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How to find Gravesend
12 Custom House Museum
Gravesend’s HM Custom
& Excise regional museum
is housed in the original
Coach House adjoining the
main Grade II listed Georgian
building. Seizure and historical
items are on display and
illustrate the work of the
department today and in
the past. The tour includes
a visit to the Custom House
Museum - not normally open
to the public. (Please note on
occasions it may not be possible
to gain access due to security
restrictions that may be applied
from time to time).
M11 Stanstead
OVERCLIFFE
TH A M
DOVER
WEST STREET
NEW ROAD
STATION
GRAVESEND
Y
ROAD
A227
GRAVESEND
MEOPHAM
NDON
A2/M2
DOVE
R
TOURS AVAILABILITY:
A regular event is the tour which leaves TOWNCENTRIC on
the first Wednesday of every month. Tours may be arranged
at other times, please call to check availability. Promenades
incorporating Gravesend’s famous culinary treat, a Shrimper’s Tea,
are also available.
BOOKINGS
Tours need to be booked in advance and we welcome individuals
and groups, young and old. We are able to accommodate groups
of up to 25 and it may be possible to adapt walks to suit the
interests of different groups.
Pocahontas Promenade
A Guided Tour of
Gravesend Riverside
Why not join our experienced
guide who will take you on a two
hour walk around our many
fascinating and largely
unknown historic attractions.
Around every corner
you will find traces of time
gone by beginning with
one of Gravesend’s most
Walks for younger people
Our guides conduct walks for young people and we welcome
groups from schools, colleges or universities.
famous landmarks,
the final resting place
of Princess Pocahontas.
PRICES / CONCESSIONS
Prices/Concessions £3.00 for adults £1.50 for children. Concessions
for senior citizens and students. Most credit/debit cards accepted.
Group concessions - one free place for every twelve booked.
A large print version of this guide can be
made available on request 01474 337600
18a, St. George’s Square, Gravesend, Kent DA11 0TB
Tel: 01474 337600 Fax: 01474 337601
E-mail: [email protected]
TOWNCENTRIC is supported by the Single Regeneration Budget
and operated by Gravesham Borough Council.
www.towncentric.co.uk
The Chantry is the
oldest building in
Gravesend, dating
from the 14th century.
It was originally built
as a Chantry Chapel,
but over the years has
been used as many
different things including
an Inn and a farmhouse. It houses many fascinating displays and
artefacts including a room devoted to excavations of Roman
relics from a site local to Gravesend. It also houses an exhibition
about General Gordon of Khartoum, another famous person
associated with the Town.
W
A2 LO
UTHFLEET
2 SO
B26
RO
AD
B262 HA
LL ROAD
AM
GRAVESEND (W)
NORTHFLEET
OLD R
O AD WEST
RO
TH
A2260
www.towncentric.co.uk
BATH STREET
BURCH ROAD
WAY
HARMER STREET
SPRIN
GHE AD R D
LONDON ROAD
ES
THAM
Y
Dover
Folkestone
Ashford
A2260 THAME W A
S
Chantry Heritage
Centre
14 New Tavern Fort
26
A2
A229
13 The Milton
The New Tavern Fort is
bristling with guns. It has
been one of the larger
guardians of the river
Thames since 1780.
Although there is not time
within this guided tour,
it is possible to venture into
the mysterious underground
world of the Victorian
artilleryman; you can see
the magazines and full sized
reconstructions of scenes
from Gravesend during
the Second World War.
Canterbury
M20
M23
Gatwick
CLIFTO N MARINE
A2
WA
A227
NORTHFLEET
Ramsgate
Medway Towns
DE
PAR A
A20
GRAVESEND
M2
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
European Regional
Development Fund
Ferry to Tilbury
ES
Dartford
M25 A2
er T
hames
Designed & Produced by High Profile Limited - Telephone: 01474 533077
Riv
River Thames
London
© 06.2001 Gravesham Borough Council
Town Centre
Regeneration
Town Centre
Regeneration
9 Gravesend Tudor
5 The Three Daws
1 TOWNCENTRIC
Blockhouse
Right next to the Town Pier is
The Three Daws public house.
Old records indicate that it is
over 500 years old thus its claim
to be the oldest remaining pub
in Gravesend. Underground
tunnels allegedly used by
smugglers lead from the cellars
of this historic building. Situated
right on the riverside it is now a
popular hostelry for both local
people and tourists to the area.
The tours commence at TOWNCENTRIC,
Gravesend’s new visitor and Information
centre situated in the heart of the town facing
St George’s Church. Gravesend is located 25 miles
south of London and about 49 miles from the
Channel Tunnel and the ports of Dover and
Folkestone. Bluewater, Europe’s premier retail
and leisure centre is just a few minutes away.
2 St George’s Church
St George’s Church has been
a place of Christian worship for
over 500 years. This beautiful
church replaced the previous
building which burnt down in
1727, and has itself been
repeatedly adapted to suit the
changing worship needs of the
town, leaving us today with a
bright and welcoming place in
which to give thanks to God.
Time is allowed to view the
many artefacts
within the Church.
The red brick foundations of
the Gravesend Blockhouse in the
riverside lawn of the Clarendon
Royal Hotel are the only remaining
glimpse of the network of artillery
forts built by Henry VIII in 1540 to
defend the Thames against foreign
invasion. Outlines of the firing
apertures may be seen in the walls.
10
7 St Andrews Art Centre
and Mission House
St Andrews Art Centre was originally
built as a mission church for the
many waterside communities that
gathered in Gravesend. The original
design was by George Edmund
Street, who was a renowned and
highly regarded Victorian Architect.
It was built by the daughter of
Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort KCB,
as a memorial to her father, who is
known for his scale of wind speeds.
The primary purpose of the church
had been to undertake missionary work but this declined after the
building of Tilbury Docks. The church, however, retained its strong
association with the waterside people and the flag from the
mission launch was kept at the church. The centre is now used for
drama, concerts, and exhibitions.
3 Statue of Princess Pocahontas 1595-1617
On 21st March 1617 the body of a young woman, Princess
Pocahontas, was rowed ashore from a nearby ship, the
"George" at Gravesend. She was buried at St. George’s
Church without any ceremony or fuss. At that time
there was little to show that she was one of the most
honoured women in American history. People from
all over the world lay claim to be descendants of
this famous lady and pay homage to her last
resting place.
The Mission house was built in 1840 as the Spread Eagle Tavern
and was taken over in 1870 by the St Andrew’s Waterside Church
Mission. This was to raise the condition, both spiritually and
morally, of the large population of the floating community. It was
not unusual to have up to 80 men, women and children, living in
coal hulks moored off the town. It was also used by General
Gordon (Gordon of Khartoum) as a reading room to teach poor
local children.
4 Town Pier Square and
Town Pier
Once the
area for
the main
hub of activity
in the Town, the Town Pier
is the oldest remaining cast iron pier in
the world and is one of the most important historic
structures in Gravesend. Thousands of tourists once used
the regular steamer service to and from London for day
trips to Gravesend’s famous Pleasure Gardens.
The pier is currently being restored to its
Victorian splendour.
8 Bawley Bay
t
Chu
ee
r
t
S
rch
2
1 3
4 5
Crook
e
8
d La
ne
6 7
10 11
a
Pi er Ro d
Royal 9
14
12
e
The Terrac
11 Port Of London Authority
(London River House)
London River House was opened in
September 1992 by the Lord Mayor
of London.The name "London River
House" was chosen for the PLA’s new
operational and administrative
building because for centuries the
Port of London, which stretches
some 150 kilometres from the tidal limit of the River Thames at
Teddington to the North Sea, has been traditionally known by
those in shipping as "London River". Adjoining London River House
is the Port Control Centre. This became operational in May 1959
to centralise the control of navigation on the river. It houses the
latest in radar surveillance equipment and brings together the
Harbour Services operations.
Royal Terrace Pier
This Pier was built in 1844, and is today still a working pier.
It was originally built on cast iron doric columns but these were
replaced by glass fibre when it was refurbished. The pontoon
connected by a bridge was provided at the outer end. In the
late 19th century the pier became a base for pilots, and offices
were built for them. It was often in use by day-trippers to
Gravesend, many came by steamer from London. It was re-named
"Royal" in 1863 after Princess Alexandra arrived there from
Denmark to marry the Prince of Wales.
Town Pier
West Street
This is a Grade II listed building
and was originally a house that
was built in 1655 for the use of
the Duke of York (later to
become King James II).
The name Clarendon derives
from that of his father-in-law
the Duke of Clarendon.
It became a hotel in the 1840s and was a very popular place with
visiting aristocrats. In 1863 the Prince of Wales, (later to become
Edward VII), stayed here when awaiting the arrival of his bride.
12
This historic tiny bay was named
after the many shrimp boats which
used to moor there in the 19th century.
Many families set sail from this tiny
bay hoping to start a new life in
Australia and New Zealand. It is not
unusual for descendants of these
families to return to Gravesend when
tracing their ancestors.
The Clarendon
Royal Hotel
13