Gravesend is best known internationally as the place where Princess Pocahontas, the 17th century Native American, was laid to rest after falling ill on her return from London to America.

A statue of her – an exact replica of one unveiled in her hometown Jamestown, Virginia – can be seen at St George’s Church in the town centre, where she is buried.

However, there is much more to see in this Kent town, recorded as Gravesham in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Its bustling town centre has two shopping malls – the St George’s and Thamesgate centres – while at the bottom of its quaint high street sits Riva, a glass-walled Mediterranean restaurant on the world’s oldest surviving cast iron pier, built in 1834.

Charles Dickens lived at Gad’s Hill Place in Higham two miles to the east and specifically mentions Gravesend and its surrounding area in at least three of his novels.

Cyclopark, a giant track for cycling events, opened in 2012 and has mountain bike trails, a road circuit, a BMX racetrack and family cycling paths. Otherwise, relax in greenery and feed the ducks at the Riverside Leisure Area, known locally as the Prom.

Don’t miss: Put yourself to the test in the Panic Room, where visitors are challenged to solve a mystery in 60 minutes. The attraction opened in Gravesend’s Old Town Hall in 2016 and quickly outgrew the site, moving into nearby Berkley Crescent, where it now runs six testing rooms at once. Most escape rooms are designed to accommodate groups – so that friends, family and colleagues can get together – but it also features a special couples experience.

Take time to explore: At the end of Saddington Street in the town centre sits the magnificent Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara. The £12 million temple opened in 2010 and was entirely funded by the Gravesend’s large Sikh community. Open to visitors daily, the ornate marble building is as fascinating inside as it is majestic from the outside. Visitors must follow Sikh rules inside, including removing their shoes and covering their head.

Best-kept secret: Take a left at the bottom of the High Street and enjoy a pint to the sound of blues and jazz in the Rum Puncheon. You can tuck into beer from eight real ale pumps in the Grade II listed building, which has been a pub since 1797. Known as the Rum Butt for centuries, it has served tradesmen on boats moored on the nearby pier, where today a daily passenger ferry runs to Tilbury on the other side of the Thames in Essex.

Getting there: You can reach Gravesend train station from London St Pancras in about 25 minutes. The town centre is five minutes’ drive from the Gravesend Central turn-off of the A2, with numerous free car parks at weekends.