RAF Joyce Green

The Darent is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames and takes the waters of the River Cray as a tributary in the tidal portion of the Darent near Crayford, as illustrated by the adjacent photograph, snapped at high tide. 'Darenth' is frequently found in the spelling of the river's name in older books and maps, Bartholomew's "Canal's and River of England" being one example. Bartholomew's Gazetteer (1954) demonstrates that Darent means "clear water" and separately explains the other name. Considering the River Darent runs on a bed of chalk and its springs rise through chalk, this is not surprising. The original purity of the water was a major reason for the development of paper and pharmaceuticals in the area. Darenth Parish (through which the river flows) derives from a Celtic phrase 'stream where oak-trees grow' (Irish: "dair" = 'oak-tree', "abha" = river ) (compare e.g."Derwent"). The landscapes of the valley were painted in a visionary manner by the Victorian artist Samuel Palmer during the mid 1800s. Fed by springs from the greensand hills south of Westerham in Kent and below Limpsfield Chart in Surrey it flows 21 miles (34 km) east then north by Otford and Shoreham, past the castle and the ruined Roman villa at Lullingstone, then by Eynsford, Farningham, Horton Kirby, South Darenth, Sutton-at-Hone, Darenth, and eventually to Dartford whence it proceeds a final two miles as a tidal estuary until it drops into the Thames at Long Reach.North of Dartford the Darent is tidal and, just before entering the Thames, receives the waters of the River Cray at Dartford & Crayford Marshes where the rivers form administrative boundaries between Greater London and Kent, (specifically, the London Borough of Bexley and the Kentish borough of Dartford). The Darent enters Thames Long Reach to the East of Crayford Ness.Kent County Council has signposted a 19-mile (31 km) walking route along the Darent between the Greensand Hills above Sevenoaks and the Thames and named it the Darent Valley Path. The route receives no obvious attention from councils or 'focus' groups although all or part is used by joggers, cyclists, walkers, dog walkers and curious adventurers, availing themselves of the Darent Valley Path to access or view the river's amenities, such as they are. This lack of attention is being addressed in the tidal section by a group of concerned locals, the "Friends of Dartford and Crayford Creeks". As of mid-2016 a trust is being formed to promote regeneration and give formal recognition to the protection of this valuable public amenity.

The River Cray is the largest tributary of the Darent. It is the prime river of outer, south-east Greater London, rising in Priory Gardens, Orpington, where rainwater percolates through the chalk bedrock of the Downs to form a pond where the eroded ground elevation gives way to impermeable clay. Initially it flows true to form northwards, past industrial and residential St Mary Cray, through St Paul's Cray (where it once powered a paper mill) and through Foots Cray, where it enters the parkland Foots Cray Meadows, flowing under by Five Arches bridge (built in 1781 as part of their designs by Capability Brown). It then flows by restored Loring Hall (c.1760), home of the Lord Castlereagh who killed himself there in 1822. It continues through North Cray and Bexley. It neighbours a restored Gothic (architecture) cold plunge bath house, built around 1766 as part of Vale Mascal Estate. It is then joined by the River Shuttle (a small brook) and then continues through the parkland of Hall Place, which was built for John Champneys in 1540. The Cray turns eastward through Crayford and Barnes Cray to join the Darent in Dartford Creek. The Creek is a well-watered partly tidal inlet (of the Tideway) between Crayford Marshes and Dartford Marshes by a slight projection of land, Crayford Ness. The villages through which the Cray flows are collectively known as "The Crays".

Joyce Green Hospital was a hospital near Dartford, Kent, England. It opened in 1903 as an isolation hospital. In later years it was a training hospital. The hospital was closed in 2000 and the buildings were demolished. The greenspace where the hospital used to stand is known as Joyce Green.

Joyce Green is an area of Dartford in Kent, England. The former Joyce Green Hospital and Royal Flying Corps Station Joyce Green used to be in the area.

The Leigh UTC is a University Technical College (UTC) for the Dartford area of Kent, England, that opened in September 2014. The UTC specialises in Engineering and Computer Sciences. Building work started in October 2013 at the Bridge development, where Joyce Green Hospital once stood. The main building opened to students in September 2014. The Leigh UTC has a project-based approach to learning. As with all UTCs, a number of businesses and organisations support the College. These include: University of Greenwich Bluewater Kenard Engineering EurostarThe Leigh UTC has opened a five-form entry Key Stage 3 feeder college, the Inspiration Academy, on the UTC site, in effect converting the education model into one of an 11–18 free school.The Leigh UTC is part of Leigh Academies Trust.

The Mardyke (sometimes, but less frequently, Mar Dyke, occasionally Mardike) is a small river, mainly in Thurrock, that flows into the River Thames at Purfleet, close to the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. In part, it forms the boundary between the Essex hundreds of Barstable and Chafford. The river gives its name to the Mardyke Valley—a project aimed at increasing appreciation and usage of recreational land around the Mardyke.

Rainham Marshes is an RSPB nature reserve in the east of London, adjacent to the Thames Estuary in Purfleet, Thurrock and the London Borough of Havering. In 2000, the area of land was bought from the Ministry of Defence, who used it as a test firing range. With no activity for several years, the nature reserve was officially opened to the public in 2006. It has maintained much of its medieval landscape, and is the largest area of wetland on the upper parts of the Thames Estuary. The reserve is home to a diverse range of bird species, wetland plants and insects. It also has one of the densest water vole populations in the country. In December 2005, the site was visited by a sociable lapwing; over 1,700 people visited the reserve to see this bird. Late in the bird's stay, four penduline tits were also found at the site. Entrance to the site is free to residents of Thurrock and the London Borough of Havering.The site is home to an environmentally friendly visitor centre which features solar panels, rainwater harvesting, natural light and ventilation and a ground heat exchange system. This visitor centre, completed in 2006 at a cost £2 million, was designed by van Heyningen and Haward Architects The building won six awards for its BREEAM sustainable design, including a Green Apple Award, Regeneration and Renewal Award and a Royal Institute of British Architects National Award.The site is part (77% according to a BBC article) of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) called Inner Thames Marshes, and the part which is in the London Borough of Havering has been designated by the council as a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation called Wennington, Aveley and Rainham Marshes. The area west of a drain running south from Brookway is a Local Nature Reserve (LNR), as well as being part of the SSSI. South of the A13 road the LNR is part of the RSPB reserve, while the northern part is managed by Havering Council. Before the site was protected as a nature reserve, it was considered as a candidate location for a Universal theme park in the 1990s, but a site in Paris was eventually chosen. This project failed to materialize

The Long Reach sewage treatment works is located in Dartford, Kent adjacent to the River Thames. It treats the sewage from a population of 837,000 in a catchment area of 518 km2 (200 sq mi) in south and south east London and west Kent. The treatment capacity of the works is 346 million litres per day (Ml/d).

Purfleet railway station is on the London, Tilbury and Southend line serving the town of Purfleet, Essex. It is 16 miles 2 chains (25.8 km) down the line from London Fenchurch Street and it is situated between Rainham to the west and Grays to the east. Its three-letter station code is PFL. It was opened in 1854 by the London Tilbury and Southend Railway and initially trains ran from Tilbury to Stratford where the train split for either Spitalfields or Fenchurch Street. The station and all trains serving it are currently operated by c2c. Although outside London fare zone 6, the station became part of the Oyster card pay-as-you-go network in 2010.

Slade Green F.C. was a football club based in Slade Green in the London Borough of Bexley, England. They were established in 1946 and played in the Kent League from 1970 until 2009 when the club folded.

Harris Academy Riverside is a sixth-form entry coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in the Purfleet in the Thurrock unitary authority, Essex, England. Purfleet is bordered by the A13 road to the north and the River Thames to the south and is within the easternmost part of the M25 motorway but just outside the Greater London boundary. As its name suggests, the school is on the riverside, but separated from the water by a railway line. The school was established in 2017 but moved into a new dedicated building in 2019.

Ensignbus is a bus and coach operator and bus dealer based in Purfleet, Essex. As of March 2023, it is a part of the FirstGroup.