This quiet suburban neighbourhood on the southern border of the ancient Kent town of Gravesend, sits amongst swathes of green fields, which are typical of this part of the country. The residential area is a maze of post war cul-de-sacs and narrow roads, densely populated by large modern homes, and also includes a small high street of local stores and The Gravesend Boat, a well-loved pub. The unusually named hamlet of Thong lies amongst the greenery of the southern part of the area, and borders the busy A2 and the Shorne Woods Country Park, which is home to the equally strangely-named Cardiac Hill, and the rather quaint Inn on the Lake. Despite the thoroughfare to the south, the neighbourhood is incredibly quiet, affordable, and perfect for families, and whilst public transport is somewhat lacking, the bustling centre of Gravesend is just a short drive north.

As it borders the River Thames, it is unsurprising that Gravesend has been populated since at least the Stone Age, with various implements dating from that period found locally. What is now Watling Street (A2), was once a Roman road connecting London to Kent. Gravesend is one of the country’s oldest surviving markets, dating back to at least 1268. The area was ransacked in 1380 during the Hundred Years’ War, but had recovered by 1401, when the area was granted permission to run boats into London on what became known as the ‘Long Ferry’ – a preferred mode of transport due to the concentration of highwaymen who stalked the road to the south. In 1617, Princess Pocahontas was buried in the local church of St George after she fell fatally ill on a ship bound for Virginia, and even Samuel Pepys recorded having stopped off in the town on his travels! The town grew slowly over the next few centuries, boosted by the opening of Gravesend station in 1845. An airport was built nearby following the First World War, though this was taken over in 1956 and the estate of Riverview Park was built on the site. It is these houses that remain to this day.

The area of Thong is not named after the style of underwear, or the Australian word for flip-flops, but rather it derives from the word Thuange, which was recorded in the Registrum Roffense of 1200. This name perhaps corresponds with the Middle Low German word, dwenge, which means ‘trap’, though this is not confirmed.

Whilst the nearby Gravesend station runs a fairly regular service to numerous London stations, the area’s 39km distance from the inner city can mean that commuting takes a long time, but also that it becomes incredibly expensive, especially if travelling at peak times. That being said, the money saved by living so far out of town has made the neighbourhood incredibly popular with commuters.

There are currently calls for the extension of the Crossrail line to Ebbsfleet, which would pass through Gravesend. If the cross-party campaign is successful, it will allow a linkage to be made between Canary Wharf and the Kent countryside, opening up land for upwards of 55,000 new homes and creating 50,000 new jobs; this will ultimately improve the economic prospects for the area.