Royal Tunbridge Wells Inspector Bone mysteries by Susannah Stacey are also set in and around Tunbridge Wells. In Fanny Burney's 1796 novel "Camilla", several characters make an excursion to Tunbridge Wells, and there are many references to The Pantiles and other local sites. In Bleak House by Charles Dickens the children find a mug in the cupboard entitled "A Present From Tunbridge Wells." David Lean's epic film "Lawrence of Arabia" closes with Mr. Dryden answering King Feisal: "Me, your Highness? On the whole, I wish I'd stayed in Tunbridge Wells", and in the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" Tracy Di
Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells "downmarket" towns of Tonbridge and Crowborough both did have one. In 2016, during the United Kingdom referendum on the British membership in the European Union, "The New York Times" used Royal Tunbridge Wells as its base for reporting on the referendum. The town was chosen because it was seen as the "quintessentially English town" due to the "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells" phrase. Although most Americans would not fully understand the reference, the town was nonetheless considered a symbol of middle England. The town is a Conservative stronghold and was the only council area in Kent to vote by a majority