Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #302

This open door is the entrance to the belfry, and top of the tower, to Tonbridge Parish Church, St Peter and St Paul.  It's not often that the public have a chance to go through the door, and climb the medieval staircase to experience the far reaching views over the town, but today you have that chance as free tours will be going on all day as part of Heritage Weekend.

If you look on the third sandstone brick on the left-hand side of the door (from the bottom), you will see a mark that looks a little like a three pronged fork. That's a bench mark, and it's one of a handful left in the town. This chiseled mark would have been made by a surveyor in the stone structure, into which an angle-iron could be placed to form a "bench" for a leveling rod to calculate a 'mean' height. These are no longer used as digital and more accurate surveying equipment is available.

Have a look next time you are there and try to find the bench mark on the old Methodist Church in East Street.