Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent in South East England, 16 miles (25 km) east south-east of central London. The town centre is situated in a valley through which the River Darent flows, and where the old road from London to Dover crossed: hence the name, from Darent + ford. Although today it is principally a commuter town for Greater London it has a long history of cultural importance. In the prehistory period the first people appeared in the Dartford area around 250,000 years ago, a tribe of prehistoric hunters whose exemplar is called Swanscombe Man. Many other archaeological investigations have revealed the picture of occupation of the district: there have been finds from the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. When the Romans engineered the Dover to London road (afterwards named Watling Street) it was necessary to cross the River Darent by ford: giving the settlement its name. Roman villas were built alng the Darenth valley, and at Noviomagus (Crayford), close by. The Saxons may well have established the first settlement where Dartford now stands. Dartford manor is mentioned in the Domesday Book, written after the Norman invasion in 1086: it was owned by the king. More on Dartford 

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