Rosherville Gardens

The gardens were laid out in 1837 by George Jones (a businessman from Islington in north London) in one of the disused chalk pits in Northfleet, covering an area of 17 acres (69,000 m2).

The gardens were built on a chalk pit owned by Jeremiah Rosher who, from 1830, started building a new town, Rosherville, taking advantage of Gravesend's popularity with Londoners visiting for the day by steamboat along the Thames.

They became a favourite destination for thousands of Londoners during good weather, many travelling by paddle steamer down the River Thames to disembark at the pier built to service the gardens.

The Princess Alice passenger steamer, after leaving Rosherville pier, was in a collision with the collier Bywell Castle at Tripcock Point, a mile downstream from Woolwich.

Adorned with small Greek temples and statuary set in the cliffs, there were terraces, an archery lawn, the Bijou theatre, and the Baronial Hall for refreshments, and at one time a lake.

During a brief revival 1903-1911, they were used in the making of early films.In 2012 during excavation prior to redevelopment, the original bear pit located at the centre of the gardens was exposed, and was Grade II listed in 2014.

[5] The statues seen in some photos were moved to the nearby fountain walk estate, and the front half was sheared off for the development of the factory that was to be built on the site.

Mentioned in Michael Sadleir's Fanny by Gaslight, 1940, Constable pp 175–176 In the Henry James story An International Episode Lord Lambeth says to an American tourist, "I wonder you don't go to the Rosherville Gardens."

James also mentions the Gardens in his travel piece "London in the Dead Season - September 7, 1878" and describes an excursion he made to visit them.