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On the gentle curve of cobbles that form The Pantiles, Royal Tunbridge Wells feels suspended between centuries. Pastel Georgian facades glow in the afternoon sun, iron balconies frame cafe tables, and a bandstand anchors the promenade like something lifted from a Victorian postcard.

Yet this is no museum piece. Instead, the Pantiles has become one of the most vibrant independent high streets in the country, a place where heritage architecture, ambitious restaurateurs and a fiercely loyal local community collide. So much so that it is consistently crowned one of the best and prettiest high streets in the UK. Taking to TripAdvisor, a Berkshire tourist wrote: "Prettiest shopping street I know. Historic street with lots of modern independent shops set on two paved levels - the downside is that they are all rather pricey. Lovely eateries too."

Unlike many UK town centres increasingly dominated by multinational chains, the Pantiles is defined by independent businesses. For Matthew Sankey, owner and operator of The Old Fishmarket, Sankeys Seafood Kitchen & Bar and Sankeys Fishmongers, that independence is central to the area's identity.

"Tunbridge Wells is a bit like a village," he explains. "People know the business owners personally. They don't just see a logo above a door, they know Matthew, they know Daniel, they know who's behind each place. That makes it very personal, and people want to support businesses they recognise."

He believes that community mentality is what keeps the Pantiles resilient. "We all kind of get along and do what we can to make it the best place in town.

Competition is good for you, but collaboration is what creates a destination. If you get that centre of excellence, great food, good bars, something happening, people travel for it. It's much better when everyone is pushing the boat along together rather than one person dragging a business through the modern experience."

Sankey says the pandemic revealed just how strong that support network was. "When some chains started leaving town, people deliberately supported independents.

"That was very obvious. Tunbridge Wells really rallied around local businesses, and particularly down here in the Pantiles, where it's almost all independent. That's rare in the UK."

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That collaborative ethos has helped turn the Pantiles into a serious food destination. Restaurants here are not simply places to eat; they host festivals, tasting menus and cultural events that draw visitors from across Kent and London.

At Essence, a pan-Indian fine dining restaurant opened two years ago, marketing manager Bi Bi says the Pantiles offered the perfect setting.

"It's a historic, beautiful area, and the guests here genuinely love good food," she says. "We wanted to bring pan-Indian cuisine, regional dishes from across India, not just the typical curry house menu. This is about showing a different side of Indian food at a very high standard."

Essence hosts regional supper clubs, tasting menus and Bollywood-themed events that spill out onto the cobbles.

"In summer this place becomes a destination. There's live music on the bandstand, festivals, street food events. We've done Bollywood nights with dancers, drummers and DJs, it was incredible. Tunbridge Wells didn't really have that before, so we wanted to bring something new to the Pantiles."

She says the clientele and setting were key factors. "This is Royal Tunbridge Wells. It's affluent, people are discerning, and they appreciate quality. The Pantiles is elegant, it's beautiful, and you have outdoor dining on cobbles, it's a stunning backdrop for a restaurant."

For Julian Leefe-Griffiths, owner and managing director of The Tunbridge Wells Hotel, the town's character makes it uniquely suited to hospitality.

"Tunbridge Wells is a great place to live and to do business," he says. "It's very green, it's affluent, it's got great parks and a really comfortable feel. The clientele is strong, and there aren't huge antisocial problems, so it's a very pleasant place to operate."

He points to the camaraderie among hospitality operators as a defining feature. "There's a really good camaraderie between businesses. We talk to each other almost daily. A lot of us have worked together for years, and we actively encourage new businesses to come in because a vibrant centre works better for everyone.

"You need that cluster of excellence, good food, good bars, something happening, so people have a reason to come here rather than stay at home."

For younger residents, the Pantiles is less about history and more about energy.

Ned Elliott, 20, who grew up in Tunbridge Wells, calls it the town's social epicentre. "It's definitely the best place in Tunbridge Wells," he says.

"You've got all the nicest bars, restaurants and pubs here. In the summer it really comes alive, there's jazz down by the bottom on Thursdays, Soul Train on Saturdays, and people sitting outside everywhere. It's really social."

He says big events turn the historic strip into a communal gathering space. "On New Year's Eve everyone flocks here for fireworks, and during festivals the whole place fills up. It's kind of turned into the main street socially, even though the official high street is further up."

While high streets across the UK struggle with empty shops and declining footfall, the Pantiles feels busy year-round, thanks to constant events and seasonal programming. "

There's always something new coming to the Pantiles," Ned explains. "Live music, festivals, different menus for different seasons. Even cafes turn into bars at night. That's why it stays busy when other high streets don't."

Originally developed in the 17th and 18th centuries as a fashionable promenade for spa visitors, the Pantiles retains its Georgian elegance.

But rather than becoming a static heritage site, it has evolved into a modern cultural strip, where cocktail bars sit beneath colonnades once walked by aristocrats.

Outdoor terraces spill onto the cobbles, musicians play from the bandstand, and festivals transform the promenade into a street party each spring and summer.

In an era when many town centres are losing their character, Tunbridge Wells' Pantiles stands out as a rare success story, where history, independent enterprise and community spirit intersect.

It may look frozen in time, but one of England's prettiest high streets is very much alive, buzzing with music, food, and a community determined to keep it thriving.