This residential neighbourhood, with its semi-detached houses boasting spacious driveways and gardens, is a quintessential suburb of outer London, situated in the county of Kent. With its fantastic access to schools, nearby Central Park, and opportunities for fishing at Brooklands Lake, along with a plethora of golf clubs, it is no surprise that this neighbourhood is so popular with families and those who are eager to spend more time outdoors. And that’s not all! Should you be looking for things to do at the weekend, this neighbourhood has plenty to offer, whether that is a trip to the Dartford Borough Museum, catching some live music at The Mick Jagger Centre, or a play at The Orchard Theatre - there is something for everyone in this lively neighbourhood.

During the Medieval period, Dartford was an important thoroughfare for pilgrims and those travelling from London and the north of England to Canterbury and mainland Europe. From then, each century has seen Dartford emerge as a prominent site, such as in the 12th century, when the Knights Templar gained possession of the manor of Dartford, or the 14th century, when Dartford became significant as a key meeting point in the early stages of the Peasants’ Revolt. By the end of the 15th century, Dartford made its way into royal history, when Henry V marched through the town prior to the Battle of Agincourt. Not only this, Dartford was also the site where The Duke of York (with his 10,000 men) surrendered to King Henry VI; the camp is marked by York Road, which is located in this neighbourhood.

Icon of British music Mick Jagger was born and grew up in this neighbourhood. It was at the local Wentworth Primary School in 1950 where he would meet Keith Richards for the first time, with whom he would go on to found the Rolling Stones. Funnily enough the two lost contact between 1954 and 1961 when a chance encounter at Dartford train station brought them back together, bringing to life one of the most celebrated bands of all time!

The main downside of this neighbourhood is its location at the junction between the A2, A282, and M25. Not only does this contribute to a lot of noise and air pollution in this neighbourhood, but at peak times and in the event of an accident, this junction can become congested, thus making it difficult to navigate the roads around this neighbourhood. Despite this, residents are happy to deal with these drawbacks because of the increased accessibility that the roads allow.

Dartford Town Centre is currently undergoing something of a facelift after £12m was granted to the local council to revitalise area up to date with significant improvements to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and traffic calming measures a key component. There will also be a total revamp of the busy Market Street and High Street, bringing them into direct contact with Central Park and providing much needed greenery to the town centre. There will also be connectivity improvements to Dartford Station via increasing the pedestrianisation of Hythe Street which in turn is predicted to revitalise much of the local leisure and residential hubs, amongst many other projects slated to bring Dartford into the modern age. That said, some local residents have been disappointed by the quality of some of the work that has been undertaken with some complaining of “shoddy” and unfinished building. The project is set to be finished in late 2024.