The Thames guide to Gravesend

Panorama entitled 'The Thames Guide to Gravesend'. Published in pamphlet form each page is printed with a lithographed view, from the water, of all the buildings & objects of interest along the foreshore from London Bridge to Milton-next-Gravesend Church. Below each drawing are captions and descriptions of the buildings illustrated. Printed over sixteen pages the Panorama is in two sections. Section one follows the Thames along the Essex banks, commencing at London Bridge and finishing at Tilbury on page 8. From page 9 commences the Return from Gravesend along the Kent Bank. The panorama was published by W.Strange at Paternoster Row and G.Boyle located at 290 Regent Street. With lithography by Joseph Netherclift it was printed by J.Bradley 78 Great Titchfield Street and sold for sixpence. Also known as 'Boyle's Thames Guide' it has soft brown covers, the front cover printed with details of the contents within.

With the introduction of steam packets day trip excursions to Kent and Essex along the Thames became hugely popular with Londoners. In Martin Chuzzlewit Dickens describes the confusion and chaos caused by the ‘press of passengers’ waiting to board the boats ‘the gangways were choked up; distracted women, obviously bound for Gravesend, but turning a deaf ear to all representations that this particular vessel was about to sail for Antwerp, persisted in secreting baskets of refreshments behind bulk-heads, and water-casks, and under seats’.