Istead Rise is a village in the borough of Gravesham in Kent, England, 3 miles (5 km) south of Gravesend.

Istead Rise is 3.7 miles (6 km) from Ebbsfleet International for Eurostar services to Paris, Brussels and Lille.

Southeastern commuter trains run on the high-speed track to London St Pancras (16 minutes away), stopping only at Stratford International.

When devising the route of the high speed railway in the early 2000s the line was planned to pass right through and destroy the village.

It transpired that very old maps had been used which did not feature Istead Rise; the railway was duly redrawn one mile to the north but not without vigorous protests from the residents.

As well as a pig farm on Downs Road, there were orchards on what are now the Community Centre fields and the surrounding housing area.