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Top Attractions in Dartford

Dartford Library

Dartford Central Library and Museum is a library in the town centre of Dartford, Kent, England. The library was opened on 1 January 1916 by A. W. Smale, Chairman of the Dartford Urban District Council, and W. A. Ward, the Chairman of the Library Committee. Its first browsers were soldiers in World War I who were staying nearby in military hospitals, recovering from wounds received while serving in the trenches. Dartford Central Library was constructed with the aid of a grant from the philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. It was designed by Thomas E. Tiffin AMICE, the then-Dartford Urban District Council Surveyor, and built in Bath by Messrs H. Friday and Sons and Ling, using Portland and York stone. In 1937 the library was expanded over what was once the Dartford tin works. During the Second World War its cupola dome served as an air raid watchpost. Today, Dartford Library is open weekdays from 8:30 am to 6 pm, except Thursday when it is open until 8 pm. It is run by Kent County Council.

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. It then flows northwards past the industrial and residential area of St Mary Cray, through St Pauls Cray where there was once a paper mill, through Foots Cray, and enters the parkland of Foots Cray Meadows. Here it flows under the Five Arches bridge and past Loring Hall, once the home of Lord Castlereagh, who committed suicide there in 1822. It continues northwards through North Cray and Bexley, where there is a restored Gothic cold plunge bath house, built around 1766 as part of Vale Mascal Estate. It is then joined by the River Shuttle and then continues through the parkland of Hall Place, which was built for John Champneys in 1540. It then turns east through Crayford and Barnes Cray before joining the Darent, which flows northwards into the River Thames between Crayford Marshes and Dartford Marshes. The villages through which it flows are collectively known as the Crays.

Dartford Crossing

The Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing, commonly known as the Dartford Crossing and until 1991 the Dartford Tunnel, is a major road crossing of the River Thames in England, connecting Dartford in Kent to the south to Thurrock in Essex to the north. It consists of two bored tunnels and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, a cable stayed bridge. The only fixed road crossing of the Thames east of Greater London, it is the busiest estuarial crossing in the United Kingdom, with an average daily use of over 130,000 vehicles. It opened in stages: the west tunnel in 1963, the east tunnel in 1980 and the bridge in 1991. The crossing forms part of the M25 motorways route, though it is not under motorway restrictions itself. It has been described as one of the most important road crossings in Britain, and suffers from heavy traffic and congestion. The crossings development started in the late 1930s, but was interrupted due to the Second World War and resumed in the 1950s. The original tunnel catered for a single lane of traffic in each direction, but rising traffic levels required the second tunnel to be built. The M25 connected to the tunnels at both ends when completed in 1986, and this increased traffic put pressure on the tunnels capacity. A Private Finance Initiative scheme was started in 1988 to build the bridge. The combined crossing now handles four lanes of traffic in each direction. The crossing has always been tolled, though since 2008 it has been free from 10 pm to 6 am. An electronic charging scheme came into force in November 2014. As a result, the toll can no longer be paid in cash and the old toll booths have been removed. A residents scheme is available, offering further discounts for people living near the crossing.

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge

The Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing, commonly known as the Dartford Crossing and until 1991 the Dartford Tunnel, is a major road crossing of the River Thames in England, connecting Dartford in Kent to the south to Thurrock in Essex to the north. It consists of two bored tunnels and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, a cable stayed bridge. The only fixed road crossing of the Thames east of Greater London, it is the busiest estuarial crossing in the United Kingdom, with an average daily use of over 130,000 vehicles. It opened in stages: the west tunnel in 1963, the east tunnel in 1980 and the bridge in 1991. The crossing forms part of the M25 motorway's route, using the tunnels northbound and bridge southbound, though it is not under motorway restrictions itself. It has been described as one of the most important road crossings in Britain, and suffers from heavy traffic and congestion. The crossing's development started in the late 1930s, but was interrupted due to the Second World War and resumed in the 1950s. The original tunnel catered for a single lane of traffic in each direction, but rising traffic levels required the second tunnel to be built. The M25 connected to the tunnels at both ends when completed in 1986, and this increased traffic put pressure on the tunnels' capacity. A Private Finance Initiative scheme was started in 1988 to build the bridge. The combined crossing now handles four lanes of traffic in each direction. The crossing had always been tolled, and from 1 April 2003 this became a charge, though since 2008 it has been free from 10 pm to 6 am. An electronic charging scheme began in November 2014. As a result, the charge can no longer be paid in cash and the old toll booths have been removed. A residents' scheme is available, offering further discounts for people living near the crossing.

Fantaseas

Fantaseas was a chain of indoor waterparks situated in the United Kingdom that opened in the late 1980s, but due to various technical and financial difficulties closed in the mid-nineties. The first was opened in Autumn 1989 on the outskirts of Dartford in Kent. The building contained six American-style water slides, a lazy river, wave pool, an outdoor heated lagoon as well as a cafe and gaming video arcade. Visible on the skyline from the nearby M25 motorway the building dominated the local landscape and became quite an icon of the town. The features in Dartford were as follows: Mind Blower The slowest flume, suitable for children Cyclone Slightly faster, water traveled down in a "zig zag" motion Double Dipper Fast flume with sharp bends Nightmare Dark black flume, no vision whilst riding down Doom Tube Very fast, small flume Wipeout The fastest flume with sharp bends Dartford also included an extensive lazy pool and an indoor flume with multiple routes lasting in excess of 10 minutes. A second opened in 1990 in Chingford, London and featured many of the same rides as the Dartford park, albeit in a different configuration. The Chingford park was considered by some to be tamer than its Dartford counterpart, but still contained many of the same styles of water slides as its predecessor. In the summer of 1992, it was found the foundations of the Dartford site were inadequate to support the building. Its a common myth around the area that the sole reason the Dartford site was shut down was because of this issue, this is in fact untrue as the main reason was financial. Many considered the parks to be fads and typical of the grandiose get-rich-quick schemes of the time. In reality, the company encountered significant financial difficulties with a lack of attendance especially outside of the school holiday seasons. There were also several serious accidents at the Chingford park which tarnished the reputation of the company. This, coupled with high maintenance costs, built up debts of over £6 million in an eighteen-month period. Despite the Dartford site being fairly profitable for the company it still wasnt enough to save the waterpark and both sites were inevitably shut down. The Chingford site lay derelict for a decade before Waltham Forest Council built a new indoor pool, Larkswood Leisure Centre, on the site, which is now shared with a private Greens leisure club and a restaurant. The Dartford site also lay dormant for almost a decade, but remained in remarkable condition and was guarded by security with scheduled checks on the water pumps and other parts. Its fate was sealed in the early 2000s, when the buildings were demolished. The site was used as a refuse dump and remains derelict, with plans to turn it into housing. There is still evidence of the outdoor pool on the site. Because Fantaseas shut down in 1992, images were on film and as such pictures of the sites are very rare, however recently on Facebook and other image sites people have started to upload scans of the Dartford site including flyers and even some pictures of the site during construction.

Hesketh Park

Hesketh Park is a cricket ground in Dartford, Kent. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1943, when Dartford played London Counties. In 1956, Kent played Essex in the ground's first first-class match. From 1956 to 1990, the ground held 33 first-class matches, the last of which saw Kent play Leicestershire in the 1990 County Championship. The ground has also held List-A matches. The first List-A match saw Kent played Essex in the 1978 Benson and Hedges Cup. The ground held its second and final List-A match in a repeat of the previous fixture in 1981. The Kent Second XI first used the ground in 1947 when they played Norfolk in the Minor Counties Championship. The Kent Second XI have used the ground in a total of 37 matches in both the Minor Counties Championship and the Second XI Championship. During the 1973 Women's Cricket World Cup, the ground held a single Women's One Day International when Australia women played New Zealand women. In local domestic cricket, the ground is the home venue of Dartford Cricket Club who play in the Kent Cricket League. The cricket club is one of the oldest in the world, having been formed in 1727. Hesketh Park is next to Dartford Brent, which was the original home of the cricket club.

Hesketh Park

Hesketh Park is a cricket ground in Dartford, Kent. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1943, when Dartford played London Counties. In 1956, Kent played Essex in the ground's first first-class match. From 1956 to 1990, the ground held 33 first-class matches, the last of which saw Kent play Leicestershire in the 1990 County Championship. The ground has also held List-A matches. The first List-A match saw Kent played Essex in the 1978 Benson and Hedges Cup. The ground held its second and final List-A match in a repeat of the previous fixture in 1981. The Kent Second XI first used the ground in 1947 when they played Norfolk in the Minor Counties Championship. The Kent Second XI have used the ground in a total of 37 matches in both the Minor Counties Championship and the Second XI Championship. During the 1973 Women's Cricket World Cup, the ground held a single Women's One Day International when Australia women played New Zealand women. In local domestic cricket, the ground is the home venue of Dartford Cricket Club who play in the Kent Cricket League. The cricket club is one of the oldest in the world, having been formed in 1727. Hesketh Park is next to Dartford Brent, which was the original home of the cricket club.

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. As of November 2007, the hospital has been closed, and bids have been taken for its redevelopment to house luxury flats. Stone House was originally constructed between 1862 and 1866 at the behest of the London Commissioners in Lunacy to provide for destitute mentally ill patients from the London area at a cost of £65,000. The buildings were designed in a Tudor Revival architecture style by James Bunstone Bunning, and the facility accommodated 220 patients. The asylum grounds, at first 33 acres (130,000 m2) and later expanded to 140 acres (0.57 km2), included a working farm. Additions to the original buildings were made in 1874, 1878, and 1885, including an expanded female wing and a separate hospital building for patients with infectious diseases. The first medical superintendent of the Asylum was Dr. Octavius Jepson, who served from the opening of the facility through 1887; on his death twelve years later, he was buried in the asylum's cemetery. He was succeeded by Dr. Ernest White, who served until his retirement in 1904. The third superintendent was Dr. Robert Hunter Steen, who was in turn succeeded in 1924 by Dr. William Robinson. Robinson retired in 1942, but due to wartime staff shortages his permanent replacement, Dr. Hardwick, was not appointed until 1946; on the takeover by NHS his new title became Physician Superintendent, which brought additional powers and responsibilities. He was succeeded upon his retirement in 1959 by Dr. Cates (1959–1963), who was the last to hold the title, as the NHS decided to delegate day-to-day operations to a chief Consulting Psychiatrist. After 1892, the asylum was able to take "private" patients (patients whose fees were paid by their families, or from pensions). The influx of private patients resulted in a budget surplus, and enabled expansion and improvements of the asylum's facilities. In 1924 the facility was renamed the City of London Mental Hospital, and in 1948 it was taken over by the new National Health Service and became known as Stone House Hospital. A 1998 assessment by Thames Healthcare suggested that the hospital was not suited for modern healthcare; plans for the hospital's closure were initiated in 2003 by West Kent NHS. Among its most famous patients was the poet and composer Ivor Gurney, who resided there from 1922 until his death in 1937.

Dartford railway station

Dartford railway station serves the town of Dartford in Kent, England. All train services from the station are operated by Southeastern, which also manages the station. Dartford is a major interchange station in the North Kent region of the Southeastern network. Ticket barriers control access to the platforms. The station is where three lines from London meet: the North Kent Line, via Woolwich Arsenal the Bexleyheath Line the Dartford Loop Line via Sidcup. Westbound services normally terminate at London Charing Cross, London Cannon Street (both via London Bridge) and London Victoria. Services from London also continue through Dartford to Greenhithe (for Bluewater) to terminate at Gravesend, Strood, Rochester or Gillingham. Many of the terminating services at Dartford form London bound services, but the remainder will be stabled and maintained at Slade Green Depot approximately two miles west on the North Kent Line. There are several sidings to the east of the station where terminating trains can be stabled until such time as needed to return to Dartford to form London bound services or until drivers are available to return the train to Slade Green Depot.

Darenth Park Hospital

Darenth Park Hospital was founded by the Metropolitan Asylums Board in Darenth near Dartford in Kent as Darenth School for 500 children with learning disabilities on 18 November 1878. By 1890 it housed over 1,000 children and adults and included Darenth Asylum. By 1911 part of the site has become the Darenth Industrial Trading Colony, and the institution was becoming almost self-sufficient in food production and the manufacture of everyday items, thanks to its ample supply of free labour. In 1936, as the age and disability levels of residents increased, the name became Darenth Park Hospital, and in 1948 the management was transferred from the London County Council, which had succeeded the Metropolitan Asylums Board in the management of the institution, to the new National Health Service. The hospital drew patients from a wide catchment of south-east London and Kent. By 1970 the population had grown to 1,500 and the physical conditions in this grim and vast Victorian building were increasingly unacceptable by modern standards. The hospital had over 40 wards, of which 10 contained more than 50 residents. Finally in 1973 the Regional Health Board agreed to close Darenth, but the funding and planning required for such a major undertaking took years to put in place. Darenth Park was the first large regional learning disability institution to close in England as a result of the British government's emerging Care in the Community policy. Audrey Emerton, the South East Thames Regional Chief nursing officer between 1979 and 1990, guided the replacement programme, and from the early 1980s on nearly a thousand residents were resettled to other hospitals, hostels, small group homes and local facilities. In August 1988 the last residents were transferred and the hospital finally shut its doors. The buildings have been entirely demolished and the new Darent Valley Hospital has been built on part of the site. A 'village' of 300 new houses was also built and the remaining 100 acres became the Darenth Country Park. The only building surviving from the Asylum is at the former Darenth Park Hospital Farm, now used as the Arrow Riding School for the disabled.
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