The Victorian-era Friendly Societies’ Hall in Camden Road could be saved from demolition after a dramatic intervention by the Tunbridge Wells Civic Society.

The Society has made an emergency application to add the 150 year-old Hall to the national list of protected buildings, which would stop the Borough Council knocking it down.

The Planning Secretary of the Civic Society, Alastair Tod, told Southborough News that the Society had prepared “a good case” and was doing everything it could to protect the building, which is currently a flourishing snooker club with 400 members (see below).

Alastair Tod said the building is “remarkable inside” and it was a “revelation” to him when he first visited.

He said it was an “absolute shock” when the council revealed recently it intended to demolish the building, leaving only the facade on Camden Road. (Pictures kindly supplied by Sarah Mott.)

Several Tunbridge Wells Borough Councillors have told Southborough News that they hope the listing bid is successful.

But the Liberal Democrat-run Tunbridge Wells Borough Council appears not to have changed its view, arguing that the interior of the hall all needs to be demolished to make space for a luxury cinema operator.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin, said: “The Liberal Democrats and I were elected with a mandate to revitalise the Tunbridge Wells town centre, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Mike Martin continued: “I’m delighted with the Borough Council’s plans to deliver brand new purpose-built retail, hospitality and leisure units, while also maintaining the town centre’s heritage and historic facade on Camden Road.”

The Friendly Societies’ Hall memorial stone (marking the start of building work) was laid by one of Queen Victoria’s daughters, Princess Louise, on 30th June 1877. An article from the time in The Courier published a full page of detail on how the town came to a standstill for the royal visit, with many residents “boiling over with excitement”. (see below).

This is a picture (below) of Princess Louise from four years later. She was Queen Victoria’s sixth child, an artist, sculptor and proponent of women’s rights.

According to the Courier report, as she laid the stone, Princess Louise was observed “audibly remarking on the beauty of the stone and mallet”. The mallet had been made by local craftsmen of ebony and ivory. The trowel she used was made of silver with an ivory handle, which was also made by a local craftman.

The Courier article said the planned Friendly Societies’ Hall would seat 400 people and the building would include a Reading Room, stating: “It is confidently believed, a self-supporting club for working men will be established on a system which shall bring it within reach of all for whom it is intended.”

Alastair Tod also said the Civic Society’s architects had demonstrated that a new boutique cinema could still be built on the RVP site even if the whole Friendly Societies’ Hall was left in tact.

An aerial view illustrating the council plans for adding more modern retail space to the RVP are shown below:

The scheme involves expanding the Ely Court footpath (in yellow above) to a width of 10 metres and setting back the building line by 5 metres. Alastair Tod of the Civic Society said if those elements were changed, the Friendly Societies’ Hall could be preserved without affecting their preferred operator’s desired layout for the luxury cinema and also still leave space for an expansion of food outlets.

It is understood that the boutique cinema will have three screens and be a much higher priced venue than the Knight’s Park Odeon, with luxury seats to replicate the comfort of being at home. The council has a “preferred operator” which has apparently made such a luxury cinema business model work in other towns and which has laid out the cinema designs it thinks will work.

Alistair Tod said the Society had submitted a detailed application to try to persuade English Heritage and the Department for Culture Media and Sport that a listing should be granted.

Alistair Tod said: “It is very important, historically, because it was the Friendly Society’s Hall, which meant that any number of voluntary, mutual help organisations got together in Victorian times to build and operate this centre for all their social activities. So it was self-help, Victorian-style writ large, and it’s significant, I think, nationally, as well as locally, as well as being rather a fine building.” 

He continued: “That side of Camden Road is in the Conservation Area. And therefore, qualifies for protection under the council’s own plans. And it’s an absolute shock to discover that they want to pull it down. Preserving the facade is a very poor substitute for preserving the building.”

One possible reason for the Council to demolish the Hall is that money might need to be spent on maintaining the Hall. But Alastair Tod thinks that is no reason to justify demolition.

He said: “I think it’s probably a long backlog of maintenance. The Hall is by no means falling down. It’s in reasonable nick, and it’s in, of course, continuous operation, continuous occupation.” 

“Architecturally, the interior is very fine, especially the main hall, where the snooker tables are, has a very fine ceiling, and there are other spaces in the building, which are also worth preserving. 

He continued: “It was built in the 1870s by the friendly societies, who were these numerous self-help organisations, which already existed in the town, and they came together to build themselves a rather splendid headquarters – somewhere where they could meet, have lectures and so on. It had a bar and the original plans showed it having a cookery school. It was self improvement, learning skills, supporting one another.”

A full explanation of the Council’s Plans were published last week on Southborough News:
https://southborough-news.com/2026/03/13/demolition-likely-for-historic-corner-of-camden-road/

Asked about the broader wisdom of the Council’s plans to take on a debt of up to £ 68 million for its RVP shopping centre expansion plans, Alistair Tod said: “Well, it’s supposed to pay for itself, by adding to the lettable space, which there is at present in the RVP. It’s a very commercially minded development.”

He continued: “They’re maximising lettable space. So, if it does what it’s designed to do, then it wouldn’t be a burden long term on the council. But it’s a big sum of money, and there is a risk involved – obviously – a risk that it wouldn’t work. They have a lot of vacant space. They hope that by rejuvenating the centre, they can occupy it.”

Details of a petition to save the snooker club – signed so far by 4,800 people – are here:
https://c.org/wDcWGyb9Hv

The latest council consultation only lasted 11 days, ending this weekend. Residents can question council officers at the Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre (between iStore and Kent Relief, a few doors down from Primark) on Saturday 21st March from 10am to 2pm.

You can send a consultation response from this link:
https://rvpfuture.com/

The fascinating full Courier report on the Friendly Societies’ Hall opening can be downloaded here: