IChurch · listed 1953Church of the Holy TrinityPhoto: Clem Rutter, Rochester Kent · CC BY-SA 3.0
Church of the Holy Trinity · Photo: Clem Rutter, Rochester Kent · CC BY-SA 3.0B−History Grade
History of Dartford · Historic England
70 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade I
Historic England counts them inside Dartford’s built-up area, 10 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 1 scheduled monument. We have photos of 9 of its listed buildings and 2 old views of the town. 15% of its homes were built before 1919. Dartford grades B− for history: #54 of 87 in Kent.
Listed buildings
70
10 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
2
exceptional interest
Grade II*
4
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
1
nationally important sites
Homes built before 1919
15%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures
Dartford in 11 photos and old views
Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed, and the town before 1950. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
The Royal Victoria and Bull InnGrade II* listed
Columbarium at Hawley Manor Dovecote to South West of Hawley ManorGrade II* listed
Twistleton's AlmshousesGrade II listed
The Bridge HouseGrade II listed
Former West Hill Police StationGrade II listed+6See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.
Through time
Dartford from 1890 to 1890
2 old photos and postcards, in date order. All public domain, made before 1950.
c. 1890
c. 1890Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server. Each credit opens the image’s page with its full description and history.
The map
Where Dartford’s history is
Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park, over the age of each neighbourhood’s homes.
Grade IGrade II*Scheduled monument
Homes built before 1919, by neighbourhoodunder 10%10–25%25–50%50%+
2 of 41neighbourhoods have mostly pre-1919 homes; in the oldest, 75% were built before 1919.
Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.
70 listed buildings by grade
2 Grade I4 Grade II*64 Grade II
Historic England lists buildings in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest (about 2.5% of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (about 5.8%), and Grade II for buildings of special interest (about 91.7%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.
Every entry on the National Heritage List for England whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings. Neighbourhood dots: the population-weighted centre of each Census 2021 output area, coloured by its neighbourhood’s (LSOA’s) share of homes built before 1919 (Valuation Office Agency, March 2025).
Grade I
The 2 Grade I listed buildings in Dartford
Buildings of exceptional interest, about 2.5% of all listed buildings. Every one is photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.
IChurch · listed 1967Church of St Michael, WilmingtonOn the list as Church of St MichaelPhoto: David Anstiss · CC BY-SA 2.0
Grade II*
The 4 Grade II* listed buildings in Dartford
Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Every one is photographed.
II*Inns & shops · listed 1953The Royal Victoria and Bull InnPhoto: Ethan Doyle White · CC BY-SA 4.0
II*House · listed 1952Dovecote at Hawley ManorOn the list as Columbarium at Hawley Manor Dovecote to South West of Hawley ManorPhoto: Stefan Czapski · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Walls & gates · listed 1953Priory Farmhouse Containing the Remains of Dartford Priory GatehousePhoto: Paul the Archivist · CC BY-SA 4.0
II*House · listed 195345, High StreetPhoto: Paul the Archivist · CC BY-SA 4.0
Historic streets
The High Street and Overy Street have the most listed buildings
Streets by the listed entries with an address on them. One entry can be a whole terrace, so long rows count once.
High Street5 listed · 1 II*
Overy Street5 listed
West Hill3 listed
Of the 70 entries, 18 are named by a street address; the rest are named buildings such as churches, halls and bridges.
What’s protected
Most of Dartford’s listed buildings are homes
Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.
Houses, terraces & villas36
Public & civic buildings11
Churches, chapels & priories10
Walls, gates & bridges5
Inns, shops & warehouses5
Memorials, crosses & tombs2
Street furniture1
36 entries (51%) are houses, terraces and villas. 10 are churches, chapels and priories, including 2 of the 2 Grade I buildings.
Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.
Grade II
64 Grade II listed buildings
Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.
All 64 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Acacia HallAdministrative, Ward and Service Ranges to Stone House Hospital, Built As the City of London AsylumAlmshousesBarn End HouseBeadlesBroomfieldsChapel of St Luke at Stone House Hospital, Built As the City of London AsylumChrist ChurchCoal Duty Boundary Marker at Junction with Crayford RoadDartford Museum Dartford Public Library the Dartford Veterans ClubDartford War MemorialFamily Vault of George Russell Esquire of Wilmington Hall to South East of Church of St MichaelFormer Dartford Union Workhouse Buildings to Rear and North East of Range Fronting West HillFormer Stables to South West of Hawley ManorFormer West Hill Police StationGartley CottagesGrammar SchoolHawley ManorHulse Memorial in Churchyard to South West of Church of St MichaelKent House the County CourtMartyr's Monument in St Edmund's Chartered GraveyardMethodist ChurchMilestone Opposite Nos 179 and 179AMonument to Edward Howe to North of Church of St MichaelMortuary Chapel at Watling Street Burial GroundOld Mansion Villa at Bexley Mental HospitalPost on East Side, Just South of Railway Embankment and North of Cranford HouseRange of Former Dartford Union Workhouse Facing on to West HillRemains of Priory Walls in Victoria Road, Kingsfield Terrace and Priory Road, including the doorway in Kingsfield TerraceSt Edmund's Chartered ChurchyardSutton HouseThe Bridge HouseThe Coach and Horses Public HouseThe MountThe Old House at Hawley ManorThe RetreatThe Royal Oak Public HouseThe Two Brewers Public HouseThe Wat Tyler Public HouseTomb to William Hobbs in Churchyard to South East of Church of St MichaelTwistleton's AlmshousesWall to North West of the Old House Fronting RoadWall, Gates and Gate Piers Running South East from Corner of Dovecot and Turning North East to North Front of Former StableWar Memorial in the churchyard of St Alban's ChurchWhite CottageWilmington HouseZion Strict Baptist Chapel1 and 3, Overy Street11 and 13, Overy Street11, High Street14 and 16, East Hill15, High Street15, Overy Street151 and 151A, Hythe Street17, Church Hill17, Overy Street21 and 23, West Hill25, West Hill27 and 29, West Hill44, High Street5-9, Overy Street53 and 55, Spital Street54, High Road82, High Street
Conservation areas
2 conservation areas cover 1.7% of Dartford
Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.
Dartford Town Centre 198019 ha
Church Hill, Wilmington 19986 ha
25 hain conservation areas, of 1,504 ha inside the built-up area.
The first, Dartford Town Centre, was designated in 1980; the newest, Church Hill, Wilmington, in 1998. 42 of the 70 listed buildings stand in one.
Historic England’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.
How the list grew
29 of Dartford’s 70 listed buildings were added in 1975
The year each building now on the list was first listed.
1975 · 291982 · 131953 · 8
19501960197019801990200020102020
The first 2 entries were listed in 1952. 29 came in 1975, in the national resurvey of the 1970s and 80s. Only 1 has been added in the last 15 years.
Monuments & landscapes
Monuments, parks and gardens
Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.
1 scheduled monument
Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from the Secretary of State, advised by Historic England.
History Grade
Dartford grades B− for history
Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.
Protected heritage, for its size and in all (80 points, 12 per 10,000 residents)More than 53% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (15%)More than 46% of UK towns
Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.
Born here
16 notable people born in Dartford before 1900
Their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Edward Godfrey
Robert Maynard
George Barton
Arthur Snowden
Howard Barton
Edward Brander
Arthur Blackman
Frederick Martin
George Mills
Dorothea Sharp
Doreen Allen
Archie Cross
Graham Gilmour
Arthur Reynolds
George Green
Fred Barnett
155016001650170017501800185019001950
RM
Robert Maynard1684–1751 · Royal Navy officer (1684-1751)
Frederick Martin1861–1921 · Cricket player of England. (1861-1921)
Doreen Allen1879–1963 · Militant English suffragette
AC
Archie Cross1880– · English footballer (1880-?)
GB
George Barton1808–1864 · Cricketer (1808-1864)
HB
Howard Barton1836–1922 · Cricketer (1836-1922)
AB
Arthur Blackman1853–1908 · English cricketer (1853-1908)
George Mills1867–1942 · New Zealand cricketer, born 1867
Everyone born in Dartford → Birthplaces from Wikidata; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Neighbours
Listed buildings in the places around Dartford
| Town | People | Listed | Grade I | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dartford | 69,131 | 70 | 2 | B− |
| Hawley | 1,386 | 0 | 0 | C− |
| Stone | 6,438 | 2 | 1 | D |
| Darenth | 2,588 | 0 | 0 | D− |
| Joyden's Wood | 4,912 | 1 | 0 | D− |
| Hextable | 4,100 | 2 | 0 | D |
| Purfleet-on-Thames | 5,881 | 9 | 1 | C− |
| Bean | 1,633 | 0 | 0 | D− |
In brief
Dartford in brief
Dartford has 70 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade I, including Church of the Holy Trinity. Its older streets lie in 2 conservation areas, the first designated in 1980. Of the whole list, 51% are houses, terraces and villas. Of the 16 people born here before 1900, the best known include Robert Maynard (1684), Frederick Martin (1861) and Doreen Allen (1879). The rest is about typical: it has 2 Grade I buildings, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 1); per resident it sits near the middle of UK towns; and it also has a scheduled monument.
Questions about Dartford’s history
How many listed buildings are there in Dartford?
Historic England lists 70 buildings inside Dartford’s built-up area: 2 Grade I, 4 Grade II* and 64 Grade II.
What are the Grade I listed buildings in Dartford?
2, including Church of St Michael and Church of the Holy Trinity.
Which street in Dartford has the most listed buildings?
High Street (5), Overy Street (5) and West Hill (3) have the most listed entries named by an address. One entry can be a whole terrace.
Are there scheduled monuments in Dartford?
Yes, 1 scheduled monument, including Dovecote at Hawley Manor.
How many conservation areas are there in Dartford?
2, covering about 25 hectares of the town. The largest are Dartford Town Centre and Church Hill, Wilmington.
When were Dartford’s buildings listed?
The first in 1952; the most, 29, in 1975.
Are there old photos of Dartford?
Yes: 2 public-domain photos and postcards from 1890 to 1890, all on this page.
Who was born in Dartford?
Among people born before 1900: Robert Maynard (1684), Frederick Martin (1861), Doreen Allen (1879), Archie Cross (1880) and George Barton (1808).
How old are the homes in Dartford?
15% of homes were built before 1919 and 39% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).
© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The National Heritage List for England is the official, up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England; check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it.
Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.