Rusthall
| Rusthall and Denny Bottom | |
|---|---|
 Rusthall and Denny Bottom
|
|
| Rusthall and Denny Bottom shown within Kent | |
| Population | 10,460 (2016) |
| OS grid reference | TQ565395 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Tunbridge Wells |
| Postcode district | TN4 |
| Dialling code | 01892 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Rusthall is a village located approximately 2 miles to the west of the spa town of Tunbridge Wells in Kent. The village grew up around a large property called "Rusthall" located on Rusthall Common.
Rusthall is a modern village, the majority built after the trains arrived in Royal Tunbridge Wells during the mid-1800s. It was created as a tourist spot, with visitors coming up from the station in charabancs to see the 'Toad Rock', a natural rock formation which looks like a sitting toad, resting on an outcrop of sandstone. Other outcrops can be seen throughout Rusthall Common.
The first known mention of Rusthall and Speldhurst is in a grant of lands by Ecgberht II, an Anglo-Saxon or Jutish king of Kent, to Diora, Bishop of Rochester in the 8th century.
During the 17th century, lodging houses appeared in Rusthall to accommodate visitors to the newly discovered chalybeate spring at The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells. During the reign of King Charles I, Rusthall tended to attract visitors from the Puritan faction, whilst the Cavalier faction tended to stay at nearby Southborough.
The name "Rusthall" is from the Anglo-Saxon Ruste uuelle, meaning the well contains a high level of natural iron like the chalybeate springs in Tunbridge Wells.
Following the end of the English Civil War, a time during which the Puritans took a hostile attitude to most forms of amusement, the waters at Tunbridge Wells became popular once more, and further accommodation houses were provided in Rusthall.
The village also gained an assembly room and bowling green, to provide amusement for visitors, making it a more popular destination than Southborough, which could only offer a bowling green and coffee house.
...
Wikipedia