‘‘What do you think Tonbridge will be like in a 1000 years?’’
James Pavlou

Big Bridge, Tonbridge - New Years Eve 1999 (The Millennium)

1999 was a memorable year for several reasons - you may recall the total solar eclipse which cast Tonbridge into the twilight that summer, the first instalment of the ‘new’ Star Wars films or the emergence onto the pop scene of Britney Spears. By December though, all the talk was about the Millennium, as the country held its breath and waited to see if the ‘bug’ would bite. In Tonbridge, the celebrations continued throughout the year 2000 with a time capsule being buried at the castle. Peter Ruck shares what he buried in the capsule, whereas Anne Clement remembers ‘lock ins’ at the Ivy House and tries to recall where she spent New Years Eve.

Pic: Gavin Sawyer

Audio: ‘Disco 2000’, Pulp/ ‘Year 3000’, Busted/ ‘It’s the end of the world as we know it’, REM/ ‘Party like its 1999’, Prince.