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The History of Northfleet Harbour
Northfleet Harbour is formed from a natural river inlet of the River Fleet into the Thames. Parts of the harbour grew over solid chalk, forming a very usable marine facility from a very early time. A short distance upstream on the River Fleet (now known as the River Ebbsfleet) is evidence of Roman Temples, a Roman Burial Ground, and a Roman Villa and related buildings; and later a thriving Saxon community which left behind a rare water wheel, excavated as part of the Ebbsfleet International and High Speed 1 railway works.
The River Fleet was no longer navigable in the 18th century, as a watermill and weir had been created for flour production. Parts of this may still survive - a full archaeological study is needed - but this flour mill was then superceded by a water mill for cement production, parts of which do still survive.
More recently the harbour was home to the development of the cement industry, which is of major significance as this would have been one of the earliest sites for cement exporting.
Northfleet Harbour in present times
A large part of the Trust's work is about raising local awareness with residents and users of the Thames about its potential.
Despite its huge size, there has been little activity in the area since the Harbour was sealed off by a flood defence wall built across the entrance. The harbour itself is virtually intact with all of its walls being preserved in time as they were prior to WW2.
In this picture, the harbour walls can be seen surrounding the silted over harbour. Factories to the left of the image have recently been demolished and will be a £0.5bn mixed development site as part of the regeneration of the area. The bottom left hand corner of the image shows the access point to the harbour cut off by a flood wall. The Trust's aim is to have this obstacle removed and an alternative flood strategy created that allows this historic harbour to provide a desperately needed maritime resource for the Thames.
The Harbour walls are in good condition and need little work to bring the Harbour back into use.
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The Trust's Objectives
Northfleet Harbour Restoration Trust is a registered charity. Its aims and objectives are:
Latest News
April 2023 Northfleet Harbour Restoration Trust are holding an Open Day on 13 May Read more
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National Historic Ships UK acknowledges the financial support of its sponsors