Eight free heritage events run in Tunbridge Wells to 20 September, four of them this Saturday. Nine more are in the borough, from Paddock Wood to Sissinghurst.
Heritage Open Days starts today and runs until Sunday 20 September. The festival’s own directory lists eight events in Tunbridge Wells and Southborough this year. Every one is free.
Saturday is the busiest day in town, with four events. There is nothing on in Tunbridge Wells itself today, Tuesday or Thursday.
Nine more events are listed across the rest of the borough, in Paddock Wood, Capel, Five Oak Green, Horsmonden, Lamberhurst and Sissinghurst. One more is just over the county border at Eridge. (Heritage Open Days, events near Tunbridge Wells)
The festival describes itself as a chance to see hidden places, “all of which are FREE to explore”. This year’s national theme is “Everyday Histories”. (Heritage Open Days; St Barnabas CEP School listing)
What is on in Tunbridge Wells and Southborough
| Event | Where | When | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Scientist of Sherwood | Sherwood Library, Greggs Wood Road | Sat 12 Sep, 10am to 2pm | Not needed |
| Untimely Ends | Cemetery Lodge, Benhall Mill Road | Sat 12 Sep, 2pm guided walk; Sun 13 Sep, 2pm to 4pm self-guided | Not needed |
| The Uphill Struggles of Royal Tunbridge Wells (walk) | Starts outside 4 The Pantiles, ends at the Town Hall | Sat 12 and Wed 16 Sep, 10.30am; Mon 14 and Fri 18 Sep, 2pm | Book online, 16 places |
| The Elevated Decimus Burton Walking Tour | Starts at Trinity Theatre, Church Road | Sat 12, Wed 16 and Sat 19 Sep, 2pm to 3.30pm | Book online, 20 places |
| Salomons Museum talk | Salomons Estate, Broomhill Road, Southborough | Sun 13 Sep, 2pm, about 90 minutes | Required, Salomons reception 01892 515152, 18 places |
| The Pantiles: Something in the Water! (walk) | Starts outside 4 The Pantiles | Mon 14, Fri 18, Sat 19 and Sun 20 Sep, 10.30am; also Sun 20 Sep, 2pm | Book online, 14 places |
| St Barnabas CEP School | Quarry Road | Sat 19 Sep, 10am to 3pm | Not needed |
| Everyday people of Woodbury Park Cemetery (walk) | Woodbury Park Road | Sun 20 Sep, 10am to 11am | Not needed |
Three of the four walks are run by the same guide. The booking links go to SignUp, and the listings say you do not need to create an account to use it.
One booking deadline is tonight. The Salomons listing gives its booking cut-off as the start of Saturday 12 September, so ring the reception today.
Four worth making time for
Salomons, Southborough. The house was the Salomons family’s country home from 1829 to the mid 1930s, designed by Decimus Burton. When Vera Salomons gave the estate to Kent County Council in 1937, she required two rooms to be kept as a memorial. They commemorate three men all named David Salomons: her brother, killed at Gallipoli, her father, and her great uncle. Sunday’s talk is about the first David Salomons and his wife Jeannette. The listing says visitors may also see parts of the house not usually open, if they have not been booked for other events. (Heritage Open Days listing)
Sherwood Library. Sir Charles William Siemens, the inventor and scientist, lived at Sherwood House from 1874 until his death in 1883 and used the estate for his experiments. Saturday’s drop-in also covers the staff who ran the house, including eight gardeners. There are historic photographs, crafts and a quiz. (Heritage Open Days listing)
St Barnabas School. The Quarry Road primary opened in June 1889. On Saturday the classrooms will hold old school photographs, registers and the headteacher’s log books going back to the opening. A team from Scotney Castle will run conservation workshops, and you can bring small objects for advice on caring for them. (Heritage Open Days listing)
Woodbury Park Cemetery. It opened in September 1849, when the churchyard at Holy Trinity began to run out of space. It is Grade II listed, and more than 6,000 people are buried there. (Heritage Open Days listing)
Across the rest of the borough
Distances are straight-line from Tunbridge Wells town centre.
- Hopping and Farming in Capel, St Thomas a Becket Church, Capel, about 4.5 miles north-east. Open every day from Saturday 12 to Sunday 20 September, 10am to 4pm. Over 200 photographs, maps and diagrams of the parish’s hop farming. The old tools are on show on 12 and 13 September only.
- Hoppers Hospital, Five Oak Green, about 5 miles north-east. A building that has stood for 400 years. Friday 18 September, 3pm to 6pm; Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, 11am to 4pm.
- Magical Memories of Everyday Life in Paddock Wood, St Andrew’s Church, Maidstone Road, about 6 miles north-east. Saturday 12 September, 10am to 4pm.
- John Brunt VC, Church Road, Paddock Wood. The pub was the Kent Arms until 3 September 1947, when it was renamed after a Second World War soldier awarded the Victoria Cross. Listed every day of the festival during opening hours, from noon.
- Paddock Wood Old Closed Churchyard, Church Road. The original St Andrew’s churchyard, with war graves from both world wars. Saturday 19 September, 10am to 4pm.
- Paddock Wood Freemasons Hall, 57 Maidstone Road. Saturday 19 September, 10am to 3pm.
- Horsmonden History, Nostalgia and Memories, Horsmonden Social Club, Green Road, about 7 miles east. Saturday 19 September, 10am to 4pm.
- Court Lodge, Lamberhurst, about 6 miles south-east. An exhibition and a guided tour of the Pulham and walled gardens, 2pm on 12, 13, 19 and 20 September. Booking is required and the listing says it closes at noon today. Groups are limited to 15.
- Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook, about 14 miles east. Wednesday 16 September only. Gates open 10am, the garden 11am, last entry 4.45pm. No booking, but the National Trust charges £4.50 to park.
Just over the border: Eridge Park Estate Office is at Eridge Green, about 3 miles south-west, in Wealden district, East Sussex. It shows papers of John Robinson, Secretary to the Treasury from 1770 to 1782, along with family silver, a 16th century illuminated psalter and a longcase clock from about 1705. Open Monday 14 to Wednesday 16 September, 10am to 3pm. Booking is preferred, on 01892 750760, and groups are limited to four.
Day by day
| Day | Tunbridge Wells and Southborough | Rest of the borough | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 11 Sep | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sat 12 Sep | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Sun 13 Sep | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Mon 14 Sep | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Tue 15 Sep | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Wed 16 Sep | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Thu 17 Sep | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Fri 18 Sep | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Sat 19 Sep | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Sun 20 Sep | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Events that open on several days count once on each of those days. Eridge is not included, because it is outside the borough.
What it means for you
- Everything is free. Four of the eight events in town need booking. The others you can simply turn up to.
- Book Salomons today. Places are limited to 18 and the listing closes bookings tonight.
- The walks have limits. The Pantiles walk takes 14 people, the Uphill walk 16 and the Decimus Burton tour 20.
- Check access before you go. The Uphill walk has several steps and one steep climb. Woodbury Park Cemetery is on a slope, has uneven paths and no toilets. The upper floor at St Barnabas is up four flights of stairs. The Uphill walk and the Decimus Burton tour ask that dogs stay at home.
- Parking. There is none at St Barnabas School or Woodbury Park Cemetery. The school suggests two-hour street parking or the Camden Road and Beech Street car parks. Our parking in Tunbridge Wells page has the tariffs.
More ideas for the next few weekends are on our things to do in Tunbridge Wells page.
Sources: Heritage Open Days 2026 event search around Tunbridge Wells, Southborough and Paddock Wood, and each individual event listing linked above, all read 11 September 2026, for every date, time, booking condition, capacity and historical detail; Heritage Open Days homepage for the free-entry statement. Distances and districts are our own, calculated from each venue’s postcode with postcodes.io. The day-by-day counts are our own tally of the listings.
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