DARTFORD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE RIVER THAMES

By Gareth Johnson MP for Dartford

Thames. Up until the late 1800s, it was deemed one of the ‘finest trout chalk’ rivers in the country and was extremely popular amongst anglers.

Beginning in Bromley, the River Cray joins the Darent at Dartford Creek and today both chalk streams are home to a wide variety of fish. Today, walkers can enjoy the beauty of the River Darent on the 19-mile Darent Valley Path.

Another of Dartford’s rivers, the River Cran, was little more than a stream that ran through Central Park and near to what is now Cranford Road. In 1923, one of the stone arches from the medieval town bridge was rebuilt there and can still be seen today, although the river itself now flows underground.

At the end of April, I took a boat trip along the Thames with the Port of London. This river, which has served us for generations, is still very busy. The Port of London is the largest in the UK and since last year has been a Freeport. This status means it is expected to grow in the next few years.

From the water you really get to see how much the Thames has developed with numerous businesses working on its shores. There are many warehouses and factories along the banks as well as aggregate and cargo terminals.

The Port of London Authority works hard to ensure the river can operate to its full potential, particularly ensuring the riverbed is sufficiently dredged to allow large container ships to access the port. The vision is for the Port of London to be the number one net zero commercial port with transportation of light freight to London with more and more businesses using the river as an alternative to road traffic.

Dartford’s relationship with the Thames has evolved over thousands of years and it is because of this river and some of our smaller ones, that Dartford first became a settlement.

The banks of the River Darent provided fertile farmland, and this is why people settled on them, together with its link to London. The river begins its journey in Westerham, flowing more than 20 miles to the tidal estuary in Dartford where it joins the

At the end of the 18th century, one writer described seeing large wharfs on the Thames at Greenhithe and how a ferry was used to transport horses and cattle over the river to Essex.

Dartford has also been a river crossing point since the Roman times, with the river connecting London with the rest of the world and the south through the Darenth Valley.

It’s thousands of years since our rivers brought people to Dartford and it is great to see them being used more and more today, for both business and pleasure.