Gravesend is a town on the River Thames in Kent, just over 20 miles outside central London.
The town has quick travel links to the capital with high-speed trains from Gravesend train station, reaching London St Pancras in just 24 minutes. There are also connections to London Victoria as well as other central stations.
Travelling or commuting by car is easy too as the A2 passes just two miles south of Gravesend town centre and has links to both the M2 and the M25. The local bus network provides regular services to nearby towns, and there’s also a ferry service from Gravesend Town Pier taking passengers to Tilbury every half hour.
For international travel, Ebbsfleet Station is only three miles away. Catch the Eurostar to Lille in an hour, Paris in two hours, or Brussels in just over two hours.
Gravesend is a popular place for families because there’s a great selection of schools here. There are single-gender grammar schools, such as Gravesend Grammar School (primarily for boys but accepts girls at 16yrs+) and Mayfield Grammar School (for girls but accepts boys at age 16yrs+). Other secondary options include St John’s Catholic Comprehensive School and Thamesview School. There are plenty of options for younger children too, with Whitehill Primary School or independent options, like Bronte School.
Bluewater shopping centre is just seven miles away with 330 stores selling anything and everything you might need. There’s also over 60 restaurants and cafes to choose from, including well-known favourites like Carluccios and Bella Italia. Bluewater has a large Showcase Cinema to enjoy the latest films at too. The town centre has a great mix of independent stores, including ladies clothing shop, Body & Sole, and Gravesend Model Centre.
When heading out for a meal, enjoy Mediterranean food while looking out over the Thames at Riva Waterside Bar & Restaurant. It’s on the Gravesend’s iron pier, which is the oldest cast-iron pier in the world. Other options include Julius Caesar Italian Restaurant, or Peasher, which is a West African Restaurant.
Gravesend has plenty of GPs, as well as a medical centre and a community hospital.
If you like to get out on the water, Thames sailing barges, paddle steamers, and yachts sail from the pontoon on Gravesend Town Pier.
Gravesend’s Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara is one of the UK’s largest Sikh places of worship, and it’s well worth a visit. It’s one of two Gurdwaras within the town.
Shorne Woods Country Park makes for a great day out with its play areas, picnic spaces, eco-friendly visitor centre, trim trails, fishing lakes, and over 292 acres of land, including meadows and woodland.
Many connections are made between Gravesend and Charles Dickens, who lived just a couple of miles away from the town. He mentioned Gravesend in three of his books and loved taking walks around the local area here.
