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Outraged of Tunbridge Wells: Original Complaints from Middle England
In this new book, the first ever collection of letters from the legendary letters page of the Tunbridge Wells Advertiser, we are offered an insight into what makes complaining so much fun. Decrying everything from telephones to the excessive singing of Christmas carols, and providing unusual and often touching missives on the major events of the early 20th century, Outraged of Tunbridge Wells encapsulates the charm, compassion, mischief and madness of Middle England.
- GenresHumor
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 17, 2013
34 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Nigel Cawthorne
318 books128 followersNigel Cawthorne is an Anglo-American writer of fiction and non-fiction, and an editor. He has written more than 80 books on a wide range of subjects and has contributed to The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail and The New York Times. He has appeared on television and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Many of Nigel Cawthorne's books are compilations of popular history, without footnotes, references or bibliographies. His own web site refers to a description of his home as a "book-writing factory" and says, "More than half my books were commissioned by publishers and packagers for a flat fee or for a for a reduced royalty".
One of his most notable works was Taking Back My Name, an autobiography of Ike Turner, with whom he spent a number of weeks working with him on, taking up residence in Turner's house. The book caused much controversy, resulting in court cases for three years following its release.
Cawthorne currently lives in Bloomsbury, London with his girlfriend and son, Colin (born 1982).
Many of Nigel Cawthorne's books are compilations of popular history, without footnotes, references or bibliographies. His own web site refers to a description of his home as a "book-writing factory" and says, "More than half my books were commissioned by publishers and packagers for a flat fee or for a for a reduced royalty".
One of his most notable works was Taking Back My Name, an autobiography of Ike Turner, with whom he spent a number of weeks working with him on, taking up residence in Turner's house. The book caused much controversy, resulting in court cases for three years following its release.
Cawthorne currently lives in Bloomsbury, London with his girlfriend and son, Colin (born 1982).
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 5, 2016
Best picked up very cheaply second-hand, this is one of those pocket-sized anthologies marketed to that section of the older generation, who seven days a week read the “Daily Telegraph” and who do much of their shopping by telephone through that newspaper. At http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/201... the compiler boasts : “How does this compare to other books I have written? Well I have knocked out around 150 books so far (just finishing my twelfth for this year as we speak). That speaks volumes.
Interestingly, though perhaps somewhat depressingly so, to a very large part the contents of this book exemplify ‘flaming’, as practiced locally and roughly during the first half of the twentieth century through the media of the local newspaper, the “Tunbridge Advertiser”; (in the town of Tunbridge Wells, Kent) which just goes to show that there really is nothing new under the sun.
It didn’t take long for the superior, self-important, vitriolic and excessive proportion of holier-than-thou letters to instil a degree of mild depression in this reader. However, more cheerfully, I can say that in 2016 I’m not aware of any ladies in my local community who, to the detriment of the original owner, are in the habit of buying decorative feathers to ornament their hats. There again, there would appear, unsurprisingly, to be no explicit entries whatsoever in this book on any subject of sex.
Some entries are heart-warmingly downright heroic, like the gentleman who wrote (in 1915) asking for readers (home and overseas) to send him jumpers, for him to dye khaki, & send on to the troops. He adds that out of a ladies golf coat he can make a khaki vest, a muffler and mitts. At the time of his writing he had distributed, in four months, 11,400 items. I closed this book hoping that he had lived happily ever after.
Interestingly, though perhaps somewhat depressingly so, to a very large part the contents of this book exemplify ‘flaming’, as practiced locally and roughly during the first half of the twentieth century through the media of the local newspaper, the “Tunbridge Advertiser”; (in the town of Tunbridge Wells, Kent) which just goes to show that there really is nothing new under the sun.
It didn’t take long for the superior, self-important, vitriolic and excessive proportion of holier-than-thou letters to instil a degree of mild depression in this reader. However, more cheerfully, I can say that in 2016 I’m not aware of any ladies in my local community who, to the detriment of the original owner, are in the habit of buying decorative feathers to ornament their hats. There again, there would appear, unsurprisingly, to be no explicit entries whatsoever in this book on any subject of sex.
Some entries are heart-warmingly downright heroic, like the gentleman who wrote (in 1915) asking for readers (home and overseas) to send him jumpers, for him to dye khaki, & send on to the troops. He adds that out of a ladies golf coat he can make a khaki vest, a muffler and mitts. At the time of his writing he had distributed, in four months, 11,400 items. I closed this book hoping that he had lived happily ever after.
November 16, 2017
Very amusing ... but I am glad I live now and not then, lol.
February 17, 2019
Some letters are funnier than others. Nice to see some problems have been around for decades (antivaccination leagues, Christmas shopping in October).
December 23, 2022
A selection of original letters to newspapers and councils etc from the 1800's to the 1950's covering topics like public things, the two world wars and sports.
Read
August 11, 2024A collection of letters to the editor provides an amusing insight into the concerns of small-town Southern England between 1900 and 1950.
January 19, 2026
One-word review: BORING!
February 9, 2016
Letters to the Editor are a kind of English tradition. Writing to the local or national media about the things that really grind your gears has a satisfaction all in itself, even if it rarely actually achieves anything. We Brits love moaning to and at each other about the things that annoy us. So much so that everybody knows the trope "Outraged of Tunbridge Wells" is an invented Little England and Middle England stereotype of a middle aged well to do Daily Mail reader railing against the world and everything that is wrong with it.
Outraged of Tunbridge Wells is a satire figure and he or she sees the destruction of society in every small thing. But what of the real residents of Tunbridge Wells over the last century and a bit? Surely they are no different from the rest of us in having written a strongly worded letter to The Guardian or The Daily Mail and believing that righteous indignation was quite enough to set the matter straight across the country? Indeed they did, and this is the result of over a century of strongly written letters to the local media about all manner of things. Included here are letters from dog owners complaining about cats, cat owners complaining about dogs, "Irate Rate Payer" complaining about sloping roads, delayed post, new mothers hogging the paths, poorly parked motor vehicles and much more.
This is little more than a collection of letters, but what an amusing collection it is. It's interesting in several ways. When looking at letters written in 1905, some of the complaints are not all that different from the complaints we might have today. We still complain about cats and dogs, about stupid decisions by the council, by irresponsible cyclists on our paths and more. The second point of interest is the intensity with which some of these arguments carried on over many weeks. It sort of puts things in perspectives when internet flame wars flare up and die down long before the argument really gets going by snail mail.
The final point of interest is the shamelessness with which people flaunt casual racism, sexism, xenophobia and critique of their political opponents and they do it with such intensely polite wording; that shamelessness is matched only by the panache of delivery. Arguments were never so polite as it was in Letter to the Editor in 1905. It almost feels we have lost something when we abandon the eloquence of calling into question the parentage and mental capacity of your verbal opponent with no words possessing fewer than 5 syllables. Today we make do with "Ur a fag homo muzlim luvin commie n im gunna smack ur hed in wen i c u!!!!!".
Fun stuff, but of limited appeal. There isn't much introduction and it is little more than a collection of letters.
Outraged of Tunbridge Wells is a satire figure and he or she sees the destruction of society in every small thing. But what of the real residents of Tunbridge Wells over the last century and a bit? Surely they are no different from the rest of us in having written a strongly worded letter to The Guardian or The Daily Mail and believing that righteous indignation was quite enough to set the matter straight across the country? Indeed they did, and this is the result of over a century of strongly written letters to the local media about all manner of things. Included here are letters from dog owners complaining about cats, cat owners complaining about dogs, "Irate Rate Payer" complaining about sloping roads, delayed post, new mothers hogging the paths, poorly parked motor vehicles and much more.
This is little more than a collection of letters, but what an amusing collection it is. It's interesting in several ways. When looking at letters written in 1905, some of the complaints are not all that different from the complaints we might have today. We still complain about cats and dogs, about stupid decisions by the council, by irresponsible cyclists on our paths and more. The second point of interest is the intensity with which some of these arguments carried on over many weeks. It sort of puts things in perspectives when internet flame wars flare up and die down long before the argument really gets going by snail mail.
The final point of interest is the shamelessness with which people flaunt casual racism, sexism, xenophobia and critique of their political opponents and they do it with such intensely polite wording; that shamelessness is matched only by the panache of delivery. Arguments were never so polite as it was in Letter to the Editor in 1905. It almost feels we have lost something when we abandon the eloquence of calling into question the parentage and mental capacity of your verbal opponent with no words possessing fewer than 5 syllables. Today we make do with "Ur a fag homo muzlim luvin commie n im gunna smack ur hed in wen i c u!!!!!".
Fun stuff, but of limited appeal. There isn't much introduction and it is little more than a collection of letters.
December 31, 2013
Good fun! A collection of letters from the outraged, disgruntled,& disgusted correspondents of Royal TunbridgeWells, bemoaning the state of the nation......read, laugh & enjoy!
December 2, 2014
a book of old letters written to a newspaper over the years
December 19, 2015
Disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews