Thurs 21st Sept Morning – Cement, Bricks and Paper alongside Europe’s finest Gurdwara – Gravesend
Walk Route
Walk Description – Morning
The world’s shipping still passes the town’s front door. The long-established industrial foreshore was once the site of the earliest known cement kiln and continues to be the site of paper mills that once drew the Sikh community to settle here.
A six-mile walk along the foreshore and into the picturesque town centre through the old, newly restored covered market and a visit to the truly spectacular Sikh temple, before boarding LV21, the lightship moored at the riverfront for an early evening spoken word performance.
Please note this walk is not suitable for those with access issues or walking difficulties due to steps and uneven terrain. It will be a relatively fast paced walk.
Please book separately for the afternoon event if you would like to stay all day and walk the full 6 miles.
Technical difficulty of walk: Difficult
Distance: 6.22 miles (morning and afternoon walks combined, as per map)
Schedule
09.30 Start at Ebbsfleet Utd FC, Stonebridge Rd, Northfleet DA11 9GN. The ten scrolls from Dartford will be joined by two more. Welcome and introduction to the day.
10.40 St Botolphs Church, The Hill, Northfleet DA11 9EU.
11:15 Riverside walk from Northfleet to Gravesend.
12:30 Ends (or lunch break for those on the afternoon walk).
The ten community walks are part of a series of longer ‘link’ walks that will see the flags carried from Kew to Southend using only boots or boats. These longer walks range from six miles to 23 miles. They have been planned with the London branch of the Long Distance Walkers Association, a Silk River partner, and are designed for experienced walkers only. For more information visit https://www.ldwa.org.uk/London/W/4662/2017.html
Please read the Disclaimer covering the walks HERE
Special thanks go to Kent County Council, Gravesham Borough Council, their staff and partners for the planning and facilitation of today’s walk.
Kent County Council provided funding, and Gravesham Borough Council worked with the following organisations for Silk River:
- Port of London Authority
- Woodville Theatre
- Gravesham Art Salon
- The Gr@nd
- LV21 – Boat
- Guru Nanak Darbar Gudwara
- Kent Equality Cohesion Council
Gravesend is a very diverse town with a significant history of migration stemming from the 1950’s when the Indian community settled in this Riverside borough. Gravesend is steeped in history, having been recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, the writing place where Charles Dickens penned Great Expectations, having one of the oldest surviving markets in the country and being the final resting place of Princess Pocahontas to name just a few.
Through this project, we will share some of that history, culture and vibrancy and celebrate our significant links with India and the river.
The Gurdwara is testament to Gravesend’s thriving Sikh community who first began settling in the riverside town at the turn of the 20th Century. Its 5 elaborate domes and design are inspired by the Golden Temple at Amritsa.
The walk from industrial Northfleet through to the picturesque views from Windmill Hill identifies the history of Gravesend and its ability to shape and shift with each passing incarnation.
