Sittingbourne

Sittingbourne
Industrial town
Sittingbourne High Street
Sittingbourne Location within Kent
Population	62,500
OS grid reference	TQ905635
District	Swale
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SITTINGBOURNE
Postcode district	ME9, ME10
Dialling code	01795
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Sittingbourne and Sheppey
List of places UK England Kent 51°20′N 0°44′E / 51.34°N 0.74°E / 51.34; 0.74

Sittingbourne is an industrial town in the Swale district, in Kent, southeast England, 17 miles (27 km) from Canterbury and 45 miles (72 km) from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient British trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons.

The town stands next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey. The town became prominent after the death of Thomas Becket in 1170, since it provided a convenient resting point on the road from London to Canterbury and Dover.

Chatham Main Line links to London Victoria station and HS1 to St Pancras International, the journey taking about an hour from Sittingbourne railway station.