Gravesend Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Kent, and around 20 miles east, and slightly south, of central London, is the town of Gravesend.

In the Domesday Book of 1086 the settlement was recorded as 'Gravesham', which happens to be the name of the borough and district to which it belongs to this day. The name is believed to be derived from 'Grafs-ham', meaning 'a place at the end of the grove'.

A market charter was first granted to Gravesend in 1268. It is home to one of the oldest surviving markets in the country. Owing to its geographic location on the south bank of the River Thames, Gravesend has, for centuries, operated ferrying services to London. In 1380 during the Hundred Years' War, French and Spanish forces attacked and burned Gravesend and captured most of its inhabitants. Consequently, Richard II granted the town increased privileges of ferry to enable it to recover its losses.

In 1543 a riverside fort was built at Gravesend under orders from Henry VIII. In 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada, a bridge of boats was built across the river for army use and as a barrier
for the Spanish ships under the cannons of Tilbury Fort over the river from Gravesend. It was here that Queen Elizabeth I landed in August 1588 to make her famous Speech to the Troops at Tilbury. Victory of the Anglo-Dutch forces shortly followed.

In 1617 Native American princess Pocahontas died at Gravesend. She had become known for saving the life of Captain John Smith, at the colony of Chesapeake, Virginia, after interceding with her father as Smith was about to be put to death. She later married another settler, John Rolfe, and came to England with him. The two later boarded a ship back to Virginia, but only made it as far as Gravesend where she became ill and was taken ashore, and died from unknown causes, and was buried at St George's Church.

In 1727 a great fire broke out in Gravesend, destroying over 100 houses as well as the parish church. This may account for the lack of timber-framed buildings in the town today, despite its erstwhile role as a coaching stop between London and Canterbury.

In 1834 Gravesend Town Pier opened. It was built on the site of the earlier Town Quay, and ferried over 3 million passengers between 1835 and 1842. However, in 1900 it fell into disuse due to the increasing use of the railways. In 2000, the dilapidated pier was purchased by the council, and a refurbishment project launched, and was completed in 2002. Gravesend Town Pier is the oldest surviving cast iron pier in the world and is Grade II listed.

In 1845 the single track Gravesend & Rochester railway opened, at which point Gravesend was the western terminus. By 1849 a new station was commissioned, located in the town centre, with trains running on the then brand new North Kent Line. Today the town has direct train links to Strood to the east and London to the west. Among its services are British Rail Class 395 Javelins towards London St Pancras to the west and the Kent coast to the east, with maximum speeds of 140mph (or 225kph).

In 1887 the foundation stone of the Gravesend Clock Tower was laid. This was built to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria. The design is based on the Elizabeth Tower in Westminster, commonly known as Big Ben (even though Big Ben is just the bell inside the tower etc etc...). The information panel next to the tower contains a glaring error as it shows a picture of George V instead of Edward VII next to the year 1902.

In 1946 two local football clubs, Gravesend United and Northfleet United, merged to form Gravesend & Northfleet Football Club. In 2007 the club was rebranded as Ebbsfleet United, and later that year, was bought by its own fans via the website MyFootballClub. It was later sold on to a group of Kuwaiti investors.

In 1980 anarcho-punk band Anthrax formed in Gravesend.

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Filmed: 10th March 2022

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/PRdBmCJ19ahG5QH59

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Milton Road
1:38 Gravesend Clock Tower
2:18 Berkley Crescent
2:49 Milton Road
4:21 King Street
5:39 New Road
10:10 Windmill Street
12:08 Gravesend Community Square
13:06 Windmill Street
13:44 Manor Road
14:55 Parrock Street
15:24 St John The Evangelist R.C. Church
15:38 Parrock Street
16:14 Queen Street
18:20 King Street
19:49 High Street
22:42 Town Pier Square
23:10 Wait for it...
23:17 This time..?
23:20 You can tell I'm not a local
23:23 Now!
23:26 Gravesend Town Pier
24:23 River Thames / Ferry route to Tilbury, Essex