![Bridges over B259 Southfleet Road - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Bridges_over_B259_Southfleet_Road_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1417100.jpg)
Springhead lies at the source of the
River Ebbsfleet
Ebbsfleet River in Kent, south-east England, is a tributary of the Thames Estuary. It joins the Thames at Northfleet, opposite the container port of Tilbury Docks. Today, the river gives its name to the Ebbsfleet Garden City which is currently ...
, just southwest of the
Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...
suburban conurbations. Springhead forms one of the major quarters of the
Ebbsfleet Valley
Ebbsfleet Valley is a new town and redevelopment area in Kent, South East England, and part of the Thames Gateway, southwest of Gravesend. Development is coordinated by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation.
It is named after the valley of th ...
development, with housing and the associated facilities now under construction. It is the point at which the
High Speed 1
High Speed 1 (HS1), legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel.
It is part of a line carrying international passenger traffic between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe; ...
rail line meets the
A2 road.
History
In ancient times it surrounded a pool formed from eight natural springs, and the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
road
Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...
, ran through Springhead. They knew it as Vagniacae. The site had a large number of temples, together with various buildings used for trade.
William Bradbery William Bradbery (11 July 1776 – 11 August 1860), an entrepreneur, was the first person in England to cultivate and sell watercress on a commercial basis.
Early life
William was born in Didcot in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), he was one of seven ...
was the first man to grow
watercress
Watercress or yellowcress (''Nasturtium officinale'') is a species of aquatic flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae.
Watercress is a rapidly growing perennial plant native to Europe and Asia. It is one of the oldest known leaf ve ...
commercially, in Springhead in 1808.
Notes and references
External links
Wessex Archaeology's Springhead pagesExcavations of Springhead Roman Town
{{authority control
Roman sites in England
Archaeological sites in Kent
Villages in Kent