Farmers market

After a visit to the opticians for a long overdue eye test on Sunday morning, I took a walk around Tonbridge Farmers Market. I’d expected to be in Specsavers for a lot longer, but after having been thoroughly confuses by the numerous options available – bifocals, varifocals or just long distance and reading glasses, I decided  to mull over the various choices first, and then make a subsequent appointment, where I can choose the frames, be fitted and then stump up the readies for whatever combination I decide to go for.

My indecision, however prudent, scuppered my plan for a return Sunday lunchtime visit to Fuggles, as even after walking around the farmers market and enjoying an excellent flat white coffee, there was still 30 minutes to wait before opening time.

I decided to head for home. There were a few jobs to finish off in the garden, and with the sun shining it seemed the ideal opportunity to crack on and get these outstanding tasks out of the way. I ended up spending the whole afternoon outside, and I must admit I really enjoyed being out in the fresh air, with the sun on my face and the wind in my hair.

Returning to the Famers Market for a moment, I’m pleased to report that trade appeared good, no doubt encouraged by the fine sunny weather. The market takes place on the second Sunday of each month, and after a hiatus due to the pandemic lockdown, reopened for business in June.

It was some time since I last paid a visit to the market, but several of the stalls seemed familiar. The Knife Ninja van was there; a service I have used on a couple of occasions to sharpen knives and a log-splitting axe. There was a different cider vendor there though, and I also noted the absence of the Hepworth’s Brewery van – source of bottles of  Hepworth's tasty and satisfying Old Ale in the run-up to Christmas, but there were still sufficient stalls to cater for most tastes.

There was also a good mix of browsers and buyers and, seeing as the market had been open since 9.30am, plenty of people about in general.  It did seem strange though to see most of them masked up – not that there’s any requirement to do so in the open air. I bought some veg, to add to the stew that Mrs PBT’s would be preparing that afternoon, before treating myself to the aforementioned and very satisfying flat white.

I retreated to a bench, overlooking the river to drink it, whilst musing on the fact that the Farmers Market has long surpassed the weekly general market, both in size and what it has to offer. This is in sharp contrast to the situation that existed when I first came to live in Tonbridge, 35 years ago.

Back then the town boasted a thriving Saturday market, which was an important feature locally, drawing in shoppers from both Tonbridge and the surrounding villages. The market was held on a compact site, just off Castle Street, in the centre of the old town, which had formerly hosted Tonbridge Cattle Market. In common with many neighbouring towns, the sale of livestock had long ceased by the time I moved to the area, closing in fact in 1971.

Despite the rather cramped site, the Saturday Market was a bustling and thriving place, packed each week with crowds eager for a bargain, and people keen to take advantage of the wide variety of different stalls. The site remained in the ownership of the Tonbridge Stock and Cattle Market Company until the first decade of the 21^st Century, when it was sold to developers Crest Nicholson who turned it into an area of mixed housing.

This left the Saturday Market looking for a new home, and it ended up leasing the drab and rather depressing station car park, adjacent to the rail tracks, in Vale Road.  Its uninspiring, wind-swept location did little to attract visitors, and the market began a long and painful decline. Today it is hanging on by its teeth, with just a handful of stalls, none of which appeal to me or, it seems, many local shoppers either.

It is for this reason that I am both pleased, and relieved, to see the Sunday Farmers Market continuing to thrive. I fully intend to support this venture, whenever I can, especially as one of the good things that has come out of lockdown is the renewed interest, and indeed renaissance in local businesses, plus locally sourced and grown products.