The South Eastern Railway Company's North Kent Line was constructed between the North Kent East Junction near London Bridge via Lewisham, Woolwich, Erith and Dartford to Gravesend. Beyond there it joined the 7 miles of line operated by the Thames and Medway Canal Company, utilising the tunnels it had built between Higham and Strood. It then terminated at the canal basin at Strood, and was fully opened in 1849. The company wanted to extend its operation to Dover, but its plans were thwarted in 1855 by the London Chatham and Dover Railway (the Chatham Line), built by the East Kent Railway Company between 1853-8. (1)

In 2008 a desk based assessment was undertaken of the Thames and Medway Canal, detailing the replacement of the canal and the history of the railway line. (2)

<1> Kent Past, 2010, Kent Past - History of South East Railway (Website). SKE53557.

<2> Museum of London Archaeology Service, 2008, Thames and Medway Canal, Kent: Archaeological and built heritage assessment (Unpublished document). SKE17830.