Tourism
Dartford has a rich and varied heritage with many notable buildings including Domesday churches and royal residents.
The Manor Gate House
Following the dissolution of Dartford Priory, Henry VIII chose the site to construct a Manor House between 1541 and 1544 for his personal use. In 1545, this venue became one of the most politically important in Tudor England, when the Privy Council met here.
Anne of Cleves was given the Manor House as part of her divorce settlement by Henry and lived there between 1553 and 1557.
Elizabeth I retained the use of the Manor house but only stayed there on two occasions. Today, it is just the Gatehouse that remains. This is an historic building and the exterior is definitely worth a look. The interior is now used for offices.
Priory Road, Dartford
Swanscombe Skull Site
Three perfectly matching pieces of a 400,000 year old skull were found in Swanscombe in 1935, 1936 and 1955.
These pieces are amongst the oldest human remains ever discovered in Europe . Three commemorative stones mark the places where the fragments of the skull were found.
Thousands of primitive stone tools have been found on this site from this period, as well as from earlier Clactonian culture, some of which are at display at the Dartford Borough Museum
Southfleet Road, Dartford
Churches
The Borough of Dartford is home to 11 churches that were included in the
Domesday Book. One of the most interesting of these is Holy Trinity, located
in Dartford town centre.
The oldest part of the Church is the lower section of the main tower which was built between 1050 and 1080. Following the canonisation of Thomas Becket, Holy Trinity became popular with pilgrims on their way to Canterbury.
In 1422 Henry V's body lay overnight at Holy Trinity for a requiem mass before continuing the journey from Agincourt to Westminster Abbey.
Sights inside the Church include a dramatic 15th century wallpainting
of St George and the Dragon together with the early 17th century tomb of
Sir John Spilman. The graceful pillars and superb arcading inside St Mary's
Church at Stone have drawn praise from many.
