Milton Chantry, Fort Gardens, Gravesend, Kent DA12 2BH

Milton Chantry has had many different uses and is one of a few surviving buildings of this type. It contains a number of well-preserved architectural features from the 14th to 19th centuries along with a variety of displays relating to the heritage of the Borough. Located close to the Thames, New Tavern Fort was designed to defend London against an enemy fleet. Experience life underground and follow in the steps of the Victorian artillery men.

FREE entry to Milton Chantry Heritage Centre. New Tavern Fort – £1

Milton Chantry, Fort Gardens, Gravesend, Kent DA12 2BH

Milton Chantry has had many different uses and is one of a few surviving buildings of this type. It contains a number of well-preserved architectural features from the 14th to 19th centuries along with a variety of displays relating to the heritage of the Borough. Located close to the Thames, New Tavern Fort was designed to defend London against an enemy fleet. Experience life underground and follow in the steps of the Victorian artillery men.

FREE entry to Milton Chantry Heritage Centre. New Tavern Fort – £1

Milton Chantry, Fort Gardens, Gravesend, Kent DA12 2BH

Milton Chantry has had many different uses and is one of a few surviving buildings of this type. It contains a number of well-preserved architectural features from the 14th to 19th centuries along with a variety of displays relating to the heritage of the Borough. Located close to the Thames, New Tavern Fort was designed to defend London against an enemy fleet. Experience life underground and follow in the steps of the Victorian artillery men.

FREE entry to Milton Chantry Heritage Centre. New Tavern Fort – £1

Milton Chantry, Fort Gardens, Gravesend, Kent DA12 2BH

Milton Chantry has had many different uses and is one of a few surviving buildings of this type. It contains a number of well-preserved architectural features from the 14th to 19th centuries along with a variety of displays relating to the heritage of the Borough. Located close to the Thames, New Tavern Fort was designed to defend London against an enemy fleet. Experience life underground and follow in the steps of the Victorian artillery men.

FREE entry to Milton Chantry Heritage Centre. New Tavern Fort – £1

Gravesend Railway Station, DA11 0HP

After meeting at Gravesend Railway Station your tour guide will take visitors to St George’s Church, the burial place of the Native American Indians, Pocahontas.

From there the route will continue along the River Thames from Town Pier to New Tavern Fort.

Stops along the route include The Three Daws public house, St Andrews Gardens, Bawley Bay, St Andrews Arts Centre, Gravesend Tudor Block House, the Clarendon Royal Hotel, the Royal Terrace Pier and Milton Chantry, the oldest building in Gravesend and situated within the confines of New Tavern Fort.

Milton Chantry, Fort Gardens, Gravesend, Kent DA12 2BH

Milton Chantry has had many different uses and is one of a few surviving buildings of this type. It contains a number of well-preserved architectural features from the 14th to 19th centuries along with a variety of displays relating to the heritage of the Borough. Located close to the Thames, New Tavern Fort was designed to defend London against an enemy fleet. Experience life underground and follow in the steps of the Victorian artillery men.

FREE entry to Milton Chantry Heritage Centre. New Tavern Fort – £1

Milton Chantry, Fort Gardens, Gravesend, Kent DA12 2BH

Milton Chantry has had many different uses and is one of a few surviving buildings of this type. It contains a number of well-preserved architectural features from the 14th to 19th centuries along with a variety of displays relating to the heritage of the Borough. Located close to the Thames, New Tavern Fort was designed to defend London against an enemy fleet. Experience life underground and follow in the steps of the Victorian artillery men.

FREE entry to Milton Chantry Heritage Centre. New Tavern Fort – £1

Gravesend Railway Station, DA11 0HP

After meeting at Gravesend Railway Station your tour guide will take visitors to St George’s Church, the burial place of the Native American Indians, Pocahontas.

From there the route will continue along the River Thames from Town Pier to New Tavern Fort.

Stops along the route include The Three Daws public house, St Andrews Gardens, Bawley Bay, St Andrews Arts Centre, Gravesend Tudor Block House, the Clarendon Royal Hotel, the Royal Terrace Pier and Milton Chantry, the oldest building in Gravesend and situated within the confines of New Tavern Fort.

Milton Chantry, Fort Gardens, Gravesend, Kent DA12 2BH

Milton Chantry has had many different uses and is one of a few surviving buildings of this type. It contains a number of well-preserved architectural features from the 14th to 19th centuries along with a variety of displays relating to the heritage of the Borough. Located close to the Thames, New Tavern Fort was designed to defend London against an enemy fleet. Experience life underground and follow in the steps of the Victorian artillery men.

FREE entry to Milton Chantry Heritage Centre. New Tavern Fort – £1

Milton Chantry, Fort Gardens, Gravesend, Kent DA12 2BH

Milton Chantry has had many different uses and is one of a few surviving buildings of this type. It contains a number of well-preserved architectural features from the 14th to 19th centuries along with a variety of displays relating to the heritage of the Borough. Located close to the Thames, New Tavern Fort was designed to defend London against an enemy fleet. Experience life underground and follow in the steps of the Victorian artillery men.

FREE entry to Milton Chantry Heritage Centre. New Tavern Fort – £1

Ambient Romanian Restaurant, 34 Windmill Street, Gravesend

This hour or so long walk will take us around familiar and not so familiar streets, plenty of stories and then back for a buffet lunch, which takes you on another journey to Romania.

Speaker: Christoph Bull

Price: £25 includes tour, buffet lunch and soft drinks - alcoholic drinks available at extra cost.

Booking and prepayment by cash essential - please pay in the restaurant Contact: 07448348613

Gad's Hill Place, Higham, ME3 7PA

Visit the former home of Charles Dickens, Gad's Hill Place - his 'Little Kentish Freehold'.

When he was a boy Charles Dickens and his father took a walk through Kent. On Gravesend Road they passed a house called Gad’s Hill Place. Young Charles was impressed and bought the house in 1856. In this house he wrote his last four Novels, including Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. He lived there until his death in 1870. Gad’s Hill is set in pleasant grounds. You can visit the ground floor of the house, stroll in the gardens and appreciate Dickens’ love for his country home in the Garden of England.

Enjoy a tour with a Dickens Fellowship guide followed by tea and biscuits.

Gad's Hill Place, Higham, ME3 7PA

Visit the former home of Charles Dickens, Gad's Hill Place - his 'Little Kentish Freehold'.

When he was a boy Charles Dickens and his father took a walk through Kent. On Gravesend Road they passed a house called Gad’s Hill Place. Young Charles was impressed and bought the house in 1856. In this house he wrote his last four Novels, including Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. He lived there until his death in 1870. Gad’s Hill is set in pleasant grounds. You can visit the ground floor of the house, stroll in the gardens and appreciate Dickens’ love for his country home in the Garden of England.

Enjoy a tour with a Dickens Fellowship guide followed by tea and biscuits.

St George’s Church, Church Street, Gravesend DA11 0DJ

Guided tour of St George’s church (Guided tour to follow short service 15 minutes for Pocahontas and refreshments)
Discover the story of a building that all know, but few understand - loads of grizzly Gravesend stories included.

Guide: Christoph Bull

Price: £10 per person - minimum of 10 people needed for tour to go ahead.

Booking essential by contacting Rev Jim Fletcher (Rector of St George’s Church) on 01474 532505 or jim@stgeorgesgravesend.org

Meadow Rooms, The Street, Cobham DA12 3BZ

Cobham Gardeners Society invites you to a talk about The Kitchen Garden by Steve Edney.

Kitchen gardens or potagers as they are called in France conjure up images of wildly romantic spaces which are both beautiful yet functional. Steve's talk will cover a beginners guide to, good design, planting and variety choices plus handy tips to get the best from your fruit, veg and herbs.

Steve has been perfecting his art for over 28 years, accolades include appointment to the RHS Herbaceous Committee, the RHS plant trial forums, multiple RHS Gold medal winner, plus he has appeared on TV several times including Gardeners World!

Members - free, non members £3

Meet: 1pm  - No 3 Coffee Shop, 9a The Street, Shorne DA12 3EA

Repeated by popular demand, this hour long tour reveals some of Shorne's great stories.

Speaker: Christoph Bull

Price: £15 - includes both the historical guided tour and cream tea

Booking and prepayment essential at No 3 Coffee Shop, Shorne - 07732792290

St Mary’s Church Hall, Wrotham Road, Gravesend, DA11 7LL

Gravesend Historical Society invites you to a very interesting talk.

Join Keith Whitnel for a talk about 'Growing up in Gravesend in the 60s'.

Visitors are welcome, voluntary donation £3. 

Reliance Restaurant, Queen Street, Gravesend

This talk explores Gordon's life in Gravesend and abroad - and much reference is given to the Gordon Schools.

Speaker: Christoph Bull

Begins: 6pm for supper-talk to follow

Price: £23 for both talk and supper

Booking and prepayment by cash essential - Reliance Restaurant 01474 533593 or Jack 07768087036

Gravesend Library, Windmill Street, Gravesend, DA12 1BE

DJG Palmer will be talking about his books ‘A Rougher Task’ and ‘In the Ranks of Death’.
This is a heart wrenching LGBTQ+ tale of the brutalities of love and war.
A fight for survival against the backdrop of the emotive Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.

Signed copies of DJG Palmer’s book will be available to purchase

Tickets £2.50 available at the library - Booking essential, please speak to a member of library staff, email gravesendlibrary@kent.gov.uk or call 03000 41 31 31

The Lost Village of Dode, DA13 0XF

Many people believe that Dode was built in 1100 by Gundulf, a Norman Bishop and contemporary and confidant of both William the Conqueror and his son William Rufus. There is good historical evidence to suggest this. Bishop Gundulf is best known for building the Tower of London (White Tower) and Colchester Castle.

 The author of Lord of the Rings, J.R.R Tolkien, was well acquainted with the life and times of Gundulf as he was a professor of Anglo-Saxon history at Oxford.

So, this begs the question; was Gandalf’s name (arguably the most famous wizard in literature) based on the builder of Dode? The similarity to the name together with the reference to the Two Towers certainly may be more than just a coincidence!

If you would like to learn more of both the history of Dode and some of its magical, mystical stories – including the appearance of ‘the Dode Child’ – Doug will be giving a talk in the Church at 7.00pm on Sunday 23rd February 2025.

Meadow Rooms, The Street, Cobham DA12 3BZ

Cobham Gardeners Society invites you to a talk called Plants For Health and Healing.

Caroline Halfpenny takes a look at plants that are found in many gardens and in the wild that have been used to improve our health and wellbeing through out history. Some of the plants with healing properties within your own garden may surprise you!

Members - free, non members £3

Iron Pier Brewery, DA11 8RU

Enjoy a Brewery Tour and samples at Iron Pier Beer.

Free tours but please book - 01474 569460

St Mary’s Church Hall, Wrotham Road, Gravesend, DA11 7LL

All welcome to enjoy a talk by Alan Williams for Gravesend Historical Society.

After the 1940s, the trial of war and post-austerity, the Festival of Britain was to be a tonic. Alan Williams tells the story of the concept, what was planned and how the public joined in.

Visitors are welcome, voluntary donation £3. 

Reliance Restaurant, Queen Street, Gravesend

Gravesend in the 1920s was a very different town in the time of my father's childhood - find out how different - and how similar!

Speaker: Christoph Bull

Begins 6pm for talk - supper to follow

Cost: £23 inclusive of talk and supper

Booking and pre-payment essential - Reliance Restaurant 01474 533593 or Jack 07768087036

Meeting place - corner of Lower Higham Rd/Castle Lane, Chalk DA12 2NR

On: Tuesday 31st December 2024

Meet: 10.30am corner of Lower Higham Road/Castle Lane, Chalk DA12 2NR

Cost: Free-but donations welcomed.

Gravesend Historical Society Footpaths Committee has arranged this walk across marshes and fields, along public footpaths - it is open to everyone and well behaved dogs. The surfaces are uneven, possibly slippery and there are some stiles on route. Sensible footwear is needed-the walk is about 2 hours and about 4 miles. 

The XR Repair Café - Bicycles, electricals, ceramics, clocks, fabrics repaired and restored when possible.

First Thursday in every month, 10am to 2pm.

Tea coffee biscuits. Donations welcome.

Church Road Hall, Church Road, Swanscombe

Speakers: Christoph Bull (Local Historian) and Victor Smith (Expert on local fortifications, defences and archaeology)

On: Tuesday 3rd December 2024

At: Church Road Hall, Church Road, Swanscombe (a building constructed for Cold War purposes)

Begins: 7.30pm

Cost: Free-but donations welcomed. 

Shorne Village Hall, The Street, Shorne

General Gordon is well remembered-but how much do we know about him-and what is his legacy?

Speaker: Christoph Bull (Local Historian)

On: Thursday 21st November 2024 - begins 2pm

At: Shorne Village Hall, The Street, Shorne

Price: Free to members of Shorne Local History Group - visitors £5 payable at the door. No need to book.

Gardeners Arms public house, Forge Lane, Higham

The twilight world of our local history explored-you will be amazed at what Gravesham and Dartford have to offer in folk tales and secrets.

Speaker: Christoph Bull (Local Historian)

On: Monday 18th November 2024

At: Gardeners Arms public house, Forge Lane, Higham - beginning at 11am for the talk, lunch to follow

Price: £18 for both lunch and talk

Booking essential 01474 823337 or sarahluchgardenersarms@gmail.com

The XR Repair Café - Bicycles, electricals, ceramics, clocks, fabrics repaired and restored when possible.

First Thursday in every month, 10am to 2pm.

Tea coffee biscuits. Donations welcome.