A dress worn by Helena Bonham-Carter in the film “Room with a View” is among dozens of stunning and intricate costumes on display for one more week at an exhibition in London.
The displays are only 45 minutes away from Southborough at the Fashion and Textile Museum next to London Bridge station.
The exhibition is a very rare chance to see close up the costumes worn by some of Britain’s greatest actors over the past 60 years in films and TV period dramas such as the BBC’s hugely successful 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation.
Colin Firth’s and Jennifer Ehle’s authentic clothing styles from 1810s are pictured below.
Mr Darcy’s sisters’ flamboyant frocks (below) were made to be “the period equivalent of Gucci”, so they would contrast with the simple printed dresses worn by the Bennet sisters.
The exhibition celebrates the London-based costume house, Cosprop, which was founded by John Bright in 1965 and now holds over a million costumes and supporting accessories.
Cosprop’s ethos was to develop a more authentic style of costume design based on the close study of original clothing. Examples in the exhibition range from Great Expectations (1967) to Downton Abbey and Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (2022).
Among the many highlights in the displays are replicas of the wedding outfits from the ITV series Victoria worn by Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes. The white wedding dress popularised the lasting tradition of the bride wearing white.
A delicately embroidered 1815 dress worn by Anya Taylor-Joy when she played Emma in the 2020 film (shown below) is also available to view until 8th March 2026.
A state Grammar School in Tonbridge says it’s improving access for girls whose parents can’t afford to pay for tutors to coach the Kent County Council 11-plus test.
Weald of Kent Grammar School is to introduce its own entrance test, which will sit alongside the Kent Test as an equally valid route of entry to the school.
Weald of Kent Grammar School opened a so-called “satellite annexe” in Sevenoaks in 2017 to accomodate 450 girls. In the sixth firm, the school admits boys and girls.
The school says the new assessment has been designed to test girls only on content covered in state primary schools up to the end of Year 5. Many local state primary schools apparently don’t teach maths to the level required for the Kent Test by the time students take the exam at the start of Year 6.
Weald of Kent says the change “reflects the school’s commitment to fairness, inclusion and accessibility, and aims to encourage families who may not previously have considered a grammar school to apply if they have a bright, academic daughter who would thrive in an aspirational yet caring environment.”
Headteacher Richard Booth (pictured below) said: “This new assessment is about aptitude, not advantage. We want to ensure that a girl’s potential, curiosity and academic ability are what matter – not whether her family has the means or inclination to pay for tutoring”.
Mr Booth continued: “By offering a bespoke test alongside the Kent Test, we are opening the door wider so that more local girls can see Weald of Kent as a school for them.”
“We are excited about the opportunities this creates,” added Mr Booth. “Our message is simple: if you have a bright, academic girl who loves learning, Weald of Kent could be the right place for her – without pressure, without advantage, and with every opportunity to meet her full potential.”
By removing the expectation of tutoring, Weald of Kent says it hopes to reassure families that preparation can remain focused on learning in primary school, rather than intensive exam coaching. It also aims to reduce the pressure often associated with applying for secondary school.
Robin Jones, Chair of the Trustees of Weald of Kent said: “As a state-funded grammar school, Weald of Kent is proud to be free, inclusive and rooted in its local community. We want every girl who joins us to feel a strong sense of belonging, to feel supported and valued, and to know that high academic standards and inclusivity go hand in hand.”
Weald of Kent Grammar School was recently voted among the top twenty schools nationally for being safe.
The school says the new initiative marks another step in making Weald of Kent increasingly accessible to local girls from Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and surrounding areas – particularly those who may not have previously seen grammar schools as an option for their family.
Elections are to be held next year for a brand new Tonbridge Town Council.
A decision to go ahead with the extra tier of local government was taken at a meeting of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council on Tuesday.
Support for a Tonbridge Town Council was strengthened by the Labour government’s plans to abolish Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and replace it with a much larger unitary authority, likely to be more distant from Tonbridge residents – probably in Maidstone.
This new unitary authority is set to also mean the winding up of Kent County Council in a plan the government hopes will lead to reduced administrative duplication and more efficient local government.
Southborough and Sevenoaks already have town councils as well as Borough councils and Kent County Council covering the same area. All other areas in Tonbridge and Malling Borough also already have either a town or parish council (town and parish councils have the same powers).
Town Councils generally look after local parks, cemeteries and smaller venues, like village halls.
The new Tonbridge Town Council will begin work in May 2027 following the scheduled elections.
The second consultation on the Town Council proposal was held during November and December 2025 and attracted 897 responses. 62% of people that responded stated they believe the town council should have a mayor.
The first consultation ran from June to July 2025 and received 3,257 responses, representing approximately 12% of the eligible population. 72% of respondents supported the creation of a town council for Tonbridge, while 23% were opposed and 5% were unsure.
There will be 18 elected councillors in six wards across the town.
The wards will have the same boundaries as the existing six borough wards:
Cage Green and Angel – 4 Councillors
Higham – 3 Councillors
Oast – 1 Councillor
Judd – 3 Councillors
Trench – 3 Councillors
Vauxhall – 4 Councillors
There would be an overall increased cost to Tonbridge council tax payers arising from the additional overheads and any extra services the town council chose to deliver. The town council will charge a precept on top of the Borough’s bill.
Charges for businesses would not be affected as they are subject to business rates, which are calculated separately from council tax.
The “Dry Wells Action” Tunbridge Wells community group has condemned Monday’s decision of the board of South East Water to keep its chief executive, David Hinton (pictured below), in post and says it now expects him to be given another pay rise in April.
Jonathan Hawker who’s Chairman of “Dry Wells Action” says he’s identified that David Hinton is being paid an extra £50,000 so-called “cash allowance” to deal with regulators probing the company’s activities. That’s on top of a 30% increase in David Hinton’s basic salary last April from £307,000 to £400,000 a year.
Jonathan Hawker (pictured below centre) says that effectively gave Mr Hinton a 47% increase in annual pay for the current year at a time when the company increased consumer bills by 20%.
In a statement, South East Water told Southborough News: “South East Water remains committed to a remuneration framework that supports a performance culture, and recognises success but does not reward poor performance.”
The SE Water statement continued: “The remuneration committee, led by independent non-executive directors, approved a 30.2 per cent increase in the base salary of the CEO. This is detailed on page 165 of our annual report, and page 166 details the cash allowance provided to each director in relation to the CMA process. We can confirm that no bonus payment was made for operational performance for the year 2024/25.”
Jonathan Hawker of “Dry Wells Action” said: “David Hinton should not be rewarded for his repeated failing. Dealing with regulators is obviously part of the day job of the chief executive of any regulated company, so why is the Board giving Hinton more just to do something he would be doing anyway?”
Six MPs have now demanded the removal of David Hinton.
Helen Whately MP for Faversham and Mid Kent (pictured above), said she was furious that the company’s Monday board meeting resulted in a decision to stand by Mr Hinton.
She said: “It’s a kick in the teeth [for] all those people who had days without water, not least all those vulnerable householders who were left without emergency supplies, along with livestock, businesses and schools.
Helen Whately concluded: “I have no confidence in the current leadership to turn South East Water around. The Chief Executive will keep on enjoying his six figure salary into the foreseeable future. It’s a disgrace.”
South East Water is due to hold its annual general meeting later this month after announcing a further 7% increase in water bills for the coming year.
A dispute between South East Water and OFWAT over the company’s 5-year business plan to 2030 is being considered by the competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority. The CMA is due to announce its findings in March.
Jonathan Hawker of “Dry Wells Action” said the £50,000 “cash allowance” for Mr Hinton was “buried in the company’s annual report” and was “wholly inappropriate”. It is not categorised by SE Water as either pay or bonus.
South East Water said the extra £50k was put in place to recognise the additional hours which Mr Hinton would need to devote to dealing with the water regulator, OFWAT.
Jonathan Hawker said: “What we really need is for Chris Train, South East Water’s chairman, to get a grip, stop rewarding failure, and replace Hinton immediately with someone who can do the job and announce urgently a plan to sort out the problems faced here in Tunbridge Wells and beyond.”
Jonathan Hawker continued: “South East Water has made no announcement of any plans to address the issues here and has avoided public debate.”
According to “Dry Wells Action”, under David Hinton’s five years of leadership, SE Water has gone from an annual profit of £37.7m to a loss of £19.8m last year. Its borrowings now exceed £1.3bn. The company has paid £249m in dividends to shareholders over the past decade.
A chartered geologist has criticised a lack of board level technical expertise at South East Water, as investigations continue into how the taps ran dry in Tunbridge Wells in recent weeks.
The geologist with long experience in the water supply industry is Charles Hedges (pictured below) and he spoke to the Southborough News YouTube channel last week.
Charles Hedges said: “What I don’t understand is that you have a (South East Water) board with … no chartered engineer, chartered chemist, or chartered microbiologist. I find that very odd.”
He continued: “I’m worried about the lack of technical expertise in the area of a chartered civil engineer who understands water supply, a lack of a chartered chemist who understands water process treatment, and I’m worried about a lack of chartered microbiologist, who understands microbiology”.
Charles Hedges also stated: “Pembury has had a potential issue with bacteria, so … there should be a director of microbiology on the board.”
South East Water told Southborough News in a statement that it would be investing in improving the Pembury water treatment works over the next five years.
South East Water also provided a list of professional qualifications obtained by its current eight-member board of directors. This states that one of its non-executive directors, Caroline Sheridan, is a chartered civil engineer, while Mark McArdle is a “Master of Chemistry.” But there was no sign of expertise in microbiology.
The board has 4 people with accountancy and commerce backgrounds. The independent Chair, Chris Train, is a Chartered Engineer, while Chief Executive David Hinton has worked at South East Water for more than 25 years having studied for a degree in Biotechnology.
The interview with Charles Hedges is included in a comprehensive video report on the public meeting at the Old Auction House in Tunbridge Wells held last Wednesday, which was organised by the newly formed “Dry Wells Action” group.
“Dry Wells Action” was founded by Jonathan Hawker (pictured below at the meeting), who told us “absolute rage” caused him to start the group.
Neither South East Water or any of the regulators said they were able to attend the meeting due to the continuing investigations into the company’s performance.
Jonathan Hawker stated: “It was the third time we lost water completely in our household. We had the incident a couple of years ago, around Christmas. We had the incident at the end of last year before Christmas.”
Jonathan Hawker continued: “We thought we were through it. We weren’t, and after, you know, almost a week of intermittent water, it just went completely and I just had had enough, really.”
He added: “And so I decided that I would launch a campaign group – and campaign for a resilient water supply for Tunbridge Wells, and that’s what I’ve done.”
More than a hundred residents attended the meeting last Wednesday despite an evening of heavy January rain.
In other comments, geologist Charles Hedges told Southborough News that the lack of up-to-date real time monitoring of water inflows into the Pembury reservoir: “quite frankly horrifies me, bearing in mind, this is a town of, what, 70,000 people.”
Charles Hedges thinks the Pembury site should have been updated more than 20 years ago.
In response, South East Water sent Southborough News this statement from the Chief Executive, David Hinton:
“Our priority is improving South East Water in the future. We are strategically focused on our Business Plan and committed to delivering the infrastructure investment needed. This will improve our resilience as we face the challenges of climate change and population growth.
“We have a large capital investment programme planned over this five-year period (2025-2030), and Pembury water treatment works is part of that programme. In advance of this full refurbishment, a number of improvements and changes are being made at the site in line with the current regulatory notice. Some of these are complete, and others are still ongoing, all of which are in line with the regulators’ timescales.”
David Hinton continued: “My focus has been, and always will be, to lead South East Water into the position it needs to be to face the challenges all water companies in England and Wales have.
“Those challenges include climate change, growth in population and the urgent need for investment in our ageing infrastructure.
“Our Business Plan sets out how we will do this. It’s an ambitious plan and it is a robust plan.
“There is a lot to do to make sure South East Water has the resilience it needs to make sure our customers have the service they not only expect, but deserve.
“We apologise sincerely for the supply issues our customers have had. A combination of factors has meant we have not been able to provide the continuous, uninterrupted tap water service our customers rightly expect.
“We will always work with our regulators and stakeholders to make improvements and are transparent in everything we do.
“We have the expertise and dedication in our teams at South East Water and we will use innovation and technology to improve our service.”
You can also listen to the audio of the half-hour of interviews by downloading the West Kent Talking podcast.
Among those others who spoke to Southborough News on the video were local business owner Matthew Sankey, Marianne Amos from “Dry Wells Action” and a Liberal Democrat borough councillor representing Pantiles, Jamie Johnson. The piece ended with the views of local residents Jerry Bolton and Christopher Jackson.
A chartered geologist has criticised a lack of board level technical expertise at South East Water as investigations continue into how the taps ran dry in Tunbridge Wells before Christmas.
The geologist with long experience in the water supply industry is Charles Hedges (pictured below) and he spoke to the Southborough News YouTube channel last week.
Charles Hedges said: “What I don’t understand is that you have a (South East Water) board with … no chartered engineer, chartered chemist, or chartered microbiologist. I find that very odd.”
He continued: “I’m worried about the lack of technical expertise in the area of a chartered civil engineer who understands water supply, a lack of a chartered chemist who understands water process treatment, and I’m worried about a lack of chartered microbiologist, who understands microbiology”.
Charles Hedges also stated: “Pembury has had a potential issue with bacteria, so … there should be a director of microbiology on the board.”
South East Water told Southborough News in a statement that it would be investing in improving the Pembury water treatment works over the next five years.
South East Water also provided a list of professional qualifications obtained by its current eight-member board of directors. This states that one of its non-executive directors, Caroline Sheridan, is a chartered civil engineer, while Mark McArdle is a “Master of Chemistry.” But there was no sign of expertise in microbiology.
The board has 4 people with accountancy and commerce backgrounds. The independent Chair, Chris Train, is a Chartered Engineer, while Chief Executive David Hinton has worked at South East Water for more than 25 years having studied for a degree in Biotechnology.
The interview with Charles Hedges is included in a comprehensive video report on the public meeting at the Old Auction House in Tunbridge Wells held last Wednesday, which was organised by the newly formed “Dry Wells Action” group.
“Dry Wells Action” was founded by Jonathan Hawker (pictured below at the meeting), who told us “absolute rage” caused him to start the group.
Neither South East Water or any of the regulators said they were able to attend the meeting due to the continuing investigations into the company’s performance.
Jonathan Hawker stated: “It was the third time we lost water completely in our household. We had the incident a couple of years ago, around Christmas. We had the incident at the end of last year before Christmas.”
Jonathan Hawker continued: “We thought we were through it. We weren’t, and after, you know, almost a week of intermittent water, it just went completely and I just had had enough, really.”
He added: “And so I decided that I would launch a campaign group – and campaign for a resilient water supply for Tunbridge Wells, and that’s what I’ve done.”
More than a hundred residents attended the meeting last Wednesday despite an evening of heavy January rain.
In other comments, geologist Charles Hedges told Southborough News that the lack of up-to-date real time monitoring of water inflows into the Pembury reservoir: “quite frankly horrifies me, bearing in mind, this is a town of, what, 70,000 people.”
Charles Hedges thinks the Pembury site should have been updated more than 20 years ago.
In response, South East Water sent Southborough News this statement from the Chief Executive, David Hinton:
“Our priority is improving South East Water in the future. We are strategically focused on our Business Plan and committed to delivering the infrastructure investment needed. This will improve our resilience as we face the challenges of climate change and population growth.
“We have a large capital investment programme planned over this five-year period (2025-2030), and Pembury water treatment works is part of that programme. In advance of this full refurbishment, a number of improvements and changes are being made at the site in line with the current regulatory notice. Some of these are complete, and others are still ongoing, all of which are in line with the regulators’ timescales.”
David Hinton continued: “My focus has been, and always will be, to lead South East Water into the position it needs to be to face the challenges all water companies in England and Wales have.
“Those challenges include climate change, growth in population and the urgent need for investment in our ageing infrastructure.
“Our Business Plan sets out how we will do this. It’s an ambitious plan and it is a robust plan.
“There is a lot to do to make sure South East Water has the resilience it needs to make sure our customers have the service they not only expect, but deserve.
“We apologise sincerely for the supply issues our customers have had. A combination of factors has meant we have not been able to provide the continuous, uninterrupted tap water service our customers rightly expect.
“We will always work with our regulators and stakeholders to make improvements and are transparent in everything we do.
“We have the expertise and dedication in our teams at South East Water and we will use innovation and technology to improve our service.”
You can also listen to the audio of the half-hour of interviews by downloading the West Kent Talking podcast.
Among those others who spoke to Southborough News on the video were local business owner Matthew Sankey, Marianne Amos from “Dry Wells Action” and a Liberal Democrat borough councillor representing Pantiles, Jamie Johnson. The piece ended with the views of local residents Jerry Bolton and Christopher Jackson.
New DAB transmitters in West Kent have just been switched on, bringing the total number of radio stations available in Southborough in the DAB band to more than 180.
The arrival of the new local DAB multiplex coincides with the launch on Monday 19th January 2026 of Weald Radio, which is music-focused but also features snippets of local weather, news and events.
Weald Radio says it aims to cover an area including Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.
The new Maidstone and West Kent so-called “Small Scale DAB multiplex” uses low power transmitters, so is cheaper and more accessible for a wider range of operators. The new DAB transmitter sites are in central Tunbridge Wells, a site near Maidstone and the mobile mast near St Julian’s just south of Sevenoaks.
The on-air line-up on Weald Radio includes five presenters who were previously on the local FM Community Radio station, West Kent Radio. They include the former West Kent Radio breakfast presenter, Alan Rustad (pictured below), who has now shifted to the drivetime slot on Weald Radio.
Weald Radio is run as a community-based CIC (Community Interest Company) with all income reinvested in the company. The two directors of the parent company of the station, Oast Radio CIC, are Nigel Peacock and Phil Mills.
Weald Radio will be financed by a mixture of advertising, sponsorship, and grants. The entire team is providing their knowledge and expertise at no cost.
The station says its brand is “Where Local Matters”. A weekly “Weald Discoveries” programme will highlight new and unsigned artists from across Kent, while a short recorded community spot will highlight the work of charities and good causes in the area.
Meanwhile, West Kent Radio continues to broadcast on 95.5 FM and 106.7 FM to Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. Its licence to broadcast on FM ends this October, although it could apply to OFCOM to extend it.
West Kent Radio is also due to be carried on the new West Kent Small Scale DAB multiplex.
West Kent Radio was until recently carrying regular interviews with local people and news features. Those ceased in January but the station continues to produce a local live sports programme on Saturday afternoons and a Tuesday evening programme featuring new local musicians.
Until recently, West Kent Radio boasted 23 hours of live programming a week during the main listening times of weekdays 7am to 7pm. But after leadership changes in December and an exodus of volunteers, West Kent Radio’s weekday daytime live programming has now slumped to just 5 hours a week.
The live programming on West Kent Radio comes from a studio in Southborough. Weald Radio operates from computers in volunteers’ homes and doesn’t have a studio.
Weald Radio also uses AI voices for some speech content, with Alice Ingrham providing weather updates.
Another radio station now on local DAB playing familiar music non-stop is CPR, which used to be known as Cinque Ports Radio, based in Rye, where it can also be heard on FM. Both CPR and Weald Radio are also carried on the Ashford Small Scale DAB multiplex.
For reader information, the author of Southborough News, Martin Webber, previously provided news reports for West Kent Radio for 3 years until January 3rd 2025, when he left the voluntary role.
A group of Tunbridge Wells residents has demanded that officials from South East Water and regulators meet the public at an event being held on Wednesday evening.
The group set up following prolonged failures of the local water supply is called “Dry Wells Action.”
Dry Wells Action’s founder, Jonathan Hawker (pictured below), wants measures to ensure the community is never again left unable to flush toilets or wash for days at a time.
Jonathan Hawker, said: “After all that it has been through, this community deserves to hear from the company itself and from those whose duty it is to hold South East Water to account. Not attending and speaking to people who’ve been so badly let down would in itself send a message of abject contempt for a community these organisations are meant to serve.”
Invitations were sent last week to the Water Minister, Emma Hardy MP; the three regulators – Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, and the Consumer Council for Water, as well as elected bodies and members.
Dry Wells Action said on Monday that so far there are no indications that SE Water or regulators will attend. Mike Martin MP is also understood to be busy at Westminster.
But the meeting will go ahead to allow residents, councillors and outside experts to discuss why the community has experienced repeated, lengthy water outages and why regulators and government have not taken enforcement action against the company.
Dry Wells Action’s website states its demands are:
A fully independent engineering review of the entire water supply system serving Tunbridge Wells by an outside engineering consultancy, with an honest assessment of what is failing, what needs rebuilding and what it will cost.
A funded plan with timelines with a clear list of upgrades, milestones, deadlines and published progress.
Investment in a future-proof water infrastructure, not temporary firefighting.
A change in leadership at South East Water and effective regulation.
Dry Wells Action is grateful to the owners of the Old Auction House in Tunbridge Wells which has made the venue available to the group for free to host the event. Access is free but limited. The meeting starts promptly at 7.30pm on Wednesday 21st January. Tickets are available via http://www.drywellsaction.com
A community allotment garden and wellness project in Southborough has benefited from £18,000 of National Lottery funding through its Community Fund.
The community allotment garden is at the Ridgewaye allotments and is aimed at helping people with additional needs.
The Lottery funding has allowed the site to be massively upgraded over the past six months. Raised beds and a fully accessible path have been built. And there’s now a composting toilet on site.
It’s the work of the Friends of Ridgewaye Allotments, led by Verity Timms (pictured below)
Verity Timms applied successfully for the Lottery Funding and – at an event on Sunday 22nd June 2025 – she thanked everyone involved.
Verity Timms said: “I’ve had an allotment here myself for over three years now. And every Tuesday, I’d walk through with my little dog and I would see a group here sitting on the allotments of special needs adults gardening.”
Verity continued: “The couple that ran that group – Mary and Ian – were in their eighties and finding it increasingly difficult to keep on top of the allotment – given that there were no facilities, no raised beds. Everything was really hard for them to do and keep up with. And over the years I started to think well – wouldn’t it be great if we could bring the garden up to a really good modern standard.”
From visiting other allotments in Kent, Verity heard about the potential for National Lottery funding. On learning her funding application was successful last December, Verity said: “I was over the moon…I couldn’t believe it. Everyone was staggered that we got it…so happy.”
A party held by allotment holders with minced pies was held last December (shown below) to celebrate the news that the £18,313 had been awarded in full.
Verity explained that the community allotment garden is aimed at Southborough residents with additional needs, mobility issues, mental health issues or who simply need a supported environment to be able to garden.
You can read more about this story on the West Kent Radio website or download the West Kent Radio app from the Apple App Store or the Google App Store to hear the 6 minute radio report.
The Labour government has announced that Kent will not be “fast-tracked” for a mayor and devolution.
The Kent County Council elections are now set to go ahead as planned in May.
Reacting to the news, the leader of Kent County Council, Roger Gough said: “I am astonished by this decision and bitterly disappointed that residents and businesses of Kent have been let down by the Government and will not be able to benefit from the increased monies, powers and opportunities promised through devolution”.
The Kent County Council election will see people in Southborough voting in the Tunbridge Wells North ward, which elected Conservative Peter Oakford by a margin of 80 votes over Labour in May 2021.
Neighbouring counties of Surrey, Sussex and Essex were all put in the “fast track” which means that their county elections this year will be cancelled, as they would be for authorities due to be quickly abolished in favour of new authorities.
When they eventually happen, residents in Southborough are expected to have one “unitary” authority for West Kent to provide all the services now provided by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Kent County Council.
That includes social care, transport, education, planning and refuse. Southborough Town Council will continue to look after Southborough’s parks and common land.
Southborough News 