Gravesend was granted, allowing the men of the town to operate boats between London and the town; these became known as the "Long Ferry". It became the preferred form of passage, because of the perils of road travel (see below). On Gravesend's river front are the remains of a Tudor fort built by command of King Henry VIII in 1543. On 21 March 1617, John Rolfe and Rebecca (aka Princess Pocahontas) with their two-year-old son, Thomas, boarded a ship in London bound for the Commonwealth of Virginia; the ship had only sailed as far as Gravesend before Rebecca fell fatally ill,
North Kent College North Kent College North Kent College is a college of Further and Higher Education located across campuses in Dartford and Gravesend, Kent, England, with Partner College status with the University of Greenwich, particularly the Greenwich Maritime Institute. Its original constituents include the Gravesend Technical College and the National Sea Training School (NSTC). Each campus has a different specialist area, however Computing and Information Technology, Foundation Studies, Hair and Beauty, Office Administration, Secretarial Studies and Sport and Leisure Management are covered at both the Dartford and Gravesend campuses. Oakfield Lane, Dartford is the location of the largest campus. It houses the