Gravesend, Kent

Gravesend is a town in North-West Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Gravesend is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham.

Other notes of interest

During the time General Gordon was in Gravesend (1865-71) the composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was an officer in the Russian Navy and was posted to Gravesend, where he wrote part of his first symphony, said to be the first ever such style of composition attempted by a Russian composer.

Related Topics:
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Russia

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By the river close to Northfleet, on what became the property of the imperial paper mills there was once a pond which had the curious tendency of draining when the river was at full tide and filling again when the tide subsided. This strange behaviour was explained by the submerging of the springs that fed the pond with the tidal waters, when the tides receded the springs were once again able to drain into the pond.

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On 10 August 2003, Gravesend recorded the highest temperature since records began in the United Kingdom, with a reading of 38.1 Celsius (100.6F). This record high was surpassed in 2004, however, by another recording station. One explanation for the phenomenon was the large amount of earthworks in connection with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, which had exposed a great deal of the local sandy soil, which reflected more sunshine!

Related Topics:
10 August - 2003 - United Kingdom - Channel Tunnel Rail Link

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During the 70s and early 80s, the town was the home of a very successful youth marching band, the "Gravesham Corps of Drums" (latterly the "Gravesham Corps"). The band finished third in the British Championships in 1981.

Related Topics:
Marching band - 1981

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At nearby Higham, the Falstaff Inn takes its name from a scene set on the Gravesend-Rochester road in the play Henry V by William Shakespeare.

Related Topics:
Higham - William Shakespeare

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