Willicombe Park retirement community
Willicombe Park retirement village comprises 67 luxury properties for over 60s. At the heart of the village is the magnificent Willicombe House, a newly redecorated Victorian villa housing a health club with swimming pool, gym and restaurant.
Willicombe House was originally built in 1872 and took its name from William Willicombe, the original owner and property developer. He built it as one of the biggest houses on Tunbridge Wells’ ‘Millionaires Row’. Following this, it served as a home for evacuees during World War Two as well as being a private nursery training centre and caring for some of the Barnardo’s babies.
Over the course of this time, the building suffered two fires but it still retains its original period features and thrives today as the centre of the luxury Tunbridge Wells retirement village.
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Willicombe Park is just a short distance from Royal Tunbridge Wells, an elegant town that has remained popular since its Georgian heyday. It offers high-class shopping and numerous restaurants, along with convenient transport links to London.
The Assembly Halls Theatre is also a popular destination in the town, hosting a number of events including music, comedy, dance and drama and the annual pantomime.
Further afield
For those that wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the town centre, Royal Tunbridge Wells offers a wide variety of places to visit, including Knole in Sevenoaks, Calverley Grounds, Dunorlan Park, Scotney Castle and others.
Scotney Castle - National Trust
Scotney Castle is an English country house with formal gardens south-east of Lamberhurst near the River Bewl in Kent.
The gardens, which are a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a celebrated example of the Picturesque style, are open to the public.
Knole - National Trust
Knole in Sevenoaks is a magnificent 600-year-old estate that spans 1,000-acres and is Kent’s last medieval deer park.
Originally built as an archbishop’s palace, Knole passed through royalty to the Sackville family who still live there today.
Calverley Grounds
Dating from the 1830s, the Calverley Grounds is a popular local park situated in the heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells.
It offers refined landscaped gardens, a playground, café and sports courts.
Dunorlan Park
Dunorlan Park is spacious and charming with wild grassy slopes and stunning views across the lake.
'Pick your own' at Chilton Manor Farm
We all know that getting out and about in the fresh air is good for both mental and physical health, so why not combine it with stocking up on tasty fresh produce too? Chilton Manor Farm in Sittingbourne is a great destination local to Willicombe Park and offers a huge range of 'pick your own' produce, from strawberries and blackberries in spring to apples, pears and pumpkins in autumn.
The Hop Farm
The Hop Farm is Kent’s iconic and historic landmark, over 450 years old. A 400-acre Country Park in Beltring, near East Peckham in Kent, the Hop Farm holds the world’s largest collection of Victorian oast houses. A major supplier of hops to London breweries in the 19th and 20th centuries, families across the south east and beyond used to spend the summer holidays working in the rolling countryside around the farm, harvesting hops and preparing them to be transported. Nowadays, The Hop Farm Family Park is packed full of attractions.
