Not simply a home for commuters looking to work in London but live somewhere decidedly more ‘little England’, Kent is proving itself to be a popular destination for many people, not just those who work in the city. As a result of its mass popularity, houses for sale in Kent have never been more attractive.

A trip along the iconic River Medway will provide a wealth of quintessentially English towns that offer more than just proximity to the capital; the most iconic of these Medway towns is Rochester.

Famed for being the home of Charles Dickens, Rochester is in no way prepared to let go of its cultural heritage. Its Victorian-style high street replete with pubs and shops is even named after Dickens’ books or characters. This is evidenced most clearly in Baggins’ Bookshop, a sprawling and arcane building which makes the not-uncommon claim of being the largest second-hand bookshop in England.

Just beyond Rochester is the more modern town of Chatham, offering a large high street which comprises some of the largest and most popular brands in the country. Both Chatham and Rochester lie on the M2 and on the main rail line from London Victoria to Bromley South. This makes transport in and out of the Medway towns extremely easy.

However, as mentioned previously, getting in and out of London is not such a big issue with all of what Kent has to offer. When it comes to shopping, little is better (or even bigger) than Bluewater.

Bluewater shopping centre – located in the valley of an old chalk quarry – is the fourth largest indoor shopping centre in Europe and the second largest in the UK (Gateshead’s MetroCentre takes the title). Located in Greenhithe, just out of the M25, Bluewater offers almost everything a shopper could want without having to travel all the way to the centre.

Boasting a huge variety of both shops and restaurants, it is certainly rare to come from Bluewater without the thing you were after.

So with such an array of towns, cities and attractions on offer, Kent is becoming less of a commuter area and more of a desirable one in its own right.