What is near Swanley: Eynsford Castle first
Visitors to Swanley can choose from 3 gardens, 2 historic houses and 2 museums. There is no place to visit inside Swanley’s built-up area; there are 11 within 5 km of its edge. 3 of them are cared for: 2 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage. Day-trippers head 25 km out to British Museum.
The names to know near Swanley
The list goes on from Eynsford Castle to 2 historic houses, 2 museums and a garden.
Castle · English HeritageEynsford Castle2.2 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseLullingstone Castle3 km outside town, to the south
Historic houseHall Place and Gardens4.3 km outside town, to the north
MuseumDartford Borough Museum and Library4.8 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumMetropolitan Police Museum4.7 km outside town, to the northwestGardenGarden · National TrustSt John's Jerusalem3 km outside town, to the eastEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Mapped
Metropolitan Police Museum marks the outer edge, 6.2 km away.
The dashed line is Swanley’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
By kind
Count 4 castles or historic places and 3 gardens or estates.
Green: inside Swanley. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
3 places are cared for: 2 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage (Eynsford Castle, St John's Jerusalem and Walled Garden/Rose Garden).
All the places to visit
Its 11 places all lie within 5 km of its edge.
Lullingstone Castle
Historic manor house in the village of Lullingstone in England.
Hall Place and Gardens
Grade I listed house and museum in Bexley, Greater London, England, United Kingdom.
Dartford Borough Museum and Library
Public library and museum in Dartford, Kent, England, UK.
Metropolitan Police Museum
Law enforcement museum in London, England.
Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
3 listed buildings are on Swanley’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Swanley →
Bigger names, a drive away
Start with British Museum, 25 km off, the best known of 12.
Big drawMuseumBritish Museum25 km northwest · 5.8M visitors a year (2023)
Big drawCastleTower of London21 km northwest · 2.7M visitors a year (2016)
Cathedral · English HeritageWestminster Abbey24 km northwest
Historic houseBuckingham Palace25 km northwest
AttractionElizabeth Tower24 km northwestMuseumMuseumRoyal Observatory Greenwich15 km northwest
AttractionLondon Eye23 km northwest
Big drawArt galleryNational Gallery24 km northwest · 709K visitors a year (2021)
CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral23 km northwest
Big drawArt galleryTate Modern22 km northwest · 1.2M visitors a year (2021)
MuseumCrystal Palace High Level Station Entry17 km west
Big drawMuseumVictoria and Albert Museum26 km northwest · 858K visitors a year (2021)Places well known beyond Swanley (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.
Places to visit in Swanley: questions
What is there to see near Swanley?
No attraction is mapped inside Swanley itself. Within 5 km of it are Eynsford Castle, Lullingstone Castle, Hall Place and Gardens and Dartford Borough Museum and Library.
Does Swanley have a museum?
2 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Swanley: Dartford Borough Museum and Library and Metropolitan Police Museum.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Swanley?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Swanley, 3 places are cared for: 2 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage (Eynsford Castle, St John's Jerusalem and Walled Garden/Rose Garden).
What are the best-known days out near Swanley?
Within 40 km: British Museum (25 km), Tower of London (21 km), Westminster Abbey (24 km), Buckingham Palace (25 km).
Where are Swanley’s historic buildings listed?
Swanley has 3 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 Swanley 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 (15)
- Eynsford Castle: Richard Nevell from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lullingstone Castle: Jim Osley, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hall Place and Gardens: Wellingwebsite at English Wikipedia Later versions were uploaded by P Ingerson at en.wikipedia., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Dartford Borough Museum and Library: Clem Rutter, Rochester Kent, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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
- London Eye: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Gallery: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Paul's Cathedral: Mark Fosh, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tate Modern: Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Crystal Palace High Level Station Entry: Dickinson Brothers, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Victoria and Albert Museum: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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.