This rather unique residential neighbourhood of outer London combines the traditional Kentish town of Swanscombe, and the brownfield marshland on the southern banks of the Thames, with the almost brand-new garden suburb of Ebbsfleet Valley. The local architecture is therefore a strange array of traditional Victorian homes and municipal buildings, large Edwardian suburban terraces, and contemporary properties inspired by the suburbs of Stockholm. The modern development of Ebbsfleet Valley includes plenty of chain stores and retail space, and the high street towards London Road is lined with local independent shops and cafes, as well as community favourite, the George and Dragon pub. The nearby Ebbsfleet International station runs High Speed 1 services to Continental Europe, and Swanscombe station provides a number of trains into central London, making the neighbourhood convenient for commuters and families who wish to escape the inner city.

Evidence for the earliest humans known to have lived in England was found in Swanscombe, with the Natural History Museum claiming that the remains of a Neanderthal woman discovered in the area are over 400,000 years old! The Vikings were also present in the neighbourhood, docking their ships for the winter on the banks of the river to the north. Plenty of ancient Danish artefacts and architecture has been uncovered, and the area’s name even derives from the Viking king Sweyn Forkbeard. Very little changed in the area over the next few centuries, and it was not until the 1550s that a town began to emerge, which later became important in the cement industry. The early 20th century saw the introduction of the railways and the area’s subsequent suburbanisation, but Swanscombe’s position beneath the German flightpath during the Second World War meant that it was badly damaged during the Blitz.

From Ebbsfleet International train station you can hop on board the Eurostar to Paris. Because of this, the station is one of the very few to have bilingual signage, in both French and English. The others are Wallsend (Latin), Southall (Punjabi), and Hereford (Welsh).

The Ebbsfleet Valley development, which began in 2014 thanks to a £300m investment of public money, has been the subject of criticism, with Richard Rogers even saying that its situation so far outside of London was “not a sustainable option.” Few of the 15,000 planned homes have been built so far and many of the original community-focussed plans may fall short with fears that school places will be in dangerously short supply. Some are also unhappy with the standard of the housing, which in places differs homes that were promised.

Dubbed ‘UK Disneyland’, the £3.5bn theme park, the London Resort, is set to open by 2025 to the dismay of some local residents. The 465 hectare, 50-ride park will be based on popular films and television shows and was originally partnered with Paramount until they pulled out of the project in early 2018. There are plans to build over 3,500 hotel rooms for travelling guests, and the resort is predicted to attract more than 15 million tourists to the Swanscombe peninsula every year. In March 2022 the local MP withdrew their support for the project.