We Brits love nothing more than a good cup of tea, and nowhere is that more true than on a building site.

More than 620 cups have been drunk by the men hard at work on the refurbishment of Gravesend’s old market hall in Queen Street, which is set to open its doors just in time for Christmas.

Scaffolding has been in place for the past six months, in which time 17,000 roof tiles have been added, 34,000 copper nails used, and a rather more modest 96 sheets of glass put in place for the new ceiling.

All this has been done by 52 on-site staff, clocking up a total of 6,485 hours of hard graft, and Gravesham council has now pencilled in an opening date of November 19.

Cllr Samir Jassal, the council’s cabinet member for business delivery, is delighted with the renovation’s progress.

He said: “The work to the market is really moving forward quickly. These stats are a bit of fun but it does highlight how much work has been done so far and just how big this project is for the town.

“The market will bring a significant improvement to the town centre and - having had lots of memories sent through from various people from over the years who enjoyed the old market - it’s hoped this one will have the same effect on stall holders and visitors.”

Once open, the market will be another addition to the borough’s growing list of tourist attractions and the council is keen to take advantage.

Visit Gravesend is a new website launched earlier this month to promote the likes of the market and the clock tower, which is also covered in scaffolding at the moment.

The online hub will replace the Go Gravesham site, which was created in 2012 to coincide with the London Olympics.

Cllr Jordan Meade, the council’s cabinet member for tourism and youth, said: “After reviewing our tourism offer in Gravesham we decided that it was time that we updated our tourism presence online.

“We haven’t just improved the website but the whole area has undergone a complete rebrand. It has a new name, new website and new branding, which looks both modern and fresh.

The market will bring a significant improvement to the town centre" Cllr Samir Jassal

“Gravesend is Kent’s hidden gem, we have so much to offer to visitors and this website will go a long way to promoting the best of our borough.”

The site offers information on attractions, where to stay, places to eat and drink, an extensive events calendar, and a mobile phone friendly design.

It attracted 2,000 visitors in its first week and was created in-house at the council, at a saving of around £6,000 a year.

Cllr Meade continued: “There are a few areas of the site that we want to develop over the coming months to improve it even further for our visitors.

“We’ll also be phasing out our old Go Gravesham brand and bringing in Visit Gravesend as the new tourism tagline for our visitor information.”

The council welcomes feedback on the new site — drop a line to info@towncentric.co.uk to air your views.