Gravesend, town, Gravesham district, administrative and historic county of Kent, southeastern England. It lies on the right bank of the River Thames, downstream from London, and is the district administrative centre.
The discovery of the Swanscombe skull near Gravesend dates early settlement in the area to the Second Interglacial Period (about 200,000 years ago). Gravesend is mentioned in Domesday Book (1086) as Gravesham, possessing a hithe (port) on the river. The community’s rights to ferry passengers to London were increased in the 14th century, and many famous persons passed through Gravesend en route to the capital. Pocahontas, the American Indian “princess,” died in Gravesend in 1617 and is buried in St. George’s Church.
Gravesend still retains several administrative functions associated with the ancient ferry rights. It is a centre for English customs, for the Port of London Health Authority, and for the Trinity House pilots who guide vessels into the Thames. The town grew considerably in the 19th century as a watering place, and the Royal Terrace Pier and public gardens were opened. Gravesend’s present-day industrial significance is still closely tied to the Thames and involves paper mills, cement works, ship repairing, and engineering industries. Pop. (2001) 53,045; (2011) 55,467.