Southborough brings together green trails, designated nature reserves and architectural history. The range extends from Southborough Common, with its self-guided circular walks, to the red-brick viaduct and Salomons Estate with its historic gardens. When looking for a hotel for your stay, it helps to first decide what matters most to you: are you most interested in circular walks, nature or architecture and local history? This lets you tailor your trip to the interests that matter to you.
Circular walks on Southborough Common
Southborough Common lies on the northwestern edge of Southborough in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells. The common has three self-guided circular walks. The “Secrets Circular” is the longest and takes in ten attractions. It combines a circular walk with several specific destinations, offering a clear focus for visitors who want to explore the common through its attractions.
The terrain is also a factor in planning: Southborough Common is considered less suitable for visitors with pushchairs or wheelchairs because of its woodland paths. If you are travelling with a pushchair or wheelchair, check the conditions before your visit. This way, you can take this limitation into account when deciding whether to visit the common.
Landscape and nature reserves
Southborough is set within the scenic landscape of the Kentish High Weald National Landscape. Two designated areas give this nature theme specific names: Southborough Pit is a 1.06-hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), while Barnett's Wood is designated as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) and covers around 12 hectares. In terms of size, Barnett's Wood is considerably larger than Southborough Pit. Their different areas and designations each give Southborough’s landscape its own character.
Buildings and local history
A post mill operated at the Windmill Site from the 1790s. It ground local farmers’ grain into flour. Today, a raised, level platform marks the site where the windmill is believed to have stood. The site thus combines a visible feature of the terrain with its former agricultural use, although the mill’s exact location is not known.
The Colebrook or Southborough Viaduct dates from 1845 and has 26 red-brick arches of varying heights. Other aspects of local history complement this railway architecture: Southborough War Memorial was erected in 1921 in memory of 207 men from Southborough and High Brooms. Saint Thomas Church in Southborough is a Grade II listed building from the Victorian or pre-First World War period. Southborough, the Common is also designated as a Conservation Area; this designation has been in effect since 23 June 1972. Together, these themes span architectural history and religious architecture to local remembrance.
Salomons Estate: gardens and museum
Salomons Estate adds a designed landscape to its architectural history. It includes formal terraced gardens set amid informal lawns, as well as lakes and woodland paths. These landscape features were created from the mid-19th century onwards, south and west of an early-19th-century house that was later extended. The gardens and parkland are suitable for walks; check the current access arrangements before your visit.
The Salomons Museum, endowed by Vera, Lady Salomons, preserves original photographs, scientific instruments, personal letters and motoring artefacts spanning almost a century of innovation. The museum also explores the people and events that shaped this “mansion of many marvels”. If you are planning a visit, check the current access arrangements in advance.
Discover more destinations: Sandwich, Ramsgate, Aylesford, Stone, Saint Michaels, Birchington, Westerham, Lamberhurst.
For the broader travel overview: Kent.
