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The Darent is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames. Bartholomew's Gazetteer (1951) demonstrates that ''Darent'' means "clear water". Considering that it runs on a bed of chalk (calcium carbonate) and its springs rise through chalk, this is not surprising. The word 'Darenth' is frequently found in older books and maps () describing the river. Darenth Parish (through which the river flows) derives its name from a Celtic phrase 'stream where oak-trees grow'. (Irish: "dair" = 'oak-tree', "abha" = river ) (compare e.g."Derwent") Fed by springs from the greensand hills south of Westerham in Kent and below Limpsfield Chart in Surrey it flows east then north by Otford and Shoreham, past the castle and the ruined Roman villa at Lullingstone, then by Eynsford, Farningham, Horton Kirby, South Darenth, Sutton-at-Hone, Darenth, and eventually through Dartford whence it proceeds via Dartford Creek for 2 miles until it drops into the Thames "Long Reach".〔http://thames.me.uk/s00022.htm#top/〕 North of Dartford, and just before entering the Thames, the Darent receives the waters of the River Cray at Dartford & Crayford Marshes, where it forms a boundary between Greater London and Kent (specifically, the London Borough of Bexley and the borough of Dartford). The Darent joins the Thames Long Reach just east of Crayford Ness.〔(Horton Kirby ) (PDF)〕 Kent County Council "supports"〔Darent Valley Path〕 a signed 19ml way〔http://www.kentdowns.org.uk/40-places/the-darent-valley〕 along the Darent between Thames Long Reach and the Greensand Hills above Sevenoaks.〔http://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/parks-and-outdoor-activities/find-a-walk/darent-valley-path〕 Unfortunately the path receives no obviously regular attention either from councils or volunteer groups although all or part is used by joggers, cyclists, () walkers and curious adventurers who use it to access the river's amenities, such as they are. This lack is currently being addressed by "Friends of Dartford and Crayford Creeks".〔https://www.facebook.com/groups/1493013297641232/〕 (Sep2015) Dartford Creek. The tidal section of the Darent is currently being furbished by "Friends of Dartford and Crayford Creek, aka Steam Crane Wharf".〔 to permit marine traffic, such as narrowboats and leisure cruisers to sail up to Steam Crane Wharf and beyond, to overnight or stay awhile. Much mud was laid down by river and tide from 1986 when the Creek was effectively abandoned. Some mudbanks are now over three metres high but others need only minimal adjustment to accommodate movement and docking of largish craft with no impact on the nature of the river. Plans are afoot to clear hazardous debris from the river bed to permit the safe passage of all types of craft during low water. In the summer of 2015 the narrowboat "Pentargon"〔http://pentargon.webs.com/〕 visited the creek with a crew of four experienced skippers from "London Boaters" to establish the feasibility of river boats visiting the creek from, inter-alia the Medway, Lea/Stort and the non-tidal Thames. Weeks of tide-waiting by the crew of "Pentargon" established a 'sailor's knowledge base' for future visitors, during which time the boat rested on a carefully chosen mud-bank, coming and going with the tides. The feasibility of the creek for access and dallying by a range of craft is under consideration as of September 2015 by a "steering group" of interested and committed local residents. "Pentargon" is the first boat to undertake an overnight stay in the creek with a crew on board since the late 1970s. To permit the boat to tie up on first arrival "Friends of Dartford and Crayford Creek"〔 dug away 40 years of neglect and inertia to provide a clean quayside and temporary mooring. This work is now ongoing and the group is currently excavating and restoring a slipway at Nelson's Row for canoes and ribs to access the navigation. Dartford Creek was used for trade since pre-Roman times but reached a zenith during the Industrial revolution. In 1835, as recorded in Dartford Library, 50,000 to 60,000 tons per annum was being carried via the creek but its size limited single cargoes to even on spring tides. A ship canal was proposed in the early 19thC. but failed to achieve momentum. In 1839 a new proposal based on dredging the river and making a number of short cuts achieved an Act of Parliament in 1840 allowing construction to start with tolls to be levied on completion in 1844. The work included a shortening and straghtening of the navigation through the use of a cut and by dredging.〔 Dartford Creek Tidal Flood Barrier On Dartford Creek, close to its junction with the Thames, is the Dartford Creek Tidal Flood Barrier〔http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/feb/19/thames-barrier-how-safe-london-major-flood-at-risk〕 with two 160-tonne〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://wiki.worldflicks.org/flood_barrier.html )〕 drop-leaf gates, which may be lowered if the sea threatens to inundate the land.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/river/mouth.htm )〕 The barrier is managed by the Environment Agency.〔http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3204418〕 Dartford (Domesday Book "Tarentefort") was a major fording place enroute London - Canterbury. Research by Woodlands Junior School〔http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/river/dartford.htm〕 indicates that the ford existed before the Roman occupation. Tarentefort itself flourished through the Roman period as the intersection of Watling Street and the Darent. A ferry controlled by a hermit was established c.1235 and survived until 1518, long after the first bridge was constructed during the reign of Henry IV (1399–1413). That bridge survived into the 1700s.〔http://www.dartfordarchive.org.uk/medieval/〕 The landscapes of the valley of the River Darent were painted in a visionary manner by the early Victorian artist Samuel Palmer. The river today is largely not much more than a stream apart from conditions of spate, a surprise given the breadth of the valley it runs through. The "proto-Darent" was much larger than today's trickle but the River Medway, through erosion of the soft chalk and clays of the North Downs/Western Weald, has captured much of the headwaters which once supplied the Darent.〔(Stone Museum of Geology )〕 In 1989, concerned individuals realised that almost all flow through Dartford had ceased. It was later recognised officially as the 'lowest flow' river in the country. Wildlife was decimated but the reason became apparent as soon as the problem was addressed. Increasing quantities of water were being diverted by the then Rivers Authority to supply the growing greeds of adjacent towns and even London Boroughs. Since then much work has been (to have been )carried out to rectify the situation, including shutting down of a number of boreholes along its length, by the Environment Agency. This is documented in Dartford Library by Environment Agency documents lodged there. A sculpture was unveiled in 2004 to celebrate the renewed life of the river, depicting the wildlife which has been saved. ==Watermills== The River Darent powered a number of watermills. From source to mouth they are: 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「River Darent」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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