New Tavern Fort and more: what to see in Gravesend
Around Gravesend, the places to visit include 3 museums, 2 piers and 2 forts. We list 4 places to visit inside Gravesend’s built-up area and 7 within 5 km of its edge. One of the places on the list is maintained by English Heritage. British Museum lies 37 km out, the pick for a day trip.
Leading places in Gravesend
After New Tavern Fort, look out for 2 piers, 2 forts and a museum.
CastleNew Tavern Fortin town
PierGravesend town pierin townPierPierRoyal Terrace Pierin townMuseumMuseumMilton Chantryin town
Fort · English HeritageTilbury Fort800 m outside town, to the north
FortCoalhouse Fort3 km outside town, to the northeastEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Places on the map
Furthest out is Thurrock Museum, at 6.9 km.
The dashed line is Gravesend’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
What sort of places
4 are castles or historic places; zoos, theme parks or other days out come next with 3.
Green: inside Gravesend. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
1 place is cared for by English Heritage (Tilbury Fort).
All of them, one by one
The town has 4; within 5 km of its edge, the list finds 7 more.
7The 4 inside Gravesend come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
122 listed buildings and 2 scheduled monuments are on Gravesend’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Gravesend →
A little further out
The 12 days out are led by British Museum, 37 km away.
Big drawMuseumBritish Museum37 km west · 5.8M visitors a year (2023)
Big drawCastleTower of London33 km west · 2.7M visitors a year (2016)
Cathedral · English HeritageWestminster Abbey36 km west
Historic houseBuckingham Palace37 km west
AttractionElizabeth Tower36 km west
Big drawArt galleryNational Gallery37 km west · 709K visitors a year (2021)
AttractionLondon Eye36 km westMuseumMuseumRoyal Observatory Greenwich27 km west
CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral35 km west
Castle · English HeritageRochester Castle9.4 km southeast
CathedralRochester Cathedral9.6 km southeast
Big drawArt galleryTate Modern35 km west · 1.2M visitors a year (2021)Places well known beyond Gravesend (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Questions before you go to Gravesend
What are the main attractions in Gravesend?
The best known inside Gravesend’s built-up area are New Tavern Fort, Gravesend town pier, Royal Terrace Pier and Milton Chantry. In all, 4 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 7 more within 5 km.
Does Gravesend have a museum?
3 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Gravesend: Milton Chantry, Cold War Bunker and Thurrock Museum.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Gravesend?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Gravesend, 1 place is cared for by English Heritage (Tilbury Fort).
What are the best-known days out near Gravesend?
Within 40 km: British Museum (37 km), Tower of London (33 km), Westminster Abbey (36 km), Buckingham Palace (37 km).
Where are Gravesend’s historic buildings listed?
Gravesend has 122 listed buildings. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Gravesend when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (16)
- New Tavern Fort: Prioryman, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gravesend town pier: Clem Rutter, Rochester Kent, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tilbury Fort: Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Coalhouse Fort: The original uploader was Sue Wallace at English Wikipedia., CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Owletts: David Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- British Museum: Ham, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tower of London: Bob Collowan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Westminster Abbey: Σπάρτακος, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Buckingham Palace: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Elizabeth Tower: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Gallery: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- London Eye: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Paul's Cathedral: Mark Fosh, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rochester Castle: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rochester Cathedral: Raggatt2000, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Tate Modern: Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
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.