Chalk, Kent

Chalk is a village and since 1935 a former civil parish which adjoins the east of Gravesend, Kent, England. As is intuitive, its name comes from the Saxon word cealc meaning a chalkstone. In 1931 the parish had a population of 563.

One layer of the chalk carries flints, stones embedded in the chalk, and these were used in building and in providing the means of fire for muskets. The stone is often cut to provide a flat edge as a craft known as flint-knapping. The trade was worked in Chalk from the 17th century onwards. Gun-flints were produced here in large quantities until the early 19th century.

Current issues relating to the immediate environment around Chalk include a proposed new Lower Thames Crossing across the nearby estuary marshes, confirmed in 2017.