Extensive range of shopping and leisure facilities
5 miles to Crowborough
Groombridge lies about 4 miles West of Tunbridge Wells and 5 miles North of Crowborough, straddling the counties of Kent and East Sussex. The older part of the village includes a small 17th century church and The Crown Inn, apparently “one of the oldest pubs in the South of England”, still going strong. In the newer part of the village is a convenience store, village bakery, post office, The Junction Inn, St Thomas’ Church, the Catholic Church of St Pius V, village hall, recreation ground with children’s play area, and a motoring centre. There is also a railway station, which isn’t a mainline station but runs a quaint local steam and diesel train service along the Spa Valley, linking to Tunbridge Wells. The village also has a medical centre and a “good” primary school (Ofsted 2023), tennis and cricket clubs.
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Apart from the Spa Valley railway, the village is also known for Groombridge Place, a large, moated manor house with formal gardens that was a popular tourist attraction, although this is currently closed for refurbishment under new management. There are also Harrison’s Rocks, a series of high sandstone rocks that attract climbers.
Nearby Tunbridge Wells offers an extensive range of shopping and leisure facilities, including restaurants, cafes, bars, the beautiful Pantiles, old High Street area and town centre. It has a theatre, cinema and high achieving grammar schools.
The village is located in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural beauty and there are numerous walking opportunities in the surrounding woods, countryside and River Glom. Birchden Wood is a popular dog-walkers destination on the doorstep. There is a popular 10 mile cycle trail running from Groombridge to East Grinstead along a disused railway embankment, through fields and woodland.
The nearest railway stations are at Eridge and Ashurst, with services to London Bridge in about 1 hr (just under from Ashurst, just over from Eridge). Tunbridge Wells has more regular services to Charing Cross and Cannon Street.