A life-sized statue of Pocahontas outside a Gravesend church has been relisted to mark the 400th anniversary of the Native American princess' death.

The bronze memorial stands outside St George's Church in Church Street, close to where Pocahontas' remains are believed to be buried.

As the town prepares to remember the pioneering woman with a procession and a church service, Historic England has today announced the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has relisted the statue on its advice.

The statue was first listed in 1975 and the relisting means the list entry has been updated to include a full history and description of the role Pocahontas played in both English and American history during the founding of modern America.

The Virginia Quay Settlers Monument in Blackwall has been newly listed.

Debbie Mays, head of listing at Historic England, said: “Pocahontas is remembered for her forging of ties between two very different cultures.

"These monuments are physical reminders of her story, those of the English setting sail to the New World, and our shared colonial past and we are pleased to mark their importance on the National Heritage List for England.”

A Historic England spokesman added: To some, Pocahontas became a symbol of Indian religious conversion and she was even received by the royal court of King James I. Others argue she was forced to assimilate to English culture following her captivity.

"Whatever her experience, she was a significant figure and demonstrated her extraordinary capacity to build-bridges and adapt during a period of seismic change."

The Gravesend statue is a copy of a sculpture in Jamestown, close to where the English settlers landed and near where Pocahontas' father's tribe lived.

In Gravesend the figure faces north towards the River Thames where the young princess came ashore after being struck down by a fatal disease, possibly pneumonia or tuberculosis.

The statue was given to the British people by the governor of Virginia 50 years ago, on the 350th anniversary of Pocahontas’ death.

The daughter of chief Powhatan, Pocahontas was born in either 1595 or 1596 and her name means “playful little girl”.

When the English landed in America, she was captured and held hostage.

During this time, she converted to Christianity and met her English husband John Rolfe. In 1615, they had a son, Thomas.

The following year, they came to England as part of a contingent to raise funds for the Virginia Company.

The Virginia Quay Settlers Monument in Blackwall, just across the Thames from the O2, marks the spot where the English founders of Jamestown, including Captain John Smith, set off in 1606.

Legend has it Pocahontas saved Captain Smith's life when he was threatened with execution by her father's tribe.