Gravesham
§ This page gives an overview of the Gravesham local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Gravesham, in north-west Kent, lies along the south bank of the River Thames, with Gravesend as its main town. Gravesend has a historic riverside with forts such as New Tavern Fort and the statue of Pocahontas, reflecting its maritime heritage. The district extends into the chalk landscapes of the North Downs, including scenic areas such as Cobham Woods and Shorne Woods Country Park. Villages with traditional pubs and historic churches dot the countryside, while the Thames provides estuarine views and transport links. The combination of riverside, hills, and rural villages defines Gravesham’s character.
The administrative boundary of Gravesham can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Gravesham.
Key Facts about Gravesham
What region is Gravesham in? Gravesham is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Gravesham in? Gravesham is located in the county of Kent.
Is Gravesham a city? No, Gravesham is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Gravesham? The local authority for this district is: Gravesham Borough Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Kent is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Kent County Council.
▶ Official website of Gravesham Borough Council 🔗 gravesham.gov.uk
Which police force covers Gravesham? Policing in Gravesham is provided by Kent Police 🔗 kent.police.uk, which serves 13 local authority districts: Ashford ⁞ Canterbury ⁞ Dartford ⁞ Dover ⁞ Folkestone and Hythe ⁞ Gravesham ⁞ Maidstone ⁞ Medway ⁞ Sevenoaks ⁞ Swale ⁞ Thanet ⁞ Tonbridge and Malling ⁞ Tunbridge Wells.
Constituencies in Gravesham
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Gravesham
Gravesham is divided into 17 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Chalk
- Coldharbour & Perry Street
- Denton
- Higham & Shorne
- Istead Rise, Cobham & Luddesdown
- Meopham North
- Meopham South & Vigo
- Northfleet & Springhead
- Painters Ash
- Pelham
- Riverview Park
- Rosherville
- Singlewell
- Town
- Westcourt
- Whitehill & Windmill Hill
- Woodlands
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Gravesham
Gravesham is part-parished: 6 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 1 unparished areas.
- Cobham
- Higham
- Luddesdown
- Meopham
- Shorne
- Vigo
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Gravesham
Gravesham covers 17 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Cliffe Woods *
- Cobham (Gravesham)
- Culverstone Green *
- Ebbsfleet Valley *
- Gravesend
- Harvel
- Higham (Gravesham)
- Istead Rise
- Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley *
- Lower Higham
- Meopham
- Northfleet *
- Rochester *
- Shorne
- Sole Street
- Swanscombe *
- Vigo Village *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Gravesham.)
Gravesham compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Gravesham compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Gravesham has 17 electoral wards.
Gravesham has a population of 110,671 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Gravesham can be found on the ONS statistics for Gravesham.