River Darent

The Darent is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames and takes the waters of the River Cray as a tributary in the tidal portion of the Darent near Crayford, as illustrated by the adjacent photograph, snapped at high tide. ‘Darenth’ is frequently found in the spelling of the river’s name in older books and maps, Bartholomew’s “Canal’s and River of England” being one example. Bartholomew’s Gazetteer (1954) demonstrates that Darent means “clear water” and separately explains the other name.

Considering the River Darent runs on a bed of chalk and its springs rise through chalk, this is not surprising. The original purity of the water was a major reason for the development of paper and pharmaceuticals in the area.

Darenth Parish (through which the river flows) derives from a Celtic phrase ‘stream where oak-trees grow’ (Irish: “dair” = ‘oak-tree’, “abha” = river )[1] (compare e.g.”Derwent”). The landscapes of the valley were painted in a visionary manner by the renowned Victorian artist Samuel Palmer during the mid 1800s.

Fed by springs from the greensand hills south of Westerham in Kent and below Limpsfield Chart in Surrey it flows 21 miles (34 km) east then north by Otford and Shoreham, past the castle and the ruined Roman villa at Lullingstone, then by Eynsford, Farningham, Horton Kirby, South Darenth, Sutton-at-Hone, Darenth, and eventually to Dartford whence it proceeds a final two miles as a tidal estuary until it drops into the Thames “Long Reach”.

North of Dartford the Darent is tidal and, just before entering the Thames, receives the waters of the River Cray at Dartford & Crayford Marshes where the rivers form administrative boundaries between Greater London and Kent, (specifically, the London Borough of Bexley and the Kentish borough of Dartford). The Darent enters Thames Long Reach to the East of Crayford Ness.

Kent County Council has signposted a 19-mile (31 km) walking route along the Darent between the Greensand Hills above Sevenoaks and the Thames[8] and named it the Darent Valley Path. The route receives no obvious attention from councils or ‘focus’ groups[citation needed] although all or part is used by joggers, cyclists, walkers, dog walkers and curious adventurers, availing themselves of the Darent Valley Path to access or view the river’s amenities, such as they are.

This lack of attention is being addressed in the tidal section by a group of concerned locals, the “Friends of Dartford and Crayford Creeks”. As of mid-2016 a trust is being formed to promote regeneration and give formal recognition to the protection of this valuable public amenity.