There are a host of interesting places to visit in Dartford.

Dartford Borough Museum
Market Street, Dartford DA1 1EU. Tel: 01332 224739
Housed in a fine building of Bath and Portland stone at the main entrance to Dartford’s Central Park, the Museum has a permanent display telling the story of the town and its surrounding area from Prehistoric times to the present day. Pride of place goes to the famous 'Darenth Bowl' - a priceless early Christian relic from the Anglo-Saxon period. As well as its permanent display of local artefacts the Museum stages special exhibitions of topical interest throughout the year.

Open Mondays Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 12.30pm to 5.00pm and on Saturdays from 9.00am to 5.00pm. Admission free. For further details contact tel. no: 01322 224739.

Manor Gatehouse
Priory Road, Dartford DA1 2BJ. Tel: 08458 247499
Following the dissolution of Dartford Priory, Henry VIII chose the site to construct a Manor House between 1541 and 1544 for his personal use. In 1545, this venue became one of the most politically important in Tudor England, when the Privy Council met here. Anne of Cleves was given the Manor House as part of her divorce settlement by Henry and lived there between 1553 and 1557. Elizabeth I retained the use of the Manor House, but only stayed there on two occasions. Today, it is just the Gatehouse that remains. This is an historic building and the exterior is definitely worth a look. The interior is now used for weddings and visitors can be shown around the interior during normal office hours if no weddings are taking place.
All enquiries : Tel 08458 247400.

Swanscombe Skull Site Southfleet Road, Dartford Three perfectly matching pieces of a 400,000 year old skull were found in Swanscombe in 1935, 1936 and 1955. These pieces are amongst the oldest human remains ever discovered in Europe. Three commemorative stones mark the places where the fragments of the skull were found. Thousands of primitive stone tools have been found on this site from this period, as well as from earlier Clactonian culture, some of which are at display at the Dartford Borough Museum.

Dartford Festival
Dartford Festival is one of the largest free festivals in Kent and takes place each year in the middle of July in Dartford’s Central Park. The weekend's attractions include a great selection of music, children's activities, funfair, arts and craft stalls and a fantastic range of family entertainment.

Visit www.dartfordfestival.co.uk for full details.