or paranormal activity witnessed in the Pantiles area……
In 1789 she rebuilt the Temple on the Lower Walks. It was a small theatre but popular. Sarah ran the box office herself. Her son-in-law William Dowton, a distinguished actor, trod the boards here, as did Grimaldi, the great original of stage clowns. Charles Kemble also played here, as did Edmund Kean when he was a seventeen year-old beginner in 1806. Charles Dibdin was part of Sarah’s company mucking in by painting scenery and concocting songs and farces to round off the evening. Before the alteration of the County Boundary, the Theatre had the stage in Sussex and the Auditorium in Kent.
Sarah Baker died in 1816, and Dowton her son-in-law took over. Charles Kean appeared in 1833, following in the footsteps of his father, who had died a few months earlier. Two years later Paganini drew gasps of astonishment with his virtuosity. Despite these big draws, however, Kentish Theatre was in decline and the Temple was forced to close in 1843 and was eventually reconstructed and opened as the Corn Exchange. The original frontage of the Theatre still forms the frontage of the Corn Exchange but its interior was lost in the reconstruction. The building was also extensively reconstructed in 1989.
Today it is home to Rosemary Shragers Cookery School – a TV Chef and this is where the programme Chopping Block is filmed. She is one of few, that currently use the building, it has a lot of disused space/offices in there atm and spooky quiet even during the day and has an unusual piece of Dragon art taking pride of place at the end wall in the central area (see pic below) so I hope this soon becomes the bustling place it used to be.
So could the apparition of a Victorian lady, witnessed wandering the Corn Exchange, be that of Sarah Baker or maybe another theatre goer, who frequented the Temple when it was a bustling theatre.
THE COACH & HORSES PASSAGE – 
This passage is situated near to the Corn Exchange in the lower walk and leads you from the Pantiles through to the Sussex Mews area with the old stabled area, that is now offices/business and other areas have been transformed into homes. It is also where the The Sussex Arms pub stands with its 17th Century foundations, the area was first built to serve the needs of the Coachmen and servants who would park in Sussex Mews while their Gentleman owners enjoyed the nearby Walks. Then becoming the Sussex Tap, connected to the Sussex hotel (later to become The Royal Victoria & Sussex Hotel) built next to the Theatre (corn exchange) Witnesses have reported hearing a creaking noise, as they walk through the Coach & Horses passage. The story goes a local man who lived in the 19th Century, is said to have been in severe debt from gambling, another report said he was robbed of his money but all reports say he hung himself, out of despair in the passage and the eerie noises are said to be that of the Rope, swinging under the strain of his body.
This passage is situated near to the Corn Exchange in the lower walk and leads you from the Pantiles through to the Sussex Mews area with the old stabled area, that is now offices/business and other areas have been transformed into homes. It is also where the The Sussex Arms pub stands with its 17th Century foundations, the area was first built to serve the needs of the Coachmen and servants who would park in Sussex Mews while their Gentleman owners enjoyed the nearby Walks. Then becoming the Sussex Tap, connected to the Sussex hotel (later to become The Royal Victoria & Sussex Hotel) built next to the Theatre (corn exchange) Witnesses have reported hearing a creaking noise, as they walk through the Coach & Horses passage. The story goes a local man who lived in the 19th Century, is said to have been in severe debt from gambling, another report said he was robbed of his money but all reports say he hung himself, out of despair in the passage and the eerie noises are said to be that of the Rope, swinging under the strain of his body.
The was also a fatal accident in 1860. An elderly man, named Bellchambers, who had been in the employ of Messenger. Pickford carriers, as a porter, for years. It is said that around 5 o'clock, Bellchambers was leading a horse attached to one of the Pickford’s vans down Frant Road and on reaching a sharp descent, at the entrance to the Coach and Horses inn, (situated at 31 Pantiles) the horse being startled, ran off. The old man was dragged some distance, then fell to the ground, and was run over. The wheels passed across his chest, and the unfortunate man received injuries resulting in almost immediate death. he was taken to the Coach and horses Inn, where Mr. Henning, the surgeon attended but the old man’s injuries were fatal and he left a widow and large family, so could the noises heard be the residual energies of this accident.
There are several pubs on the Pantiles THE RAGGED TROUSERS , THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS HOTEL & THE GREY LADY. whose buildings that have paranormal reports over the years but you will have to check out out Haunted Hostelries and Hotels etc on the website for the details on those.
MAJOR YORKS ROAD – situated behind the Pantiles on the main London Road at the mini roundabout, outside MW Solicitors stands an old milestone. Witnesses have reported seeing an apparition of young girl around 19 years old, dressed in Georgian clothing, standing by it, seemingly waiting for someone.
Who knows what other spirits wander unseen among the visitors and local residents, who go about their days around the Pantiles.
Look out for the next blog, as the GofEPS blogs about the Bilsington Priory investigation hosted by the Ghost Hunt Events team.
Reference Sources
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