Club Background
Dartford traces its history back to 1888 when a football team was formed by Dartford Working Men’s Club but for the first few years doesn’t seem to have gone much beyond playing informal friendlies. A club in the modern sense appeared when it became a founder member of the Kent League in 1894 as Dartford FC. The 1895-96 season saw it accepted into the FA Cup for the first time.
In 1896 it joined the Southern League but the club was clearly having difficulties financially maintaining itself and chopped and changed leagues through to the mid-1920s. In 1921 Dartford moved into a new home, Watling Street. Eventually, having presumably got the finances on a more even keel, The Darts rejoined the Southern League for a third time in 1926-27 and this time would remain in that league all the way through to 1981. This was the period when the vast majority of the meetings with Yeovil (as Yeovil & Petters United and then Yeovil Town) were notched up.
In 1974 The Darts reached Wembley in the FA Trophy Final but lost 1-2 to Morecambe.
At the end of the Seventies Dartford missed the cut for the formation of the Alliance Premier League but did gain that status two seasons later, promoted as Southern League South Division Champions in 1981-82. However only a single season of national football was managed before relegation back to the Southern League. Two seasons later The Darts were up again as Champions under manager John Still. In the first season back ( the 1984-85 campaign that saw Yeovil Town relegated) they finished third; but the following year Dartford took the drop too, back into the Southern League once again.
With Still gone Peter Taylor took the reins as player-manager and for the next four seasons, 1986-90, Dartford was the SLPD ‘nearly’ club, finishing 4th, 2nd, 2nd and 3rd. Despite repeatedly just missing out on promotion things were looking good with average crowds doubling. However, always be prepared for things to come crashing down in football…
Taylor had moved on in 1990 but it was Dartford getting wrapped up in the Maidstone United debacle (see Maidstone United Guide for full details of that) which triggered the disaster. The Stones had been ground sharing at Watling Street and had supposedly been funding all the ground improvements that would provide a Football League standard stadium for themselves. When Maidstone collapsed into bankruptcy and folded Dartford was taken out with them. Swamped with unmanageable debt obligations Watling Street had to be sold and The Darts resigned from the Southern League four games into the 1992-93 season.
The club’s Supporters Association did manage to keep a Youth Team going and this, along with various legal moves, retained its Full Membership of the Football Association status. So when, for 1993-94, a First Team re-started back where it had all begun 99 years earlier in the Kent League it was the same Dartford FC, but ground sharing at Cray Wanderers.
The club then moved to a ground share with Erith & Belvedere. Three seasons in the Kent League and a second place finish (on goal difference) in 1996 saw promotion to Southern League South. But the Football Gods hadn’t finished with Dartford: in 1997 Erith & Belvedere’s ground burnt down and The Darts were homeless again. They moved to Purfleet.
Ten seasons were spent in the Southern League during which time they moved yet again, into Gravesend & Northfleet (now Ebbsfleet United)’s Stonebridge Park.
In 2004 a light appeared at the end of what had been a decade long very dark tunnel: Dartford Borough Council declared it would provide the land and funding for a new stadium to bring the exiled club back home. Princes Park opened in 2006. That same year, coincidentally but it might have felt symbolic of a new beginning, Dartford left the Southern League as part of the lower-pyramid’s seemingly endless restructurings, and joined the Isthmian League (Division One South) for the first time in its history. They finished 7th but, switched to Division One North for the next campaign, were Champions and up to the Isthmian Premier. An 8th placed finish there was followed by becoming Champions (by a massive 18 points) in 2009-10 and so up to Conference South.
Two seasons in Conference South and it was promotion again, this time through the play-offs after finishing second: Basingstoke Town was disposed of 3-1 in the two leg semis; then Welling United beaten 1-0 in the Final.
Things got tougher at Conference Premier level. The first season saw a healthy 8th placed finish but the next The Darts were 22nd. They would have been relegated but both Salisbury City and our friends from Hereford were expelled from the Conference over the summer of 2014 for financial reasons and thus Dartford got a reprieve. However when The Darts went and finished 22nd again the following season such luck didn’t strike twice and they were down.
Back in what had become National League South Dartford has been reliving its ‘nearly’ status of the late Eighties, with the addition of play-offs since then to add to the pain. In the last eight NLS seasons (of which one ended expunged because of Covid) The Darts have made the play-offs on five occasions… and failed on each of them.
We’ve Met Before
Previous Results for Yeovil Town First Team vs Dartford
| 07/03/1931 | Home | LON2 | W | 5-1 | Jordan, Edmunds(2), Bloxham(2) | ||
| 18/04/1931 | Away | LON2 | L | 1-6 | Edmunds | ||
| 13/02/1932 | Away | LON2 | L | 0-3 | |||
| 23/04/1932 | Home | LON2 | D | 1-1 | Pemberton | ||
| 31/08/1932 | Away | SLCS | L | 1-2 | Lewis | ||
| 26/11/1932 | Away | FAC1 | D | 0-0 | |||
| 01/12/1932 | Home | FAC1R | W | 4-2 | Lewis(3), Parkin | ||
| 22/04/1933 | Away | LON2 | L | 0-4 | |||
| 29/04/1933 | Home | LON2 | W | 2-0 | Cook(2) | ||
| 28/04/1934 | Away | SLCD | W | 2-1 | McNeil, Bowditch | ||
| 05/05/1934 | Home | SLCD | D | 1-1 | Bowditch | ||
| 09/02/1935 | Away | SLCD | L | 1-2 | Taylor | ||
| 04/05/1935 | Home | SLCD | L | 1-5 | Taylor | ||
| 05/10/1935 | Away | SLCD | L | 0-2 | |||
| 12/10/1935 | Home | SLCD | D | 3-3 | Cook, Slade, Connor | ||
| 17/10/1936 | Home | SL | W | 3-1 | Halliday, Mann, Payne | ||
| 02/04/1937 | Away | SL | L | 2-7 | Cook, Halliday | ||
| 20/11/1937 | Home | SL | W | 1-0 | Kirk | ||
| 23/03/1938 | Away | SL | D | 1-1 | Appleby | ||
| 24/09/1938 | Away | SL | D | 0-0 | |||
| 18/02/1939 | Home | SL | W | 3-1 | Wilkins, Green, Heward | ||
| 26/10/1946 | Home | SL | W | 7-1 | Hartburn(3), Sibley, White, Smith(2) | ||
| 15/03/1947 | Away | SL | W | 4-1 | Mitcheson(2), Doyle, Hartburn | ||
| 08/11/1947 | Home | SL | W | 2-0 | Boulter(2) | ||
| 27/03/1948 | Away | SL | W | 2-0 | Gore, Swinfen | ||
| 18/12/1948 | Home | SL | L | 0-1 | |||
| 26/02/1949 | Away | SL | D | 1-1 | Blizzard | ||
| 10/09/1949 | Home | SL | W | 3-0 | Bryant(2), Coffey | ||
| 29/04/1950 | Away | SL | D | 2-2 | Mansley, Hamilton | ||
| 06/09/1950 | Home | SL | W | 2-1 | Philips, Hamilton | ||
| 16/12/1950 | Away | SL | D | 2-2 | Mansley, Rae | ||
| 24/11/1951 | Away | SL | W | 1-0 | Aldred | ||
| 01/03/1952 | Home | SL | L | 0-2 | |||
| 27/08/1952 | Away | SL | W | 3-1 | Peart(2), Easton | ||
| 20/12/1952 | Home | SL | D | 1-1 | Lunn | ||
| 03/10/1953 | Away | SL | D | 2-2 | Lunn, Reid | ||
| 20/02/1954 | Home | SL | L | 1-3 | Ryan | ||
| 13/11/1954 | Away | SL | D | 1-1 | Ryan | ||
| 02/04/1955 | Home | SL | D | 1-1 | Ryan | ||
| 24/09/1955 | Away | SL | D | 0-0 | |||
| 04/02/1956 | Home | SL | D | 2-2 | Easton, McMahon | ||
| 01/12/1956 | Away | SL | L | 2-3 | Gaillard(2) | ||
| 26/01/1957 | Home | SL | L | 1-2 | McAlone | ||
| 02/10/1957 | Away | SL | W | 1-0 | Travis | ||
| 30/11/1957 | Home | SL | L | 0-1 | |||
| 18/10/1958 | Away | SLSE | L | 1-3 | Edwards | ||
| 21/03/1959 | Home | SLSE | D | 2-2 | McConnon, Earl | ||
| 24/08/1959 | Away | SLP | D | 0-0 | |||
| 05/12/1959 | Home | SLP | W | 3-0 | Emmonds, Harris, Paton | ||
| 12/11/1960 | Away | SLP | W | 4-2 | Paton(2), Taylor(2) | ||
| 06/05/1961 | Home | SLP | D | 0-0 | |||
| 08/09/1962 | Away | SLP | L | 0-1 | |||
| 03/11/1962 | Home | FAC1 | W | 3-2 | Coughlin, Taylor, Foley | ||
| 06/03/1963 | Home | SLP | L | 0-2 | |||
| 28/09/1963 | Home | SLP | W | 6-0 | Taylor, Hall, Muir(2), Foley(2) | ||
| 08/02/1964 | Away | SLP | L | 0-2 | |||
| 26/09/1964 | Away | SLP | D | 0-0 | |||
| 06/02/1965 | Home | SLP | W | 5-1 | Hirst(3), Taylor, Ashe | ||
| 04/05/1966 | Away | SLP | W | 2-1 | Harding, Ashe | ||
| 06/05/1966 | Home | SLP | D | 1-1 | Hirst | ||
| 23/01/1971 | Away | SLP | W | 1-0 | Weller | ||
| 24/04/1971 | Home | SLP | W | 1-0 | Clancy | ||
| 11/09/1971 | Home | SLP | W | 4-1 | 3161 | Weller(2), Cotton(2) | |
| 08/04/1972 | Away | SLP | L | 0-1 | 880 | ||
| 06/02/1973 | Away | SLP | D | 1-1 | Brown | ||
| 21/04/1973 | Home | SLP | W | 1-0 | 3494 | Brierley | |
| 11/08/1973 | Away | SLP | D | 1-1 | 984 | Briggs | |
| 05/05/1974 | Home | SLP | D | 1-1 | Plumb | ||
| 09/11/1974 | Away | SLP | D | 0-0 | 1070 | ||
| 01/03/1975 | Home | SLP | W | 4-2 | 2452 | Verity(2), Brown, Cotton | |
| 04/12/1976 | Away | SLP | D | 1-1 | Leigh | ||
| 02/04/1977 | Home | SLCF1 | D | 1-1 | 2393 | Own Goal | |
| 09/04/1977 | Away | SLCF2 | L | 0-2 | |||
| 04/05/1977 | Home | SLP | D | 1-1 | 1354 | Plumb | |
| 15/10/1977 | Home | SLP | W | 5-1 | Hickton(2), B O’Donnell, Dominey, Plumb | ||
| 11/03/1978 | Away | SLP | L | 0-2 | |||
| 23/09/1978 | Home | SLP | W | 2-1 | Turner, Morrall | ||
| 21/03/1979 | Away | SLP | D | 1-1 | Cotton | ||
| 05/12/1981 | Away | APL | L | 0-5 | 592 | ||
| 24/02/1982 | Home | APL | D | 1-1 | 1011 | Ritchie | |
| 04/09/1984 | Away | BLT1A | W | 3-1 | 456 | Horton, Platt, Doherty | |
| 12/09/1984 | Home | BLT1B | L | 0-1 | 824 | ||
| 22/12/1984 | Home | GOLA | D | 2-2 | 1105 | Gold, James | |
| 23/02/1985 | Away | GOLA | D | 1-1 | 676 | Ritchie | |
| 13/01/1990 | Away | FAT1 | W | 2-1 | 1274 | Gill, Carroll | |
| 09/12/2023 | Away | NLS | D | 2-2 | 1072 | Murphy 10 (pen), Young 78 | |
| 13/04/2024 | Home | NLS | W | 3-1 | 5701 | Pearson 9, Nelson 42 o.g., Fisher 70 | |
Results Summary For Yeovil Town First Team vs Dartford
| Home | Away | Overall | ||||||||||||
| W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A |
| 21 | 14 | 8 | 90 | 51 | 11 | 18 | 15 | 49 | 69 | 32 | 32 | 23 | 139 | 120 |
Club Statistics
RECENT RESULTS
| 07/10/2023 | Chippenham Town | Away | NLS | W | 4-1 | 671 | Bradbury 21 (pen), 24 (pen), Barzey 37, Johnson 75 | |
| 14/10/2023 | Hampton & Richmond Borough | Away | NLS | L | 3-4 | 1181 | Bradbury 55, Nembhard 57, Manor 72 | |
| 21/10/2023 | Havant & Waterlooville | Home | NLS | W | 2-0 | 1003 | Nembhard 8, 77 | |
| 24/10/2023 | Eastbourne Borough | Away | NLS | D | 1-1 | 1301 | Barzey 63 | |
| 28/10/2023 | Hemel Hempstead Town | Away | NLS | L | 1-2 | 564 | Coulson 40 (pen) | |
| 31/10/2023 | Weston-super-Mare | Home | NLS | W | 4-2 | 658 | Rooney 39, Coulson 47 (pen), Wall 69, 85 | |
| 07/11/2023 | Chelmsford City | Home | NLS | L | 1-2 | 917 | Statham 23 | |
| 14/11/2023 | Worthing | Away | NLS | W | 4-3 | 871 | Wall 30, Coulson 43, Wynter 45, Miller-Rodney 84 | |
| 18/11/2023 | Maidstone United | Home | FAT2R | L | 0-1 | 1187 | ||
| 21/11/2023 | Braintree Town | Home | NLS | L | 0-2 | 771 | ||
| 25/11/2023 | Torquay United | Home | NLS | W | 3-0 | 1101 | Chin 32, Alexander 40, Diarra 44 | |
| 09/12/2023 | Yeovil Town | Home | NLS | |||||
LEAGUE ATTENDANCE STATISTICS
Highest League Attendance: 1,203
Lowest League Attendance: 658
Average League Attendance: 941
CURRENT LEAGUE SEQUENCE STATISTICS
| Games Without A Win: | 0 | Games Without A Home Win: | 0 | |
| Games Without An Away Win: | 0 | Games Without Defeat: | 1 | |
| Games Without A Home Defeat: | 1 | Games Without An Away Defeat: | 1 | |
| Games Without A Draw: | 6 | Games Without A Score Draw: | 6 | |
| Games Without A No-Score Draw: | 20 | Games Without Scoring: | 0 | |
| Games Without Conceding: | 1 | Home Results Sequence: | WWLLW | |
| Away Results Sequence: | WLDLW | Overall Results Sequence: | WLWDLWLWLW |
Club Information
Address : Princes Park Stadium, Grassbanks Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1RT.
Telephone Number : 01322 299991
Email : info@dartfordfc.com
Chairmen : Steve Irving and Dave Skinner
Operations Manager : Jack Smedley
Club Secretary : Peter Martin
Team Manager : Alan Dowson
Capacity : 4,100
Seated : 642
Covered Terrace : all
Surface : grass
Record Attendance : 4,097 v Horsham YMCA, Isthmian Division One South, 11/11/2006 (also exactly same number for a pre-season Friendly v Crystal Palace in 2007)
Colours : white and black shirt, black shorts, white socks
Nickname : The Darts
Programme : (£2.50 last season, not found if gone up this)
Ticketing
As things currently stand Dartford is not planning to segregate this match. Go HERE to purchase tickets on-line. These can be printed out or read from your phone at the turnstiles. Have found no indication there’s any surcharge for buying at the ground on the day.
Prices :
Adult: £16.00
Concession (65+): £11.00
Youth (13-17): £5.00
Junior (5-12): £2.00
Disabled
Being a new build – the first match played at Princes Park was on 11th November 2006 – and mostly funded by council money the stadium has far more designed in facilities than is common at this level of football. There are user friendly entrances at each end of the stadium as well as disabled adapted toilets there too. A third adapted toilet is in the reception area and fourth on the upper floor near the two bars. There’s a lift up to the bars and another that goes down to pitch side level. Three purpose designed undercover areas around the ground include space for nine wheelchairs each with an adjacent seat for a carer if required. Access to the catering pods behind each goal is disabled friendly.
The stadium has a large car park (see Parking, below) so special arrangements are not usually needed to secure a spot. The distance from the car park to the main reception area is around 100 yards and to the nearest turnstiles about 50 yards.
Disabled supporters pay the entrance cost appropriate to their age/status and if the attendance of a carer is required the carer is admitted free of charge. For further information or to discuss particular requirements contact the club on 01322 299991.
Official Away Travel
The Green & White Supporters’ Club is running away travel to Dartford on Saturday 9th December, 3.00 p.m. kick-off.
Details are as follows:
Members: Adult £30; Concession £28
Non-Members: Adult £33; Concession £31
Coach departs Huish Park: 9.00 a.m.
To book, call Paul Hadlow on 07736 044570 (after 6.00 p.m. please) or email him on paulhadlow@outlook.com.
If you are getting in touch by email, please make it clear which match you are booking for and that you give your full name, the names of people that are travelling and a contact telephone number.
You may be asked to pay a £5 deposit to reserve your seat.
Directions To The Ground
General
Dartford sits on the south side of the Thames and, beyond a vague glance at an unappealing sprawl in the distance as drive across the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, most people only know it for being the lowest crossing point by road of the river. Huish Park to Princes Park is 155 miles.
By Road
From the West Country it’s the familiar A303 and M3 route; then take the M25 anti-clockwise. Leave the M25 at Junction 2 (Darenth Interchange) taking the exit signed for Dartford (A225). At the next roundabout (Princes Road Interchange) take the first exit on to Princes Road (A225). Stay on the A225 (second exit) through the next roundabout. Shortly after you’ll see Princes Park on your left. However this is the wrong side of the stadium for the car park so carry on past the ground and take the next left at the traffic lights into Darenth Road. About 250 yards along Darenth Road turn left into Grassbanks for Princes Park and the car park.
Parking
The stadium has a roughly 300 space car park which is at the western end/southern side of the stadium and is free. The host club does warn that for busier games it’s likely to be getting pretty full by the final 45 minutes before kick-off.
If this gets filled up parking then becomes rather more problematic as the stadium is mostly surrounded (on three sides) by other businesses and heavy industry, whose own car parks are for staff and customers, and parkland/countryside, so on-street is not impossible to find but may take a bit of hunting down and occasion a walk.
The nearest alternative public car parks are the other side (near the town centre) of Dartford Central Park so about a quarter of an hour walk away. Charges for these are mostly around £3.00 for a whole afternoon. One possibly to avoid is the huge multi-storey Priory Centre car park in central Dartford where four hours will cost you a tenner and anything over that £15.00.
By Rail
The nearest station to the ground is Dartford Railway Station 1.1 miles away, so around 25 minutes walk (or see By Bus, below). No sleepy commuter halt this, rather surprisingly it is the busiest station in Kent as a major interchange hub for the Southeastern network. There are also services by Thameslink. The main London stations served are Charing Cross (five trains per hour and six at peak times), Cannon Street (two per hour) and Victoria (two per hour).
If Oyster and/or Contactless travel are relevant to you Dartford station was reclassified in 2015 and became part of the TfL zonal system. It is in Zone 8.
By Bus
The most useful service is Fastrack B operated by Arriva. This runs every ten minutes between Dartford Home Gardens (on the eastern edge of the town centre and a short walk from the railway station) to Bluewater (and beyond). The stop for the ground is pretty much right outside (on the North side of the ground) and bears the same name as the stadium: Princes Park. This section of the route has a dedicated bus lane so the scheduled journey time of six minutes shouldn’t be traffic delayed.
By Taxi
A selection of Dartford taxi companies can be found here.
Web Resources
Web Sites
Dartford FC – decently structured and maintained Official Site for this level.
The Dart(s) Board – well obviously it was going to be named that, unofficial forum.
Social Media
Dartford FC – Official Twitter account.
Local Press
The Dartford Messenger carries a bit of Dartford FC coverage – via KentOnline for its electronic delivery.
News Shopper has a Dartford & Swanley edition amongst many others. This doesn’t occasion much if any Dartford FC coverage. Months, in fact whole seasons, can appear to go by with nothing about the club featured.
Food & Drink
General
As mentioned under Parking (above), the stadium is rather out of town in an area with little residence so places to eat and drink (outside of Princes Park itself) are very scarce indeed and there’s no pubs at all within half a mile in any direction (I don’t count Miller & Carter as pubs, and it’s the wrong side of the M25 so definitely not a friendly walk and likely not a practical walk at all). The closest is The Ivy Leaf at 0.6 of a mile, so in the guide (below) for that reason. The remainder of the selection are in and around central Dartford which therefore means are all around 20 minutes (give or take) walk from the ground, or catch the Fastrack bus (see By Bus, above).
Club Bar
The clubhouse is part of the Main Stand and is available to both sets of supporters when there’s no segregation. Think there’s also a second bar there, Champions Bar, but my understanding is that on matchdays this is reserved for Director, Vice President and Sponsor types. Elsewhere around the stadium there’s another (smallish) bar at the western (car park) end of the stadium which is the Away End on the rare occasions there’s segregation at Princes Park and thus becomes the ‘Away Bar’ in those circumstances. Whether it’s opened for unsegregated games when visiting supporters can use the main clubhouse anyway guess we’ll find out (assuming our game remains unsegregated, which seems to be the plan).
Local Pubs
Dartford Sports Bar: Large sports bar with 23 screens spread inside and outside in the beer garden that opened in 2020. Food served from opening up to 11.00 p.m. Children allowed (not clear up until what time). Disabled access. Unusually for a sports bar has a nod to real ale with Timothy Taylor’s Landlord always on and sometimes a second changing offering (10% off to CAMRA members). Keg is from the multinationals. Has Pool and Darts. Not that likely to apply to many Yeovil fans going to a match but there’s 10% off any bill when accompanied by a dog (and 20% off on Tuesdays between noon and 6.00 p.m.). Am wondering if this a deliberate nose-thumb to Timmy, with Dartford’s Spoons (see immediately below) being just a few doors away, where rows continue over the complete exclusion of (apart from assistance) dogs from his chain’s premises, both inside and out, since 2018. Opening hours from 11.30 a.m. every day (except Sunday when it’s noon), closing midnight Monday to Wednesday, 1.30 a.m. Thursday, 3.00 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 11.00 p.m. Sunday. Around 20 minutes walk (1.1 miles) from the stadium.
The Dartford Sports Bar, 13 Spital Street, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2DJ. Tel: 01322 617715. Map: Dartford Sports Bar.
Dartford Working Men’s Club: Finalist on several occasions and once overall national winner of CAMRA’s Club of the Year, non-members with a CAMRA card are welcome as ‘guests’: website. Food, in ‘pub grub’ style and at amazingly low almost sub-Spoons prices, served noon – 3.00 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, 7.00 p.m. – 9.00 p.m. Friday, and noon – 6.00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday. Sports TV, snooker and pool tables, darts. Small outside area with bench tables. Up to 10 constantly changing real ales on hand pump plus several real ciders. Opens 11.00 a.m. – 11.00 p.m. everyday except Sunday which is noon – 10.30 p.m. In the town centre 1.2 miles (25 minutes walk) from the ground.
Dartford Working Men’s Club, 40 Essex Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2AU. Tel: 01322 223646. Map: Dartford Working Men’s Club.
Flying Boat: Dartford’s Wetherspoon, this one a former car showroom. Patio, including smoking area, to rear. Children allowed until 8.00 p.m. Opens from 8.00 a.m. every day, closing midnight Sunday to Thursday and 1.00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Around 20 minutes walk (1.1 miles) from the stadium. (There was a second Spoons in Dartford, The Paper Moon, but this was closed down in 2016.)
The Flying Boat, 36-42 Spital Street, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2DT. Tel: 01322 421970. Map: Flying Boat.
Growler Stop: Dartford’s ‘craft beer’ bar which opened at the end of 2021. Thirty keg taps (though more usually appears to have around twenty active) on the beer wall serving a wide and changing range. Also cans and bottles in the fridge. Four different sources have four different sets of opening times but broadly give the same impression: that it opens late afternoon week days and from noon at weekends, with likely closing mostly around 10.00 p.m. early in the week and 11.00 p.m. in the latter part. 1.2 miles (about 25 minutes walk) from the ground.
Growler Stop Tap Room & Bottle Shop, 7-8 Westgate House, Spital Street, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2EH. Tel: 07769 710665. Map: Growler Stop.
Ivy Leaf: Am generally a bit wary about putting ‘estate pubs’ that don’t know into the guides as they can be hard to predict. Plenty are pleasant and welcoming, but some can be decidedly frosty to “outsiders”. However this one is the closest pub there is to the ground (0.6 of a mile, 12 minutes walk) so here goes. Large single bar independent hostelry with four or five real ales. Doom Bar is the regular with the others a changing mix from the more traditional breweries and the new wave. Food is ‘pub grub’ style but the kitchen does not operate on a Saturday. Sports TV, beer garden, small car park. Appears children under 14 are not allowed (except in the garden in summer). Opens at noon every day, closing 11.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday, midnight Friday & Saturday and 10.30 p.m. Sunday.
The Ivy Leaf, 72 Darenth Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1LS. Tel: 01322 220993. Map: Ivy Leaf.
Long Dog: Dartford’s first (and still only) micropub which opened in 2018 (under a different name). Gravity dispense from a cold room. Six changing cask beers from small independent breweries with generally a couple from Kent and the others more widely sourced; and a wide range (half dozen+) of ciders. Customers accompanied by a dog receive 10% discount. Opening hours are: 5.00 p.m. – 10.00 p.m. Monday to Wednesday; 5.00 p.m. – 11.00 p.m. Thursday; 3.00 p.m. – midnight Friday; noon – midnight Saturday; 3.00 p.m. – 9.00 p.m. Sunday. Just under 20 minutes walk (0.9 of a mile) from Princes Park.
The Long Dog, 8 Market Street, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1ET. Tel: 07444 209938. Map: Long Dog.
Malt Shovel: Mid-range two bar food pub (though the kitchen doesn’t open Monday to Wednesday). The menu (basically it’s in the “pub classics” style) served lunch times, noon – 3.00 p.m., and dinner, 5.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m., Thursday to Saturday while on Sunday it’s roast dinners from noon – 6.00 p.m. Four generally mainstream ales on hand pump, though occasionally something more interesting does crop up, while keg beers are from the multinationals. Large conservatory (which is the main eating area) leading to a garden at rear, small car park. Opening hours are: 3.00 p.m. – 11.00 p.m. Monday to Wednesday; noon – 11.00 p.m. Thursday; noon – 11.30 p.m. Friday & Saturday; noon – 8.00 p.m. Sunday. A Fastrack bus stop (Royal Victoria Mill stop) is just across the road at the bottom of the pub garden or it’s 15 minutes (0.7 of a mile) walk to the ground.
The Malt Shovel, 3 Darenth Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1LP. Tel: 01322 224381. Map: Malt Shovel.
Wat Tyler: With (unusually) no pub right outside the railway station the location of this old school boozer possibly makes it the most convenient for both the train and if using the Fastrack bus. A Free House that has four hand pumps, with three regularly occupied by Courage Best Bitter, Shepherd Neame Spitfire and (what gets it into this guide) Theakston’s Old Peculier. The fourth has a changing offering. Keg is from the multinationals. Opens from noon – 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11.00 a.m. – midnight Friday and Saturday. One mile (so about 20 minutes walk) from the stadium or catch the bus.
The Wat Tyler, 80 High Street, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1DE. Tel: 01322 272546. Map: Wat Tyler.
Likelihood the Natives Will Understand You: Estuary English is what’s spoken here (though there is some debate amongst academic linguists as to exactly where Cockney fades out and Estuary takes over).
Top-Tip: There’s a bridge over and a tunnel under the Thames so Dartford is relatively easy to escape from.
Local Amenities: Not a lot. As is the case with much of the London ‘fringe’ people tend to head into the brighter lights of the city for their entertainment.
Other Points Of Interest: Although originally having gone to the same Primary School, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards bumped into each other by chance years later in 1961 on Dartford Railway Station and the rest, as they say, is history. There’s a plaque on the principal London bound platform to prove it. Malcolm Allison who had a (very brief) relationship with Yeovil Town in 1981 was from Dartford. That connection hasn’t been recognised with a plaque (yet).
[No responsibility is taken for any inaccuracies. This page is entirely the product of bias and prejudice. ]