A little bit of history
This is the Black Doll Lodging House pulled down in 1880 and is now the Constitutional Club.
With the coming of the railway the population of Tonbridge doubled and cheap cottages were being built.
Sanitation was not at its best – Tonbridge had its first case of the deadly strain of Asiatic Cholera in 1849, a few cases followed but a serious epidemic occurred in 1854 where 150 cases were reported and 39 people died – many children. It was noted Barden Lane was particularly affected. As a result of this outbreak the General Board of Health in London commissioned an enquiry into the sanitary conditions of the town of Tonbridge! Cholera broke out again in 1866 however it wasn’t until 1870 the Public Health Act was adopted by Tonbridge and the clean-up began.
Although we don’t know when the building the Constitutional Club is now in, was built, it was possibly around the late 1880’s.