The Chalybeate Spring
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
In 1606 Lord North, a young courtier, noticed a spring with an orange, rusty colour while riding through the woods. Believing the iron-rich water had healed him, he spread the word, and visitors flocked to it.
Read the full story, see it on the map, get directions and find what else is nearby in the free Hidden Britain Atlas map.
- When
- Found 1606
- Where
- 51.1300, 0.2580
- Group
- Holy wells & springs
Visiting
On the Pantiles. A 'dipper' serves the water in summer.

The Ledger of Lost Britain
The Romans arrived in AD 43. For most people that is where the history of Britain begins. But by the time the legions landed, people had already been living on these islands for thousands of years. They had hunted, farmed, mined flint, dragged stones across the country, raised a hill by hand, and buried their dead in great tombs. They left no written words. What they left was the ground itself. Every place in this book can be visited, or has been dug up, or is in a museum.
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