insideKENT Magazine Issue 104 - December 2020 | Page 54

CHRISTMAS IN

KENTMAS

SHOP LOCAL THIS CHRISTMAS CONT .
CHRISTMAS IN
ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS
ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS IS ONE OF THOSE TOWNS THAT EVERYONE SAYS THEY KNOW OR AT THE VERY LEAST HAVE HEARD OF . AND YET THIS KENTISH GEM HAS AN ARRAY OF HIDDEN DELIGHTS , FOR EXAMPLE DO YOU KNOW WHAT ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND ROME HAVE IN COMMON ? THEY WERE BOTH BUILT ON SEVEN HILLS . IT WAS RECENTLY VOTED THE NINTH HAPPIEST PLACE TO LIVE NATIONWIDE . SMALL WONDER AS THE TOWN IS A WONDERFUL MIX OF GENTILITY AND CREATIVITY . INDEPENDENT RETAILERS NESTLE ALONGSIDE BIG BRANDS MAKING IT A CHRISTMAS SHOPPER ' S PARADISE .
The town divides smoothly into different shopping quarters offering something for even the most challenging of people on your gift list . At the top end of town lies Calverley Road and Camden Road where you can find such delights as World of Sewing for arts and crafts lovers , must have DuBarry Boots from Chris Potter Country Sports , fashion from Fat Face and books from Waterstones . Go to Royal Victoria Place shopping centre for some smashing big brand stores including Fenwick , Superdry , Marks and Spencer , The Body Shop , and Lush .
The sweeping Victorian curve of Monson Road showcases shops such as Lakeland for all things culinary , COOK for Christmas Day delights and pet treats and toys at Wolfit The Pet Shop . Bridging the gap between the top and bottom parts of town are Mount Pleasant and the High Street . Heading down into Mount Pleasant there is Bang & Olufsen for the music lover , Whirligig for traditional toys , JoJo Maman Bébé for little ones , and Cotswold Outdoors for all things … outdoorsy ! Hello to the High Street and yes please to high end delights from Caroline Charles , designer wonders from bod and ted and a cool coastal outfit from Seasalt Cornwall .
Nearing the bottom of town , romantic Chapel Place is made up entirely of independent retailers where you can get specialist gifts from boutiques such as Gray & Co , must have pieces of jewellery from Gabriella Fine Jewellery , Christmas outfits from Anna Poulsen and homeware and garden one offs from Le Petit Jardin . Shoppers will recognise The Pantiles from various films and adverts and the famous Georgian colonnade hosts retailers such as Trevor Mottram for homeware and The Zero Waste
Company where people can shop plastic free and stock up on refills of beauty products and essentials . Coffee shops , restaurants and galleries abound here !
To reward all of your sterling shopping efforts treat yourself to a cream tea at Hotel Du Vin , drinks at Geography or The Wine Rooms and dinner at Soprano , The Warren or Sankey ’ s . Never let it be said that Royal Tunbridge Wells doesn ’ t know how to wine and dine its shoppers .
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