Tea the Ninth

Tea does our fancy aid,

Repress those vapours which the head invade 

And keeps that palace of the soul serene

Edmund Waller

Woods, The Pantiles, Royal Tunbridge Wells - Saturday, 18th May 2013

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Tea Takers

Sarah Ryan

Olivia Ryan

Antonia Beary

Pia Cronin

Julie Pirlot de Corbion

Lynn Varley

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Clearly it was time for another tea in the South East and so for this occasion we ventured to Mayfield's nearest town, Royal Tunbridge Wells. Olivia and I were joined by some Mayfield friends. They have had to endure much of my tea planning and wittering and so it seemed only fair that they should enjoy some of the comestible benefits.  I chose Woods for this tea, partly because of its location and also because we have enjoyed its beverage possibilities before but never fully probed the depth of its cakes.

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Woods is situated in The Pantiles, one of the oldest parts of Tunbridge Wells, at the heart of the original spa.

The town now known as Royal Tunbridge Wells grew out of the need to serve visitors to the chalybeate spring, discovered in 1606 by an ailing aristocrat with time on his hands to explore the neighbouring countryside. Dudley North, 3rd Baron North, believed that the iron bearing water had extraordinary health giving properties (he went on to live till he was 80 so he might have been on to something). It was claimed by North’s doctor that the water in the wells could cure:

"the colic, the melancholy, and the vapours; it made the lean fat, the fat lean; it killed flat worms in the belly, loosened the clammy humours of the body, and dried the over-moist brain."

In time the Upper and Lower Walks were created and planted with a double row of trees, which, by the end of the century had the colonnaded appearance that is still in evidence today. In the Georgian period this area was the centre of fashionable Tunbridge Wells. Social segregation was the order of the day - gentry on the Upper Walks and everyone else on the Lower Walks. The site of today’s tea is very much 'Upper Walks', naturally.

Originally the Upper Walks were paved with pantiles (one-inch thick square tiles made from heavy wealden clay, so named because they were shaped in a wooden pan before firing), which gave the area its distinctive soubriquet.  Now they are largely replaced by stone flags and so causing a deal of confusion over how the name came to be.

Now some way from the modern business centre of TWells (the Ryan family preferred abbreviation – why say three syllables when one will do?),  The Pantiles is a ‘Heritage’ location, home to antique shops, cafes, and various shi-shi little boutiques as is typical. However, it avoids over-quaint by the addition into the mix of less stereotypical establishments such as a random, and frankly down-at-heel newsagent/bookseller, and a particularly fabulous and practical kitchen shop, Mottram’s, which I encourage anyone with cookery needs/desires to visit.

"They have made the wells very commodious by the many good building all about it and two or three miles around which are lodgings for the company that drink the waters. All the people buy their own provisions at the market, which is just by the wells and is furnished with great plenty of all sorts of fish and foul. The walk which is between high trees on the market side which are shops full of all sorts of toys, silver, china, milliners and all sorts of curious wooden ware besides which there are two large coffee houses for tea, chocolate etc and two rooms for the lottery and hazard board."

Celia Fiennes, 1697

Little changes over time it would seem, and given that today was the occasion of a great Food Festival in The Pantiles, much provision buying was in evidence, although sadly not a hazard board in sight.

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Tea was a good spread, although the service was more than a little dilatory (they also seemed slightly surprised when we asked for plates to eat from, but were reasonably good natured about providing them when prompted). Plates of sandwiches that were, to quote Antonia, 'generous, but lacking in finesse', and attractive little metal cake stands with scones and cakes, meant it was pleasing to the eye, and certainly filling.  The scones were pleasant, warm and a nice texture, but the clotted cream and jam supplies were not as bountiful as they might have been, and the scones being of such a large diameter we had to eke them out - ekeing is never appropriate at an afternoon tea. On the bright side, the cakes were largely good, including a very nice light, four layered sponge, and a competent walnut offering. 

 Julie looks approvingly at a scone:

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Ninth Tea - Ninth Year

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A very pleasing Saturday afternoon diversion.  Note how the photographer, capturing the party for posterity has managed to include herself in the picture too. 

Let's hope our over-moistened brains are now suitably dried out for the final week of this half term.

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