Dartford Heath

Dartford Heath is an area of open heathland situated to the south-west of Dartford, Kent, England, covering around 314 acres (127 ha) of open space. The heath is listed as a Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Prehistoric barrows and Bronze Age artefacts have been discovered on Dartford Heath. The first recorded local cricket match took place here in 1723, and the Society of Royal Kentish Bowman were briefly established here between 1785 and 1802. The nearby area is still known as Bowmans. The heath is common land and therefore escaped being enclosed during the late 18th and the early 19th centuries.

The Heath is an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It contains three ponds (Donkey Pond, Woodland Pond and North Pond) and a variety of habitats: including acid grassland, broadleaved semi-natural woodland, heather and gorse, as well as other plant life. Dartford Heath is used as a local recreation area, particularly for cyclists and dog walkers, but is adversely affected by proximity to the local recycling centre, which sometimes leaves windblown rubbish along nearby roads.

Dartford Heath is often mistakenly believed to be the original source for the name of the Dartford warbler; however the bird was first described in writing in 1776, after it was seen on Bexley Heath, near the town of Dartford.

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