Stone Castle leads what is near Swanscombe
Visitors to Swanscombe can choose from 6 museums, 2 castles and 2 piers. All of it lies outside: 13 places within 5 km of its edge, none inside Swanscombe’s built-up area. 2 of them are cared for: 1 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust. For a full day, there is British Museum, 30 km away.
Around Swanscombe: where to begin
Following Stone Castle are a fort, a castle and a theme park.
CastleStone Castle100 m outside town, to the southwest
Fort · English HeritageTilbury Fort4.2 km outside town, to the east
CastleNew Tavern Fort4.3 km outside town, to the eastTheme parkTheme parkLondon Paramount800 m outside town, to the northeast
PierGravesend town pier3.9 km outside town, to the east
MuseumDartford Borough Museum and Library3.9 km outside town, to the westEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Where to find them
Purfleet Heritage Centre, 6 km away, is the farthest on the map.
The dashed line is Swanscombe’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
The mix
Museums or galleries lead the count with 6; 3 are castles or historic places.
Green: inside Swanscombe. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
2 places are cared for: 1 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust (Tilbury Fort and St John's Jerusalem).
All the places to visit
The list runs to 13 places, all within 5 km of its edge.
Gravesend town pier
Pier on the River Thames in Gravesham, Kent, England, UK.
Dartford Borough Museum and Library
Public library and museum in Dartford, Kent, England, UK.
Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
29 listed buildings are on Swanscombe’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Swanscombe →
Beyond Swanscombe
First of the 12 big names within reach is British Museum, 30 km away.
Big drawMuseumBritish Museum30 km west · 5.8M visitors a year (2023)
Big drawCastleTower of London27 km west · 2.7M visitors a year (2016)
Cathedral · English HeritageWestminster Abbey30 km west
Historic houseBuckingham Palace31 km west
AttractionElizabeth Tower30 km westMuseumMuseumRoyal Observatory Greenwich21 km west
Big drawArt galleryNational Gallery30 km west · 709K visitors a year (2021)
AttractionLondon Eye29 km west
CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral28 km west
Big drawArt galleryTate Modern28 km west · 1.2M visitors a year (2021)
MuseumMadame Tussauds32 km west
Big drawMuseumVictoria and Albert Museum33 km west · 858K visitors a year (2021)Places well known beyond Swanscombe (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.
Know before you go to Swanscombe
What is there to see near Swanscombe?
No attraction is mapped inside Swanscombe itself. Within 5 km of it are Stone Castle, Tilbury Fort, New Tavern Fort and London Paramount.
Does Swanscombe have a museum?
6 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Swanscombe: Dartford Borough Museum and Library, Cold War Bunker, Thurrock Museum and Essex Fire Museum.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Swanscombe?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Swanscombe, 2 places are cared for: 1 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust (Tilbury Fort and St John's Jerusalem).
What are the best-known days out near Swanscombe?
Within 40 km: British Museum (30 km), Tower of London (27 km), Westminster Abbey (30 km), Buckingham Palace (31 km).
Where are Swanscombe’s historic buildings listed?
Swanscombe has 29 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. 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 Swanscombe 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)
- Stone Castle: Ken Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tilbury Fort: Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Tate Modern: Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Madame Tussauds: Citizen59, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Victoria and Albert Museum: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
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