Old Kent Road a Celtic ancient trackway that was paved by the Romans and recorded as Inter III on the Antonine Itinerary. The Anglo-Saxons named it "Wæcelinga Stræt" (Watling Street). It joined Stane Street another ancient and Roman road at Southwark before crossing the Thames at London Bridge. The Inter III was one of the most important Roman roads in Britain, linking London with Canterbury and the Channel ports at Richborough ("Rutupiae"); Dover ("Dubris") and Lympne ("Lemanis"). Pilgrims, as documented in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, travelled along the road from London and Southwark on their way to Canterbury. In 1415, the road was a
A229 road In 2006, the road was set up with the then largest vehicle checkpoint campaign in Kent, in order to catch drug dealers and benefit fraudsters. Twenty-seven vehicles were apprehended, but there were no arrests. The road largely follows the route of Roman Road No. 13, as described by Ivan Margary, which ran from Rochester to Hastings. It was turnpiked between Rochester and Maidstone in 1728, then to Cranbrook in 1760. The A229 number was assigned in 1923, following the turnpike road. The original route through Maidstone ran along Sandling Road and Week Street; the diversion along the riverside opened in