Double Glazing in Tonbridge

Tonbridge grew up where the Medway could be forded, around the castle Richard Fitz Gilbert built in the 11th century, and for much of its history the town stayed north of the river because the land to the south flooded. The High Street and the streets around the castle are the oldest part of the town, with Tonbridge School, founded by Sir Andrew Judde in 1553, still at its centre, and the conservation area covers them. Here, as in most historic centres, sliding sash and flush sash windows add warmth and security without changing the character of a front.

The railway arrived in 1842, and the town has since spread in both directions. North of the centre, Trench Wood and Cage Green are mostly post-war, with Higham Wood to the north-east, while the south has the Victorian railway terraces around Douglas Road and Barden Park, the estates off Brook Street, and newer housing on old industrial land, such as the former cricket ball factory on Preston Road, demolished in 2012 to make way for homes. On more recent houses, energy-efficient uPVC casements, composite doors and bi-folds or sliding doors for the garden are the usual improvements.

Tonbridge is in Tonbridge and Malling, whose borough council handles planning. It has published appraisals for the Tonbridge and Quarry Hill conservation areas, and for Hildenborough and Hadlow nearby, and permitted development rights are narrower inside any of them, so check before changing the style of windows or doors on a street-facing wall.

Listed buildings in the town need listed building consent for any significant change. Elsewhere, replacing windows with ones of a similar appearance does not normally need planning permission, and the council’s online map makes it easy to see where the conservation area boundaries run.

Check the rules with Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council