My Secret Dartford

Dartford Creek is one of the last remaining natural tidal creeks in London. It was built in 1981 to minimise flood risk from the Thames Estuary to Crayford and Dartford. There are two gates that travel vertically and are driven by a chain system. The gates are balanced by two water-filled counterweights. When they close, the barrier is able to withstand up to 7 metres of water above average sea level. Most of the time the gates are raised but when flooding is predicted by the Met Office both are closed. Raised embankments along the lower reaches of the Thames estuary also act as flood defences. Before the barrier was built Dartford flooded significantly  in 1953 and 1968. In the face of global warming should we be worried about Dartford flooding once more?  There is certainly a lot of new housing on floodplain and reclaimed marshland.  Take a look at this map and judge for yourself.  It shows the land projected to be below annual flood level in 2030.   Climate Central: Coastal Risk Scr

Electricity was historically generated at Littlebrook since 1939 when the first Power Station at the site was constructed. Littlebrook 'A' and B were coal powered. Although C was at first coal powered it was later converted to burn oil fuel from 1958. Littlebrook ‘D’ began generating electricity in 1981, and was the fourth power station to be built at the location. After storm force winds in October 1987 Littlebrook D had a significant role in restoring power to the South East of England due to its back-start capabilities i.e. it did not require an external source of power. Littlebrook Power Station closed in 2015 as it was believed unprofitable to bring it up to necessary environmental standards and subsequently demolished by explosion on Friday 30 August 2019. Source: Wikipedia- Littlebrook Power Station Powerstations UK

Dartford Beach View from Greenhithe   The Pathway beneath The QE2 The QE2 Bridge is as magnificent as it is imposing on the landscape. To truly see the secrets of the bridge you need to walk underneath it. Everyday this bridge carries vehicles between two counties completing the ring that is he M25 motorway but how many people can say they have seen its underside? You can join a footpath towards the bridge in two main locations. Next to the entrance of Asda in Greenhithe is a footpath which leads along to the Thames. If you follow it under the bridge you can exit at the 125 cycle route which take you onto the Bridge Estate. Running alongside the QE2 are two tunnels beneath the Thames. They were opened in 1963 and 1980. The bridge opened in 1991. It is 137m high and was designed to carry 135,000 vehicles daily. Unfortunately, as anybody who lives in Dartford or Thurrock knows congestion has become progressively worse and there are frequent heavy delays which are the bain of

BBC Essex Kent Live Thurrock Gazette Highways England It is hard to imagine a time before the M25 sliced though Dartford and the bridge linked it up.  Before the QE2 Bridge construction there was originally just the tunnels linking Kent and Essex.  Work on the first tunnel began in 1936 and was paused by the Second World War.  It resumed in the 1950s opening in 1963 allowing for single lane traffic in both directions.  The second tunnel opened in 1980.