Aylesford, From The Riverwalk c.1955

Photo ref: A85001

More about this scene

This settlement commanded the lowest fording point on the River Medway, and here, in 455, the invading Jutes under Hengist defeated the native forces led by Vortigern. Pilgrims on their way to Becket's shrine at Canterbury must also have crossed the river here. The bridge is the oldest on the Medway, dating back to the 14th century, but the central span was enlarged in the 19th century to accommodate the increasing traffic on the river.