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.
Southborough News 