The low-lying marsh to the north of the town consists of London Clay and the alluvium brought down by the two rivers—the Darent and the Cray—whose confluence is in this area.

The higher land on which the town stands and through which the narrow Darent valley runs, consists of chalk[2] surmounted by the Blackheath Beds of sand and gravel.

The Dartford Marshes to the north and the proximity of Crayford in the London Borough of Bexley to the west, mean that the town's growth is to the south and east.

During the medieval period Dartford was an important waypoint for pilgrims and travellers en route to Canterbury and the Continent, and various religious orders established themselves in the area.

In the 12th century the Knights Templar had possession of the manor of Dartford;[4] the National Trust property at Sutton-at-Hone, to the south of the town, is a remaining piece of that history.

Wat Tyler, of Peasants' Revolt fame, might well have been a local hero, although three other towns in Kent all claim likewise, and there are reasons to doubt the strength of Tyler's connection to Dartford, though[5] the existence of a town centre public house named after him could give credence to Dartford's claim.

Although lacking a leader, Kentishmen had assembled at Dartford around 5 June through a sense of county solidarity at the mistreatment of Robert Belling, a man claimed as a serf by Sir Simon Burley.

In March 1452, Richard, Duke of York, camped at the Brent allegedly with ten thousand men, waiting for a confrontation with King Henry VI.

The 16th century saw significant changes to the hitherto agrarian basis of the market in Dartford, as new industries began to take shape (see below).

In 1545, Henry held a series of meetings of his Privy Council in the town, and from 21 to 25 June 1545 Dartford was the seat of the national government.

[9] Assiduous efforts to extract gold were made over five years, but the ore proved to be a valueless rock containing hornblende and was eventually salvaged for road metalling and wall construction.

In early 2006, the since-closed South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) purchased the former Unwins depot on the edge of the town.

[15] Some of Dartford's key industries, including brewing, paper-making, flour milling and the manufacture of cement,[2] suffered extreme decline in the 20th century, causing redundancies and unemployment.

[16] The closure of Dartford's major employers (including Seagers' Engineering Works, J & E Hall International, and Vickers), the reduction and subsequent closure of Burroughs Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline), the redevelopment of nearby Bexleyheath as a shopping town in the 1970s, and the opening of Bluewater Shopping Centre in 1999, all had a negative effect on the economy of Dartford, but the town is still home to major brands such as Sainsbury's, W.H.

With the opening of the major Bluewater regional shopping centre just outside the town, the high street has seen a growth in cheaper brands such as Primark and Wilko taking over empty premises.

The historical and once bustling main High Street and adjacent shopping centre, The Priory, continued to decline, and went into receivership in 2013,[19] and the large department store previously occupied by the Co-operative has now been demolished, having been bought by Dartford Borough Council.

This created persistent delay in regeneration of the Lowfield Street site, and on 8 January 2015 it was finally announced that the Tesco plans were to be abandoned.

The Mick Jagger Centre, within the grounds of Dartford Grammar School on Shepherds Lane, was completed in 2000 and provides facilities for community arts.

Southern Counties East Football League side Halls AFC play at the Community Stadium at Princes Park.

Running soon became more popular with the players, and the club eventually dropped rugby around the end of the 1927–28 season, becoming Dartford Harriers AC.

[29] Some areas of the town can also pick up a signal from the Bluebell Hill TV transmitter that broadcasts BBC South East and ITV Meridian.

One of the best-known, Stone House Hospital, in Cotton Lane to the east of the town, was opened on 16 April 1866 as the "City of London Lunatic Asylum".

It remains one of the largest and most visible structures in Dartford, and was until recently operated by the NHS to manage regional health care delivery, and was also home to a nursing school, Livingstone Hospital, on East Hill.

The route of an ancient Celtic trackway which the Romans later paved and identified as Iter III on the Antonine Itinerary, later to be called Watling Street, and which the current A2 roughly follows, passed close to the town.

The introduction of stagecoach services increased the amount of traffic through the town, so that by the 18th century it had become necessary to control the upkeep of such a heavily used road.

Turnpike Trusts were set up by Act of Parliament; Dartford was served by two: that for Watling Street and the road south to Sevenoaks, both brought into being between 1750 and 1780.

These routes connect Dartford with areas including Bluewater, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Erith, Gravesend, Greenhithe, Orpington, Sidcup, Swanley, Welling and Woolwich.

[38] The parish church, Holy Trinity, is situated on the western bank of the River Darent, from where a hermit would conduct travellers across the ford.