Dartford

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Dartford

Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford

Dartford (borough)

Note that this article discusses the local government district as a whole: see Dartford for more specific information on the town itselfDartford is the name given to a Non-metropolitan district and borough in north west Kent, England, which takes its name from its administrative capital....
. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent

Kent

Kent is a Counties of England in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary....
, England

England

Central London

The term Central London refers to the districts of London which are considered closest to the centre. There is no conventional definition, nor any official one, for the entire area that can be called "central London"....
.

The town centre is situated in a valley through which the River Darent

River Darent

The River Darent or River Darenth or Dartford Creek is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames in England. Its name is believed to be from a Celtic languages word meaning 'river where oak-trees grow' ....
flows, and where the old road from London to Dover

Dover

Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel....
crossed: hence the name, from Darent + ford. Dartford became a market town

Market town

Market town or market right is a law term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host Market, distinguishing them from villages and city....
in medieval times and, although today it is principally a commuter town

Commuter town

A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commuting out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as Suburb of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns....
for Greater London

Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London , the City of Westminster and the other 31 London boroughs....
, it has a long history of religious, industrial and cultural importance.

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Encyclopedia

Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford

Dartford (borough)

Kent

England

Central London

River Darent

Dover

Market town

Commuter town

Greater London

Geology and geography

Dartford lies within the area known as the London Basin

London Basin

The London Basin is an elongated, roughly triangular syncline approximately long which underlies London and a large area of south east England and south eastern East Anglia....
. The low-lying marsh to the north of the town consists of London Clay

London Clay

The London Clay is a Sediment#Shores_and_shallow_seas formation of Ypresian age which outcrop in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for the fossils it contains....
, and the alluvium brought down by the two rivers - the Darent and the Cray

River Cray

The River Cray is a tributary of the River Darent in southern England. It rises in Priory Gardens in Orpington in the London Borough of Bromley, where rainwater permeates the chalk bedrock and forms a pond at the boundary between the chalk and impermeable clay....
- whose confluence is in this area. The higher land on which the town stands, and through which the narrow Darent valley runs, consists of chalk

Chalk

Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. It forms under relatively deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
surmounted by the Blackheath Beds of sand and gravel.

As a human settlement, Dartford became established as a river crossing-point with the coming of the Romans; and as a focal point between two routes - that from west to east being part of the main route connecting London with the Continent; and the southerly route following the Darent valley. As a result the town's main road pattern makes the shape of letter 'T'. The Dartford Marshes to the north, and the proximity of Crayford

Crayford

Crayford is a town and Wards of the United Kingdom in the London Borough of Bexley that was an important bridging point in Ancient Rome times across the River Cray, a tributary of the River Darent, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames....
in the London Borough of Bexley

London Borough of Bexley

The London Borough of Bexley lies to the south east of Greater London, one of those boroughs referred to as Outer London. It has common borders with the London Borough of Bromley to the south, the London Borough of Greenwich to the west and the River Thames is the northern boundary with the London Borough of Havering and the London Borough...
to the west, mean that the town's growth is to the south and east. Wilmington

Wilmington, Kent

Wilmington is a village and parish in Kent, England, in Dartford , about 1.5 miles from Dartford. The parish borders the London Borough of Bexley and Sevenoaks ....
is to all intents and purposes part of the town to the south; whilst the almost continuous Thames Gateway

Thames Gateway

The Thames Gateway is an area of land stretching 40 miles east from inner East London, England on both sides of the River Thames and the Thames Estuary....
development means that there is little to show the town boundary in an easterly direction.

Within the town boundaries there are several distinct areas: the town centre around the parish church and along the High Street; the Joyce Green area; Temple Hill estate constructed in 1927; the Brent

Dartford Brent

Dartford Brent was an extensive area of common land on the outskirts of Dartford in Kent. In history, it was the scene of a confrontation between King Henry VI of England and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York in 1452; and in 1555 thousands of spectators were to witness the burning to death at the stake of Christopher Ward, a Dartford line...
; Fleet Downs; as well as two important areas of open space and several industrial estates. The open spaces are Central Park alongside the river; and Dartford Heath (see below).

History

In the prehistory
Prehistory

Prehistory is a term often used to describe the period before Recorded history. Paul Tournal originally coined the term Pr?-historique in describing the finds he had made in the caves of southern France....
period the first people appeared in the Dartford area around 250,000 years ago, a tribe of prehistoric hunter-gatherers whose exemplar is called Swanscombe Man

Swanscombe Heritage Park

Swanscombe Heritage Park is a National Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest near the village of Swanscombe in north-west Kent, England, at the Thames east of London....
. Many other archaeological investigations have revealed the picture of occupation of the district: there have been finds from the Stone Age

Stone Age

The Stone Age is a broad prehistory time period during which humans widely used Rock for toolmaking.Stone tools were made from a variety of different kinds of stone....
, the Bronze Age

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is, with respect to a given prehistory, the period in that society when the most advanced metalworking included smelting copper and tin from naturally-occurring outcroppings of copper and tin ores, creating a bronze alloy by melting those metals together, and casting them into bronze artifact s....
and the Iron Age

Iron Age

In archaeology, the Iron Age was the stage in the development of any people in which tools and weapons whose main ingredient was iron were prominent....
.

When the Romans engineered the Dover

Dover

Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel....
to London road (afterwards named Watling Street

Watling Street

Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Celts mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans....
) it was necessary to cross the River Darent

River Darent

Roman villa

A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Rome country house built for the upper class....
s were built along the Darent valley, and at Noviomagus (Crayford

Crayford

Saxons

The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic peoples. Their modern-day descendants in Saxony are considered ethnic Germans; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch people; those in north eastern Belgium are considered to be ethnic Flemish people; and those in southern England ethnic English people ....
may well have established the first settlement where Dartford now stands. Dartford manor is mentioned in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

The Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror....
, written after the Norman invasion

Norman invasion

Norman invasion may refer to:* Norman conquest of England, beginning in 1066* Norman conquest of southern Italy during the 11th century* Norman invasion of Ireland, beginning in 1167...
in 1086: it was owned by the king.

During the medieval period
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
Dartford, because of its strategic position en route for the Continent, but also since it was the on route taken by many pilgrim

Pilgrim

A pilgrim is one who undertakes a pilgrimage, literally 'far afield'. This is traditionally a visit to a place of some religious or historic significance; often a considerable distance is traveled....
s, became one of the sites in England where various religious orders established themselves. In the 12th century the Knights Templar

Knights Templar

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order of the Temple , were among the most famous of the History of Christianity#Sanctification of knighthood military orders....
had possession of the manor

Manor

The term manor may refer to:...
of Dartford. The National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organization in England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
property at Sutton-at-Hone

Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley

Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley is a civil parish within the Dartford in Kent, England. It lies to the south of the urban part of the Borough, and consists of the two settlements named, both to the west of the River Darent, one of the parish boundaries....
, to the south of the town, is a remaining piece of that history. In the 14th century, a priory

Priory

A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows headed by a prior or prioress.Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monastery of monks or nuns ....
was established here, and two groups of friars—the Domicans

Dominican Order

The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic in the early 13th century in France....
and the Franciscans—built hospitals here for the care of the sick. At this time the town became a small, but important, market town

Market town

Wat Tyler

Walter Tyler, commonly known as Wat Tyler was the leader of the England Peasants' Revolt of 1381....
, of the Peasants' Revolt fame, might well have been a local hero, although three other towns in Kent all claim the same, and there are various reasons to doubt the strength of Tyler's connection to the town. However, the existence of the public house

Public house

A public house, the formal name for a pub in Britain, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic beverage for consumption on or off the premises in countries and regions of United Kingdom influence....
named after him in the town nevertheless gives a little credence to Dartford's claim.

In the 15th century, two kings of England became part of the town's history. Henry V

Henry V of England

Henry V was one of the most significant English warrior kings of the 15th century. He was born at Monmouth, Wales, in the tower above the gatehouse of Monmouth Castle, and reigned as King of England from 1413 to 1422....
marched through the town with his troops prior to fighting the French at the Battle of Agincourt

Battle of Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt was an English victory against a much larger French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday 25 October 1415 ...
in November 1415; in 1422 Henry V's body was taken to Holy Trinity Church by Edmund Lacey

Edmund Lacey

Edmund Lacey was a medieval Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of Exeter.He was elected to the see of Hereford between 21 January and 17 February 1417 and consecrated on 18 April 1417....
, the Bishop of Exeter

Bishop of Exeter

The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exoniensis or incorporates this in his signature....
, who performed a funeral. In March 1452, Richard

Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York

Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York was a member of the English royal family, who served in senior positions in France at the end of the Hundred Years' War, and in England during Henry VI of England's madness....
the Duke of York

Duke of York

The title Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch....
camped on the Brent

Dartford Brent

Dartford Brent was an extensive area of common land on the outskirts of Dartford in Kent. In history, it was the scene of a confrontation between King Henry VI of England and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York in 1452; and in 1555 thousands of spectators were to witness the burning to death at the stake of Christopher Ward, a Dartford line...
with ten thousand men, waiting for a confrontation with King Henry VI

Henry VI of England

Henry VI was Kingdom of England 1422?1461 and then 1470?1471, and King of France as the de jure monarch from 1422 to 1429....
. The Duke surrendered to the King in Dartford. The place of the camp is marked today by York Road.

The sixteenth century saw significant changes in the hitherto agricultural basis of the market in Dartford, as new industries began to take shape (see below). The priory was destroyed in 1538 as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries

Dissolution of the Monasteries

The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, denotes the administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII of England disbanded all monastery, nunnery and friary in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their income, disposed of their assets and provided f...
and a new manor house constructed by King Henry VIII

Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lordship of Ireland and claimant to the Early Modern France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII of England....
. In 1576 Dartford Grammar School

Dartford Grammar School

Tudor period

The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII of England ....
emphasis on education for ordinary people.

Many Protestants were executed during the reigns of Queen Mary

Mary I of England

Mary I , was Queen of England and Monarchy of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death. The fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she is remembered for restoring England to Roman Catholicism after succeeding her short-lived half brother, Edward VI of England, to the English throne....
(1553–1554) and Philip

Philip II of Spain

Philip II was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598, List of monarchs of Naples from 1554 until 1598, king consort of England, as husband of Mary I of England, from 1554 to 1558, lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories, such as Duke or Count; and King of Portugal as Philip I...
and Mary (1554–1558), including Christopher Waid, a Dartford linen-weaver burnt to death at the stake in front of thousands of spectators on Dartford Brent in 1555. The Martyrs Memorial on East Hill commemorates Waid and other Kentish Martyrs.

Industry

Dartford's industrial history

The earliest industries were those connected with agriculture, such as the brewing

Brewing

Brewing is the production of alcoholic beverages and alcohol fuel through fermentation . The term is used for the production of beer, although the word "brewing" is also used to describe the fermentation process used to create wine and mead....
of traditional beer

Beer

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and Fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal?the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely used....
s and ale

Ale

Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a top-fermenting yeast brewers' yeast. This yeast Fermentation the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste....
s. Lime-burning

Agricultural lime

Agricultural lime, also called garden lime or liming , is a soil additive made from pulverized limestone or chalk. The primary active component is calcium carbonate....
and chalk-mining also had their place. Fulling

Fulling

Fulling or tucking or walking is a step in woollen Textile manufacturing which involves the cleansing of cloth to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker....
was another: the cleansing of the wool needed a great deal of available water, which the river could provide. This led to other water-based industries, using the power of the water to operate machinery.

Sir John Spilman

John Spilman

Sir John Spilman was a Lindau, Germany-born entrepreneur who founded the first commercially successful paper-mill in England, establishing a factory on the River Darenth in Dartford, Kent in 1588....
set up the first paper mill

Paper mill

A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from Wood_pulp and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier Machine or similar apparatus. It is a common misconception that paper mills are sources of odors....
in England at Dartford in 1588 on a site near Powder Mill Lane, and soon some 600 employees worked there, providing an invaluable source of local employment. Iron-making on the Weald

Wealden iron industry

The Wealden iron industry was located in the Weald of south-eastern England. It was formerly an important industry, producing a large proportion of the wrought iron made in England in the 16th century and most British cannon until about 1770....
was in full operation at this time, and iron ingots were sent to Dartford, to England's first iron-slitting mill, set up on the Darent at Dartford Creek in 1595 by Godfrey Box, an immigrant from the Low Countries

Low Countries

The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the country on low-lying land around the river delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse River rivers....
. In 1785, a blacksmith from Lowfield Street began to make engines, boilers and machinery. Some of that machinery was for the local gunpowder

Gunpowder

Gunpowder, also called black powder, is an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate, KNO3 that burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as a propellant in firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks....
factory run by Miles Peter Andrews

Miles Peter Andrews

Miles Peter Andrews was an eighteenth century English playwright, gunpowder manufacturer and a member of the British House of Commons representing Bewdley from 1796-1814....
and the Pigou

Pigou

Pigou is an English surname of Hugenot derivation.The Pigou family originated from Amiens in France. The name was related to pique or pike, and the Pigou arms consist of three pike heads....
family. In 1785, the firm of J&E Hall was set up, specialising in heavy engineering

Engineering

Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying Technology and science knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and process that safely realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria....
; later into refrigerating equipment; and by 1906 into vehicle production.

From those beginnings in the 18th century were to come the industrial base on which the growth and prosperity of Dartford were to follow.

In 1840 the mustard factory of Saunders & Harrison was described as being 'perhaps the largest in the kingdom'. Dartford Paper Mills were built in 1862, when excise duty on paper was abolished. Between 1844-1939 the fabric

Fabric

A fabric is a textile material.Fabric may also refer to:*a production unit or similar practical organism, such as an ecclestiastical Fabrica Ecclesiae...
printing works of Augustus Applegath were in being in Bullace Lane: again a firm using the waters of the river.

The demand created by World War I

World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
meant that output at the local Vickers

Vickers

Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 2004....
factory multiplied, with a positive effect on the local economy. Burroughs-Wellcome chemical works (now called GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline plc is a United Kingdom-based pharmaceutical industry, biological, and healthcare company. GSK is the world's second largest pharmaceutical company and a research-based company with a wide portfolio of pharmaceutical products covering anti-infectives, central nervous system, respiratory, gastro-intestinal/metabolic,...
) made Dartford a centre for pharmaceutical industry. During the war, many Belgian

Belgium

* A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
refugees arrived in the town. Unable to house them all, many people were housed with volunteers.

There has been a large power station on the Thames at Littlebrook

Littlebrook Power Station

Littlebrook Power Station refers to a series of four Fossil fuel power plant situated on the south bank of the River Thames, next to the Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge and the Dartford Tunnel in Dartford, Kent....
to the north of the town since 1939. The current station, which has one of the tallest chimneys in the UK, dates from the early 1980s.

Mazda Motors has a huge huge manufacturing unit here.

Industrial estates

Dartford, like many other similar-sized towns, has a periphery of estates, both housing and industrial. The latter comprise the following, listed in clockwise order:

Riverside Industrial Estate - beside the Darenth to the north of the town
Crossways Business Park. This large development over the last few years lies on either side of the extended A206 road
A206 road

The A206 road links Greenwich with Greenhithe following the line of the River Thames. Today it is approximately 15 miles in length, although the final section is a relatively new road....
. Within it the areas are:

Admirals Park; Masthead; and Newton Court
Dartford International Ferry Terminal (Thames Europort)

Orbit One Industrial Estate, on the Green Street Green road
Questor Industrial Estate off Hawley Road
Four estates off the erstwhile A206 to the NW:

Victoria Industrial Park
Burnham Trading Estate
Miilside Industrial Estate
Swan Business Park
Acorn Industrial Estate

In early 2006 the South East England Development Agency

South East England Development Agency

SEEDA, more officially the South East England Development Agency, is one of a number of regional development agency in the UK. It was set up as a non-departmental public body in 1999 to promote the region and to enable a number of more difficult urban regeneration projects which otherwise might not take place....
(SEEDA) purchased a 2.6 hectare site on the edge of the town which had been used by Unwins, an off-license chain, which went into administration in 2005. They also purchased the neighbouring Matrix Business Centre to protect its future. They intend to develop the site as 'Dartford Northern Gateway', with a mixture of retail and other businesses and housing.

Decline

Some of Dartford's most prominent industries suffered extreme decline in the 20th century, causing redundancies and unemployment. Brewing, paper-making, flour milling and the manufacture of cement were the main industries to suffer extinction or significant decline. Nearby Swanscombe Cement Works (now redeveloped into Bluewater shopping centre) was closed by Blue Circle in 1990. This industry had brought great prosperity to the companies involved in cement manufacture, but left a legacy locally of despoiled derelict land and pollution. In 1990 Dartford contained some of spoiled land resulting from extractive industries. Cement-dust pollution from local cement works was a regular subject of complaint in the local press throughout the 20th century.

Since the closure of Dartford's major employers: Seagers, J. & E. Hall, Vickers

Vickers

Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 2004....
and Burroughs Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline

Bexleyheath

Bexleyheath, formerly known as "Bexley New Town", part of the London Borough of Bexley in South East London, consists of a suburban development located 12 miles east-south-east of Charing Cross....
as a shopping town in the 1970s (and the more recent development of the Bluewater Shopping Centre), Dartford lost a significant number of its rising Generation X

Generation X

Generation X is a term used to identify people born after the post-World War II increase in birth rates The term has been used in demography, the social sciences, and marketing, though it is most often used in popular culture....
demographic to more economically viable jobs, towns and cities. This has been reflected in the sharp decline of the number of visible household brands in Dartford's High Street and its two shopping centres. At its peak in the 1980s Dartford was home to major brands such as Sainsbury's, W.H. Smiths, Topman

Topman

TOPMAN is the stand-alone fashion business counterpart of Topshop that caters exclusively to men?s clothing. Now part of the Arcadia Group, which also owns Burton , Miss Selfridge, Wallis , Evans and Dorothy Perkins, Topman has a chain of high-street men's clothing stores located throughout the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and has...
, Boots

Boots Group

The Boots Company, commercially known as Boots is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country....
, and Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer is a major United Kingdom retailer, with over 840 stores in Marks & Spencer#International stores around the world, over 600 domestic and 285 international....
, but some of these high street names closed down during the early 1990s leaving cheaper brands such as Primark

Primark

Primark Stores Limited is an Irish clothing retailer, operating in Republic of Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Spain. It operates a total of 187 stores with 34 in Ireland, 125 in the UK, 8 in Spain and 1 in the Netherlands....
and Wilkinson

Wilkinson (shop)

Wilkinson is a British high-street discount primarily hardware chain with 311 stores, selling everything from Laundry detergent to paint. Seasonal ranges are introduced on a rotational basis, with garden tools and plants in summer and Christmas toys and decorations from September to January....
to take over the empty premises.

Resurgence

In 2007 Dartford saw an increase in the number of visible household brands in its environs as B&Q

B&Q

B&Q is a United Kingdom retailer of DIY and home improvement tools and supplies. It was founded in 1969 and is the largest DIY retailer in Europe and China and the third largest in the world, behind The Home Depot and Lowe's....
, Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer is a major United Kingdom retailer, with over 840 stores in Marks & Spencer#International stores around the world, over 600 domestic and 285 international....
, TK Maxx and Asda

ASDA

Asda is a United Kingdom supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, toys and general merchandise. It became a subsidiary of the United States retail giant Wal-Mart, the world?s largest retailer, in 1999, and is the second largest chain in the UK after Tesco, having overtaken Sainsbury's in 2003....
living opened new outlet stores on the outer edges of the town centre. Before this Safeway had taken part in the development of Dartford's second shopping centre, The Orchards, located next to the Orchard Theatre. The Safeway's site was eventually taken over by Waitrose

Waitrose

Waitrose is the supermarket division of the British retailer the John Lewis Partnership. As of February 2009, there are 198 branches across the United Kingdom....
and continues to be only one of a few major brands visible in the town. The historical and once bustling main High Street and adjacent shopping centre, The Priory, continue to fall into a decline.

Population

In 1801, Dartford’s population was c.2400; by the 2001 census it had increased to 85,911. [https://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/pyramids/printV/29UD.asp 2001 census figures for Dartford] Much of this growth can be apportioned to the fact that Dartford became, for some time in its existence, an industrial town. Unemployment levels, taken from the 2001 census, were at 3.8%. By 2006 this had decreased to 2.2%, somewhat below the national average.

Culture

Dartford has two major buildings concerned with performance art

Performance art

Performance art is art in which the actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and in a particular time constitute the work. It can happen anywhere, at any time, or for any length of time....
. The Orchard Theatre, located in the town centre, is a fully professional theatre, providing audiences with a large range of drama, dance, music and entertainment. The Mick Jagger Centre

The Mick Jagger Centre

The Mick Jagger Centre is an arena-type forum located in Dartford, England that holds live performances. Construction on the arena started in 1998, and ended in 2000 with the Duke of Kent and Mick Jagger witnessing the opening....
(built in the grounds of Dartford Grammar School

Dartford Grammar School

Dartford Grammar School is a selective secondary foundation school for boys in Dartford, Kent, England, which admits girls to its sixth form . All of the students joining the school are from the top 25% of the ability range....
) in Shepherds Lane was completed in 2000 and provides facilities for community arts across a wide region. The local museum in Market Street is housed in the same building as the library.

Dartford is the home of one football club, Dartford F.C.

Dartford F.C.

Dartford F.C. are an England football club based in Dartford, Kent. After finishing as champions of the Isthmian League Division One North, they will compete in the Isthmian League Premier Division next season ....
, who play home matches at Princes Park Stadium

Princes Park, Dartford

Princes Park is a Association Football stadium in Dartford, Kent, England. It is the home of Dartford F.C., Dartford Roadrunners, Kent Ravens rugby league club, and Charlton Athletic L.F.C.....
and compete in the Isthmian League Premier Division

Isthmian League Premier Division

The Premier Division is the top division of the Isthmian League. It was at the sixth tier of the English football league system from 1985 until 2004 but is now at the seventh tier....
.

Transport

Roads

Since the time of the Romans, Dartford has always been of importance to road transport. The construction of what has become known as Watling Street

Watling Street

Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Celts mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans....
, which passed through town and forded the river, was of great importance to the communications of the Roman Empire, connecting London to Dover and the continent. Even when the Romans left Britain, it was still maintained in good order and continued in use,although the introduction of stagecoach

Stagecoach

A stagecoach is a type of four-wheeled closed coach for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand....
services increased the amount of traffic on the road so that, by the 18th century it had become necessary to control the upkeep of such heavily-used roads. Turnpike Trusts

Toll road

A toll road, , is a road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels....
were set up by Act of Parliament

Act of Parliament

An act of Parliament is a statute wikt:enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. It is broadly equivalent to an act of Congress in the United States....
. Dartford was served by two: that for Watling Street; and the road south to Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks is a town situated in the west of Kent, England. It gives its name to the Sevenoaks , of which it is the principal town, and lies 21.5 miles south-east of the centre of London, at the southern end of one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital....
, both brought into being between 1750 and 1780.

The coming of the railways brought an end to the turnpikes, and road improvement came almost to a standstill. In the first quarter of the 20th century, which also saw the beginning of motor transport, tarmacadam was developed. In 1925 the building of what was to become the A2

A2 road (Great Britain)

The A2 is a major road in southern England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. This route has always been of importance as a connection between the British capital of London and sea trade routes to Continental Europe....
main road took traffic away from Dartford town centre since it included a bypass to the town (Princes Way). Today the original main road trough the town is the A226

A226 road

The A226 road travels in a west-east direction, from Crayford in the London Borough of Bexley, along north Kent through Gravesend, Kent to the Medway Towns....
. The erstwhile turnpike road south to Sevenoaks is now the A225

A225 road

The A225 road runs in a north-south direction, connecting Dartford with Sevenoaks in Kent, England. For much of its journey it follows the valley of the River Darenth....
). A newer by-pass is the A206

A206 road

The A206 road links Greenwich with Greenhithe following the line of the River Thames. Today it is approximately 15 miles in length, although the final section is a relatively new road....
, which skirts the town to the north. Its prime purpose is to carry traffic from the riverside industrial developments on to the Dartford Crossing

Dartford Crossing

The Dartford - Thurrock River Crossing is a major road transport crossing of the River Thames in England. It connects Dartford in the south to Thurrock in the north using two road tunnels and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, a 137 metre high cable-stayed bridge....
from both west and east.

Dartford is perhaps most well-known for the latter, the main mode of crossing the River Thames

River Thames

The Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Berkshire and Windsor, Berkshire....
to the east of London, where the southbound A282

A282 road

The A282 is a road that includes the Dartford Crossing across the River Thames between Essex and Kent in England. It forms part of the London Orbital connecting junctions 2 and 31 of the M25 motorway, and a part of the unsigned International E-road network European route E15....
(part of the London Orbital) crosses the river via the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge

The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge is a metre high, metres long, cable-stayed bridge across the River Thames in south east England. It was opened in 1991 by Her Majesty Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom....
toll bridge, opened in 1991. The northbound carriageway crosses via the twin bore Dartford Tunnel. The first tunnel was opened in 1963, its twin in 1980 .

A recent innovation is Fastrack

Fastrack

Fastrack is a bus rapid transit system operating in the Thames Gateway area of Kent. It consists at present of two routes, both run by Arriva Southern Counties on behalf of the Kent County Council....
, an express bus system connecting the Kent Thameside area. The system is still (2007) being developed.

Railways

The first railway from London to reach Dartford was the North Kent Line

North Kent Line

The North Kent Line is a railway line which connects central and south east London with Dartford and Medway.HistoryConstruction...
via Woolwich

Woolwich

Woolwich is a suburb in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River Thames, though the tiny exclave of North Woolwich is on the north side of the river....
in 1849, connecting at Gravesend

Gravesend, Kent

Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex, England. It is the administrative town of the Districts of England of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of England....
with the line through to the Medway Towns. Later two more lines were built:

the Dartford Loop Line
Dartford Loop Line

The Dartford Loop Line is one of three lines linking London with Dartford railway station in Kent, England. It lies to the south of the other two: the North Kent Line and the Bexleyheath Line....
through Sidcup
Sidcup

Sidcup is a suburban development in the London Borough of Bexley, South East London. Located south east of Charing Cross. Sidcup is bordered by both the London Borough of Bromley and Kent County Council and whilst now part of Greater London, was once referred to as the gateway to Kent....
opened in 1866
the Bexleyheath Line
Bexleyheath Line

The Bexleyheath Line is last of the three rail routes created between the outskirts of London and Dartford railway station in Kent....
opened in 1895

The three routes make Dartford

Dartford railway station

Dartford railway station serves the town of Dartford in Kent, England. All train services from the station are operated by Southeastern , who also manage the station....
a very busy junction. All the lines were electrified on 6 June 1926. Dartford is a place with lots of traffic.

Education

Dartford houses several secondary schools :

Dartford Grammar School
Dartford Grammar School

Dartford Grammar School is a selective secondary foundation school for boys in Dartford, Kent, England, which admits girls to its sixth form . All of the students joining the school are from the top 25% of the ability range....
Dartford Grammar School for Girls
Dartford Grammar School for Girls

Dartford Grammar School for Girls is a grammar school specializing in science, mathematics and computing that is located at Shepherds Lane, Dartford, Kent, England....
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys

Wilmington Grammar School for Boys is a secondary grammar school in Wilmington, Kent, Kent. The school, which from 1954 to 1982 was called Dartford Technical High School, is a specialist Engineering school with a strong emphasis on the delivery of Design Technology, Mathematics and Physics....
The Grammar School for Girls, Wilmington
The Grammar School for Girls, Wilmington

The Grammar School for Girls, Wilmington is a secondary grammar school in Wilmington, Kent, Kent, England. The uniform consists of Maroon jumpers and skirts/black trousers, with blue shirts....
Wilmington Enterprise College
Wilmington Enterprise College

Wilmington Enterprise College is a mixed secondary modern school located in Wilmington, Kent. It is built alongside the original site of the Wilmington Hall....
Dartford Technology College
Dartford Technology College

Dartford Technology College is a secondary comprehensive school in Dartford, Kent, United Kingdom. It is an all girls school from yr 7-11. Dartford Technology College's headteacher is Mrs. Trish Burleigh. It has 900 something students....
Leigh Technology Academy
North West Kent College
North West Kent College

North West Kent College is a Sixth form college of Further education and Higher Education. It merged with the Maritime Academy in the nineties....

Places of Worship

Church of England

Christ Church, Cross Road
Holy Trinity, High St
St Albans, St Albans Road
St Edmunds, Temple Hill
St Michaels, Church Hill

Roman Catholic

St Anselms, West Hill
St Vincent's, Temple Hill

Baptist

Temple Hill Baptist, St Edmunds Road
Baptist Chapel, Highfield Road - Established by Alfred Sturge
Alfred Sturge

Alfred Sturge was a notable Baptist who ministered in Devon, India and Kent....

Methodist

Dartford Methodist, Spital Street
Brent Methodist, Brent Lane

Other denominations

St Andrews United Reformed Church, Watling Street
The Salvation Army, Hythe Street
Dartford Community Church (Dartford Christian Fellowship), Dartford Road
Emanuel Pentecostal Church, East Hill
Quaker Society of Friends, Holmesdale Gr
One With Grace Church, Hawley Road
Gateway Vineyard Dartford, Market Square (www.dartfordvineyard.org)
Wilmington Christian Fellowship (Broad Lane, Wilmington)

The parish church

The Parish Church, Holy Trinity, is situated on the western bank of the River Darent, from where a hermit would conduct travellers across the ford. The church was originally a 9th century Saxon structure, but gained later Norman additions. In the 13th century a Royal Wedding was celebrated there, thus today the choristers are entitled to wear scarlet cassocks. Also on display within the church is a brass plaque commemorating the work of Richard Trevithick

Richard Trevithick

Richard Trevithick was a British nationality inventor, mining engineer and builder of the first working railway steam locomotive....
, the pioneer of steam propulsion, who lived, worked and died in the town.

The graveyard is situated in St Edmund's Pleasance on the summit of East Hill, which gave rise to a traditional and derogatory rhyme about the people of Dartford being '...buried above the steeple'. The church actually has no steeple; it has a tower featuring a ring of eight bells.

Health

There are, or have been, many hospital buildings in Dartford, the majority of which have been closed since the opening of Darent Valley Hospital

Darent Valley Hospital

Darent Valley Hospital is a 478 bed, acute district general hospital in Dartford, Kent, England.The hospital has an Emergency Department alongside an Urgent care....
. One of the best-known, Stone House Hospital

Stone House Hospital

Stone House Hospital, formerly the City of London Lunatic Asylum, was a hospital and former mental illness treatment facility in Stone, near Dartford, Kent, in the United Kingdom....
, in Cotton Lane to the east of the town, was opened on 16 April 1866 as the "City of London Lunatic Asylum". It was, and still is, a large castellated structure built in spacious grounds. It remained under the direct administration of the City of London

City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
until 1948, when it was transferred to the National Health Service

National Health Service

The National Health Service is the name commonly used to refer to the four publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom, collectively or individually, although only the health service in England uses the name 'National Health Service' without further qualification....
(NHS). It remains one of the largest and most visible structures in Dartford, and was until recently operated by the NHS to manage regional health care delivery, and was also home to a nursing school, Livingstone Hospital on East Hill. The main buildings of this facility are now closed, and are slated to be turned into luxury flats.

Open spaces

Central Park

As its name suggests this quite formal park is in the town centre. It comprises 26 acres of land. The annual Dartford Festival is held here in July.

Dartford Heath

This area to the south-west of Dartford covers some 314 acres (125ha) of open space. Historically it has always been of importance: prehistoric barrows

Tumulus

A tumulus is a mound of Soil and Rock s raised over a Grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, H?gelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world....
and Bronze Age

Bronze Age

Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
match took place here in 1723; and the Society of Royal Kentish Bowman were briefly established here between 1785-1802. The nearby area is still known as Bowmans.

The Heath is an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of Rural considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government; or the Norther...
. It contains three ponds (Donkey Pond, Woodland Pond and North Pond) and a variety of habitats: including acid grassland, broadleaved semi-natural woodland, heather and gorse, as well as other plantlife.It is common land

Common land

Depending on which part of the world, Common land , is a piece of land owned by one person, but over which other people can exercise certain traditional rights, such as allowing their livestock to graze upon it....
and therefore escaped being enclosed during the late 18th and the early 19th centuries. It is also the original source for the name of the Dartford Warbler

Dartford Warbler

The Dartford Warbler, Sylvia undata, is a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe, and northwestern Africa. Its breeding range lies west of a line from southern England to the heel of Italy ....
.(A ).

Notable people

The following have, or had, some connection with Dartford:

Andy Hessenthaler
Andy Hessenthaler

Andrew "Andy" Hessenthaler is an England association football. He is currently player-manager of Dover Athletic F.C. of the Isthmian League. Hessenthaler began his career in non-league football and did not turn professional until he joined Watford F.C....
(1965- ), football player and manager
Malcolm Allison
Malcolm Allison

Malcolm Alexander Allison is an England former Football player and coach ....
(1927- ), football player and manager
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth Wives of Henry VIII of Henry VIII of England and as such she was List of English consorts from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540....
(1515-1557), fourth wife of Henry VIII, who lived in Dartford after their divorce
Andrea Arnold
Andrea Arnold

Andrea Arnold is an Academy Award winning filmmaker and former actress from England, who made her feature length directorial debut in 2006 with Red Road ....
(1961- ), film producer, 2004 Oscar winner and 2007 BAFTA winner
British Academy of Film and Television Arts

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation....
Simon Beale
Simon Beale

Simon Beale is a radio presenter on the Heart Network which includes London's Heart 106.2.He presents Heartbreakers Sundays to Thursdays between 10pm and 1am, playing out relaxing chill-out tunes and love songs, helping listeners to kick-back and unwind at the end of the day....
(1972- ), Heart 106.2
Heart 106.2

Heart 106.2 is an Independent Local Radio station based in London that specializes in "variety" and is owned by Global Radio as part of the Heart Network....
radio presenter
Peter Blake
Peter Blake (artist)

'Sir Peter Thomas Blake', Order of the British Empire, Royal Designers for Industry, is an English pop artist, best known for his design of the sleeve for The Beatles' album Sgt....
(1932- ), pop art
Pop art

Pop art is a visual art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in UK and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of Fine Art since Pop removes the material from its context and isolates...
ist.
Brian Cant
Brian Cant

Brian Cant is an England actor, television presenter and writer.Born in Ipswich, he currently lives in Buckinghamshire and is married to writer and director Cherry Britton, the sister of Fern Britton and actor Jasper Britton....
(1933- ), British children's entertainer, who lived in the town for many years
Dave Charnley
Dave Charnley

Dave Charnley was an English lightweight boxer and is considered to be one of the greatest British fighters in his weight class. Known as The Dartford Destroyer the left-handed Charnley had a 10 year career lasting from 1954 to 1964....
(The Dartford Destroyer) (1935- ), undefeated British Lightweight Boxing
Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
Champion
Cobra
Michael Willson

Michael Willson is a former professional sportsman best known for his role as Cobra on the British TV show Gladiators from 1992-2000....
(1963- ), TV personality (Gladiators)
Graham Dilley
Graham Dilley

Graham Roy Dilley is a former England cricketer whose main role was as a fast bowler....
(1959- ), Kent and England cricket
Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
er
Andy Fordham
Andy Fordham

Andy "The Viking" Fordham is an England darts player. He won the 2004 BDO World Darts Championship, beating Mervyn King in the final. He is also a four-time semi-finalist at the Lakeside, and the 1999 Winmau World Masters champion....
(1962- ), World Darts
Darts

Darts refers to a variety of related sports, in which dart are thrown at a circular target hung on a wall. Though various different boards and games have been used in the past, the term 'darts' usually now refers to a standardized game involving a specific board design and set of rules....
Champion 2004, was landlord of The Rose public house
Public house

A public house, the formal name for a pub in Britain, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic beverage for consumption on or off the premises in countries and regions of United Kingdom influence....
in Dartford
Len Goodman
Len Goodman

Leonard Gordon "Len" Goodman is a United Kingdom professional dance judge and teacher and former dancer. He runs a ballroom dancing and Latin dancing school in Dartford, Kent, United Kingdom....
(1942- ), Professional dance judge and celebrity star of the BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom dance and Latin dancing dances....
Ivor Gurney
Ivor Gurney

Ivor Gurney was an England composer and war poet.Born at 3 Queen Street, Gloucester in 1890, Gurney sang as a chorister at Gloucester Cathedral, from 1900 to 1906, when he became an articled pupil of Herbert Brewer at the cathedral....
(1890-1937), composer and poet
Henry Havelock
Henry Havelock

Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, Order of the Bath was a United Kingdom general who is particularly associated with India. He was noted for his recapture of Siege of Cawnpore from rebels during Indian Rebellion of 1857....
(1795-1857), British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
general
Mark Homer
Mark Homer

Mark Homer is a United Kingdom actor of stage , television and film. He is best known for playing Tony Hills in the popular British soap opera EastEnders from 1995 to 1999....
, actor
Henry Ambrose Hunt
Henry Ambrose Hunt

Henry Ambrose Hunt was a British meteorologist noted for his contribution to meteorology in his adopted home of Australia. He was Director of the Bureau of Meteorology between 1908 and 1931....
(1866-1946), meteorologist
Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger

Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an England rock musician best known as the lead vocalist of the The Rolling Stones. As well as a songwriter, he is an actor, and record producer and film producer....
(1943- ), vocalist of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards....
Keith Richards
Keith Richards

Keith Richards is an England guitarist, songwriter, singer, record producer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones. As a guitarist, Richards is mostly known for his innovative rhythm guitar playing....
(1943- ), guitarist of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards....
Glen Johnson
Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson may refer to:*Glen Johnson , Jamaican boxer*Glen Johnson , English Premier League player for Portsmouth F.C.*Glen Johnson , former Canadian soccer player...
(1984–), Footballer for Portsmouth FC
Sidney Keyes
Sidney Keyes

Sidney Arthur Kilworth Keyes was an England poet of World War II....
(1922-1943), war poet
John Latham
John Latham (ornithologist)

John Latham was an England physician, natural history and author.Latham has been called the "grandfather" of Australian ornithology. He was able to examine specimens of Australian birds which reached England in the last twenty years of the 18th century, and was responsible for naming many of them....
(1743-1837), ornithologist
Matt Morgan
Matt Morgan (comedian)

Matthew "Matt" Morgan is an England comedian, actor, writer, DJ and radio presenter. He is best known for his work with Russell Brand, with whom he shares numerous writing credits, as well as co-hosting The Russell Brand Show on BBC Radio 2, which he did since its days on BBC 6Music, up until it ended in October 2008, although his last...
(1977- ), comedy writer and DJ
Topsy Ojo
Topsy Ojo

Topsy Ojo is an England rugby union player for the London Irish club, and is a member of the England national rugby union team squad.He became a full member of the London Irish squad in April 2006, and now plays Rugby union positions#14....
(1985- ), London Irish
London Irish

London Irish is an England rugby union club based in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey where the senior squad train, and the youth teams and senior academy play home games....
and England
England national rugby union team

The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France national rugby union team, Ireland national rugby union team, Scotland national rugby union team, Italy national rugby union team, and Wales national rugby union team....
rugby union full-back, attended Dartford Grammar School
Min Patel
Min Patel

Minal Mahesh Patel is a retired Indian-born cricketer; who made 2 appearances in Test cricket for England cricket team. He was a right-handed batsman and a Left-arm orthodox spin bowler, who primarily played for Kent County Cricket Club....
(1970- ), Kent and England cricketer
Chris Pearson
Chris Pearson (radio)

Chris Pearson was born in Dartford, Kent and is a radio presenter on the worldwide BFBS radio network.His career started with the famous north-sea pirate station Radio Caroline....
, BFBS
BFBS

BFBS may refer to:*British Forces Broadcasting Service*British and Foreign Bible Society...
Radio DJ
Michael Pearson (1936- ), horology
Horology

Horology is the art or science of measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, Sundial, Clepsydra , Timer, Time recorder and marine chronometers are all examples of Measuring instruments used to measure time....
historian and author
John Rushby
John Rushby

John Rushby is a United Kingdom computer scientist now based in the United States.John Rushby was born and brought up in London, where he attended Dartford Grammar School....
, computer scientist
Paul Samson
Paul Samson

Paul Samson was a guitarist closely associated with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.After a period in several obscure bands, Samson formed his own eponymous outfit, Samson , in 1978, consisting of Chris Aylmer on bass, and Clive Burr on drums....
(1953-2002), rock guitarist
Alec Stock
Alec Stock

Alec Stock was an England football .Alec Stock was born in Peasedown St John and played as an inside-forward for Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Charlton Athletic F.C....
(1917-2001), football player and manager
Alfred Sturge
Alfred Sturge

Alfred Sturge was a notable Baptist who ministered in Devon, India and Kent....
(1816-1901), Pastor and missionary
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Fellow of the Royal Society was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990....
(1925- ), former British Prime Minister, ran for the Dartford parliamentary seat in 1950 and 1951
Pete Tong
Pete Tong

Peter "Pete" Tong is an England disc jockey who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for his own performances at nigh...
, BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 is a United Kingdom international radio station operated by the BBC, specialising in current popular music throughout the day, with a slight bias to Rock music & Independent music music....
DJ
Richard Trevithick
Richard Trevithick

Richard Trevithick was a British nationality inventor, mining engineer and builder of the first working railway steam locomotive....
(1771-1833), inventor and mining engineer
William James Erasmus Wilson
William James Erasmus Wilson

Sir William James Erasmus Wilson , generally known as Sir Erasmus Wilson, was born in London, studied at Dartford Grammar School before St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, and at Aberdeen, and early in life became known as a skilful surgery and dissector....
(1809-1884), surgeon
Malcolm Wakeford
Malcolm Wakeford

Malcolm Wakeford was born in Dartford U.K. and came to Australia at age 11. He is best known as a drummer and singer in Australian bands since the 1970's....
, musician, composer
Terry Hollands
Terry Hollands

Terry Hollands , is one of the world's leading strongman competitors and was Britain's_Strongest_Man....
- Strongman
Strongman

Strongman can mean:* Strongman * Strongman * Strongman * High striker, a physical strength carnival attraction.* Strongman , a Marvel Comics character...
and 2007 winner of Britain's Strongest Man
Britain's Strongest Man

Britain's Strongest Man is an annual strongman event held to determine the strongest man in Great Britain. Athletes compete from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland....
Jamie O'Hara
Jamie O'Hara

Jamie Darryl O'Hara is an England Association football who plays in the central midfield position for Tottenham Hotspur F.C.. He has also played at left back and left midfield....
(1986–), footballer for Tottenham Hotspur
Steve Rider
Steve Rider

Stephen Rider is a well known England sports presenter, and is currently anchorman of ITV's Football coverage, which includes the Champions League, England Internationals and the FA Cup....
(1950-), sports presenter for BBC and ITV
ITV

ITV is a public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television network of British television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC....

International links

Twin towns

Hanau
Hanau

Hanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt....
, Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
(Hesse
Hesse

Hesse is a States of Germany of Germany with an area of 21,110 km? and just over six million inhabitants. The state capital is Wiesbaden. Hesse's largest city is nearby Frankfurt am Main....
)
Capelle
Capelle aan den IJssel

Media:Nl-Capelle aan den IJssel.ogg is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 15.42 km? of which 1.13 km? is water....
, Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
(Holland
Holland

Holland is a name in common usage given to two regions in the western part of Netherlands. The name 'Holland' is also often mistakenly used to refer to the whole of The Netherlands....
) since 1989
Tallinn
Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Estonia and of Harju County. It occupies a surface of 159.2 km? in which 397,617 inhabitants live....
, Estonia
Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Finland across the Gulf of Finland, to the west by Sweden across the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by the Russia ....
since 1992

Associated towns

Gravelines
Gravelines

Gravelines is a Communes of France in the Nord departments of France in northern France.It lies at the mouth of the Aa River, France 15 miles southwest of Dunkirk, France....
, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
since 1992

Dartford

Geology and geography

History

Industry

Dartford's industrial history

Industrial estates

Decline

Resurgence

Population

Culture

Transport

Roads

Railways

Education

Places of Worship

The parish church

Health

Open spaces

Central Park

Dartford Heath

Notable people

International links

Twin towns

Associated towns

External links