m →Churches: Listify; link. |
Crouch, Swale (talk | contribs) population for the former parishes project |
||
(694 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{short description|Town in Medway in South East England}} |
|||
:''This article is about the town in Kent, England. For the [[stream|creek]] in [[Essex]], see [[The Strood]]'' |
|||
{{about|the town in Kent, England|the creek in Essex|The Strood}} |
|||
{{infobox England place| |
|||
{{confusion|Stroud}} |
|||
|MapX= 150 |
|||
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}} |
|||
|MapY= 211 |
|||
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}} |
|||
|Population= 33182 |
|||
{{Infobox UK place |
|||
|Place= Strood |
|||
|official_name = Strood |
|||
|type = Town |
|||
|unitary_england = [[Medway]] |
|||
|lieutenancy_england = [[Kent]] |
|||
|region = South East England |
|||
|Constituency= [[Medway (UK Parliament constituency)|Medway]] |
|||
|country = England |
|||
|coordinates = {{coord|51.3930|0.4780|display=inline,title}} |
|||
|PostalTown= ROCHESTER |
|||
|static_image_name = High Street, Strood (3) - geograph.org.uk - 714438.jpg |
|||
|Police= [[Kent Police]] |
|||
|static_image_caption = High Street, Strood |
|||
|PostCode= ME2 |
|||
|population = 40,000 |
|||
|DiallingCode= 01634 |
|||
|constituency_westminster = [[Rochester and Strood (UK Parliament constituency)|Rochester and Strood]] |
|||
|GridReference= TQ725695 |
|||
|post_town = ROCHESTER |
|||
|postcode_area = ME |
|||
|postcode_district = ME2 |
|||
|dial_code = 01634 |
|||
|os_grid_reference = TQ725695 |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Strood''' is a town in the [[unitary authority]] of [[Medway]] in [[Kent]], [[South East England]]. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns [[Chatham, Kent|Chatham]], [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]], [[Gillingham, Kent|Gillingham]] and [[Rainham, Kent|Rainham]]. It lies on the northwest bank of the [[River Medway]] at its lowest bridging point. |
|||
[[Image:Strood TempleMarsh RochWire.JPG |400px|right|thumb| |
|||
The River Medway and its marshes in Strood- showing Strood juxtaposition to Rochester.]] |
|||
'''Strood''', part of the [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]] post town, lies on the north west bank of the [[River Medway]] at its lowest bridging point. Geographically it is part of [[Kent]]. Strood was part of [[Frindsbury]] until 1193, but now Frindsbury is considered part of Strood. Strood's history has been dominated by the river, the [[Rochester Bridge|bridges]] and the important road and rail links they carried. In 2006, it was a mainly residential suburb of Rochester, and a commuter town for London. |
|||
Strood began as a manor then chapelry of [[Frindsbury]] until gaining its own parish status in 1193. Today Frindsbury is effectively, in all but a few associations such as in the [[Church of England]], the northern part of Strood. Strood's history has been dominated by the river and facing port-associated towns, particularly its road and rail [[Rochester Bridge|bridges]] since the [[Roman Britain|Roman era]] to Rochester and the two other [[Medway Towns]] immediately adjoining and beyond from the north-east quarter of Kent to [[London]] and the rest of Britain. It has a mixed retail and leisure area at its heart. Most of its sources of employment are the other Medway towns, their associated commercial, industrial and logistics parks. |
|||
==Topology== |
|||
Strood lies on the edge of marshy land alongside the River Medway. The Chalk hills of the [[North Downs]] have been breached at this point, and they form a river cliff rising to 100ft directly behind. Two gentle chalk valleys, or [[bourne (placename)|bourne]]s, descend to the river here, one takes the A2 towards London on its north slope. Another takes the road to [[Cliffe]], and to [[Hoo]]. The land has been extensively quarried for [[chalk]] and the covering [[brickearth]]. These quarries have then been used for housing, and the land reshaped to provide the infrastructure. The river frontage has been drained and infilled, firstly for industry, then for transport links, and finally for housing. To the north of Strood are the remains of the canal basin, and to the south the M2 motorway bridge and the accompanying [[High Speed Rail Link]] [[(HS1)]] bridge. |
|||
Among its broadest named neighbourhoods are the "Earl estate" and Marlowe Park, one named after a house builder, the other after the grounds of a former mansion house. |
|||
==History== |
==History== |
||
[[File:MerrallM2OverStrood9931.JPG|thumb|High Speed 1 and the M2 form the southwestern boundary of Strood.]] |
|||
===The Origins of the name=== |
|||
[[File:StroodCTRL2.JPG|thumb|A [[Eurostar]] train passing Strood heading for the [[Medway Viaduct]] ]] |
|||
The name ''strõd'' or ''strõþ'' refers to ''a marshy land overgrown with brushwood''.(Stroud in Gloucestershire is derived from the same root).<ref name=place>Placenames of Kent Judith Glover 1976,1982,1992 Meresborough Books ISBN 0-905270-61-4</ref> 889 ''strõd'', 1158 Strode, 1610 Strood. |
|||
[[File:Strood TempleMarsh RochWire.JPG|thumb|The River Medway and its marshes in Strood, showing Strood juxtaposed with [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]] ]] |
|||
[[File:Medway Valley Leisure Park - geograph.org.uk - 1226876.jpg|thumb|The far end of Medway Valley Leisure Park.]] |
|||
[[File:StroodCrispin8591.JPG|thumb|The Crispin and Crispianus pub is typical of the shiplapped houses in Strood on the higher ground, On 27 March 2011 the pub was set alight.{{sfn|BBC|2011}}{{sfn|Historic England|1336171}}]] |
|||
=== |
===Pre-conquest=== |
||
Strood was part of [[Frindsbury]] until 1193. It was named ''Strodes'' in the ''[[Textus Roffensis]]'', now kept in Strood in the Medway Archives Centre, though most early records use the spelling ''Stroud''.{{sfn|Hasted|1797|pp=546–560}} The [[Old English]] name ''Strōd'' refers to a "marshy land overgrown with brushwood".{{sfn|Glover|1992}} The Gloucestershire town of [[Stroud]] has the same etymology.{{sfn|Room|1988}} |
|||
The Second Roman Invasion, in 43AD, started at [[Dover]] and the invaders headed for [[London]]. They forded the Medway at Rochester and fought a small engagement to secure the west bank. This must have been in Strood.{{fact|must it? See Snodland}} They built a [[Rochester Bridge#Roman|stone bridge]] and laid a road on a causeway across the marshy ground.<ref name=Coulson>R.L.H Coulson ALA, A Chronology of Strood to 1899 c 1979 Published Kent County Libraries.</ref> The foundations were about 8ft below the level of the 1856 road. The road went up Strood hill, and was called [[Watling Street]], as it still is today. This is the A2. There is further evidence of a causewayed road leading along the bank towards the Frindsbury Peninsula leading to a villa, was found in 1819.<ref name=barnard>Merrily to Frendsbury-A History of the Parish of Frindsbury. Derek Barnard. Private Pub. City of Rochester Society. post 1994.</ref> The present road and field pattern suggest that there was a substantial Roman agricultural settlement centred near Frindsbury.<ref name=barnard/> |
|||
The Romans built a [[Rochester Bridge#Roman|stone bridge]] and laid a road on a causeway across the marshy ground.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} The foundations were about 8 ft below the level of the 1856 road. The road went up Strood Hill, and was called [[Watling Street]], as it still is today. This is the [[A2 road (England)|A2 road]]. There is further evidence of a causewayed road leading along the bank towards the Frindsbury Peninsula leading to a villa, was found in 1819.{{sfn|Barnard|1994}} The present road and field pattern suggest that there was a substantial Roman agricultural settlement centred near Frindsbury.{{sfn|Barnard|1994}} |
|||
764 [[Offa]] King of [[Mercia]] and [[Sigered]] King of Kent granted to Eardulph lands in Easlingham (Frindsbury).<ref name=Coulson/> |
|||
In 764 AD [[Offa]] King of [[Mercia]] and [[Sigered of Kent|Sigered]] King of Kent granted to Eardulph lands in Easlingham (Frindsbury).{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} In 840, 994, and 998 AD Strood was pillaged by the [[Danes (Germanic tribe)|Danes]].{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} In 960 AD a [[Rochester Bridge#Middle Ages|wooden bridge]] was built across the Medway.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} |
|||
In 840, 994 and 998 Strood was pillaged by the [[Danes]].<ref name=Coulson/> |
|||
===Medieval=== |
|||
In 960 a [[Rochester Bridge#Middle Ages|wooden bridge]] was built across the Medway<ref name=Coulson/> |
|||
A small wooden church was erected at Strood in 1122, as a [[chapel of ease]] in the parish of Frindsbury.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} Land was granted in 1160 to the Knights Templar by [[Henry II of England|King Henry II]]. The [[Temple Manor|Manor House]] was used as a Lodging House.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} |
|||
In 1193, Strood became a parish. It was run by the monks of Newark Hospital, and had its own burial grounds.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} In 1291 there was an affray at Newark Hospital between the Monks of Strood and the locals from Frindsbury.{{sfn|Barnard|1994}} |
|||
===Normans=== |
|||
A small wooden church was erected at Strood in 1122, as a chapel of ease in the parish of [[Frindsbury]]. <ref name=Coulson/> |
|||
In 1264 [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]] laid siege to [[Rochester Castle]] from the Strood Side. In the action the wooden bridge was destroyed by fire.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} After Simon's death a heavy fine was levied on Strood because he had stayed there during the siege.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} The Strood Quay and Strood Wharf had been built by Bishop de Glanville with rents going to Newark Hospital. In 1293 the Rochester wharf was in such disrepair that ships had to use the Strood facilities, however as the bridge was out of use, ferries had to be used to cross the river.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} In 1309, a harsh winter, the bridge was damaged by ice.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} In 1312 the Knight's Templar were suppressed and the Manor of Strood passed into private hands briefly before being passed on to the Abbess and Sisters Minorites of St. Clare of Denney in Cambridgeshire.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} In 1387 a stone bridge was built by [[John de Cobham, 3rd Baron Cobham|John de Cobham]] and [[Robert Knolles]].{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} In 1460 [[Edward IV]] appointed a mayor of Rochester with jurisdiction over Strood river frontage and the houses there.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} |
|||
Land was granted in 1160,to the Knights Templar by [[King Henry II]]. The Manor House was used as a Lodging House.<ref name=Coulson/> |
|||
[[Image:Temple Manor from Hasted.png|400px|right|thumb| |
|||
Eighteenth century engraving of Temple Manor House, seen from the Rochester side of the River Medway]] |
|||
=== |
===Early Modern=== |
||
Strood was owned by the Rochester monastery from the 18th year of [[Edward III]]'s reign until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]], after which time as part of the Hundred of Sharnel (Shamwell) which included [[Cobham, Kent|Cobham]], it was passed to George Brooke, Lord Cobham. His grandson Henry Brooke lost his estates to [[James I of England|James I]] in 1603 through a false charge of [[treason]], although he escaped with his life.{{citation needed|date=February 2007}} The Temple Manor thereafter was granted to [[Sir Robert Cecil]], the [[Earl of Salisbury]] (son of William, Lord Burleigh), who later became Lord Treasurer of England under [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth]], and married Elizabeth, sister of Henry, Lord Cobham.{{citation needed|date=February 2007}} |
|||
[[Gilbert de Glanvill]], Bishop of Rochester, in 1190, early during the reign of [[Richard]] I founded a hospital in Strood, east of the church,<ref name=Coulson/> which was afterwards called the Newark or Stroud Hospital, the Yoke or North Yoke being a mall manor in Strood. Newark Hospital was important in raising the profile of Strood, however there was constant concern about it financial management, and rivalry between it and the Rochester Priory. The location of the former Newark Hospital is now mainly a car park behind the high street. The 19th century railway embankment cuts across the old hospital site at the back of the carpark. Strood market is now held on this part of the land. |
|||
In 1554 [[Thomas Wyatt the younger|Thomas Wyatt]] of [[Allington, Kent|Allington]] on hearing that [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] intended to [[wedding of Mary I of England and Philip of Spain|marry a Catholic]] gathered an army with the [[Wyatt's rebellion|intention of marching on London]]. He took Rochester Castle and the bridge. According to Marsh there was to have been a battle at Strood,{{sfn|Marsh|1976}} but the Queen's men, stationed on Strood Hill, deserted.<ref>Alfred Pollard, [https://archive.org/details/tudortracts00polliala/page/228/mode/2up ''Tudor Tracts'' (London, 1903), pp. 229–230]</ref> However, Coulson records that Wyatt defeated the Duke of Norfolk and seized six cannon. Wyatt then marched on Cooling Castle.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} The rebellion fizzled out, and Wyatt was executed, along with the captain of the deserters. |
|||
===The Parish of Strood=== |
|||
In 1193, Strood became a parish. It was run by the monks of Newark Hospital, and had its own burial grounds.<ref name=Coulson/> Corruption in the finances of the Newark Hospital set in and worsened until reforms were put in place formally in 1330 by the bishop of Rochester Hamo de Hethe.(no attrib).In 1291 there was an affray at Newark Hospital between the Monks of Strood and the locals from Frindsbury.<ref name=barnard/> |
|||
The parish accounts begin in 1555. Following the accession and marriage of [[Mary I of England|Queen Mary]] (known as "Bloody" Mary) the country reconverted to Roman Catholicism and a considerable sum was spent re-converting the church. However just nine years later in 1565 a further five-year period of refurbishment was required to convert the church back to Protestant usage following the accession of [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]].{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} The parish registers start from this date. Possibly mindful of the changes, the churchwardens waited until 1574 before going to St. Dunstan's Fair in Rochester to sell "a cross and other relics of Roman superstition, formerly used in Strood Church".{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} |
|||
===Commerce=== |
|||
1264 [[Simon de Montfort]] laid siege to [[Rochester Castle]] from the Strood Side. In the action the wooden bridge was destroyed by fire.<ref name=Coulson/> |
|||
{{Quote box |
|||
1293 The Strood Quay and wharf was built by Bishop de Glanville. Rents went to Newark Hospital, ships used this wharf as the one at Rochester was in disrepair. The bridge continued to be out of use, so ferries had to be used. In 1309, a harsh winter, the bridge was damaged by ice.<ref name=Coulson/> |
|||
| quote = |
|||
To the Honour of God.<br /> |
|||
and for the Benefit of the Poor.<br /> |
|||
of this Parish, This House was.<br /> |
|||
Built with Mr. Watt's Charity.<br /> |
|||
A.D. 1671 in which the Sick and.<br /> |
|||
Aged are taken care of; ye Ignorant.<br /> |
|||
instructed, Such as are Able to.<br /> |
|||
Work Imployed, & a Comfortable.<br /> |
|||
Maintenance Provided for All.. |
|||
Go and do Thou Likewise. |
|||
1387 a stone bridge was built by [[John de Cobham]] and [[Sir Robert Knolles]].<ref name=Coulson/> |
|||
''Inscription above Strood workhouse'' |
|||
1460 [[Edward IV]] appointed a mayor of Rochester with jurisdiction over part of Strood.<ref name=Coulson/> |
|||
| align = left |
|||
| qalign = center |
|||
}} |
|||
In the 1672 the parishes of St. Margaret's, Rochester and St Nicholas, Strood jointly applied to the [[Court of Chancery]] for a ruling which was decided in their favour to extend the area over which [[Richard Watts Charities|Watts charities]] could operate.{{sfn|Hinkley|1979|p=14}} The parish of Strood utilised some of the money to provide a workhouse for the poor.{{sfn|Hinkley|1979|p=104}} Above the door was set a stone slab which is now displayed in the Guildhall Museum, Rochester. The text is reproduced alongside. |
|||
In 1769, under authority of the [[Paving, etc., of London Act 1768]], a [[tollgate]] was erected at The Angel Inn on North Street in Strood, to pay for improvements to the parish. Hasted, in his study of Kent (1778–99), said Strood's inhabitants were chiefly seafaring or fishermen, and engaged in dredging oysters.{{sfn|Hasted|1797|pp=546–560}} |
|||
===Tudor Times=== |
|||
===Nineteenth century=== |
|||
Strood was owned by the Rochester monastery from the 18th year of [[Edward III]]'s reign until the dissolution under [[Henry VIII]], after which time as part of the Hundred of Sharnel(Shamwell) which included [[Cobham, Kent|Cobham]], it was passed to George Brooke, Lord Cobham. |
|||
Between 1804 and 1824 the Thames and Medway canal was dug. See below, under ''Transport'' for more details. |
|||
===Twentieth century=== |
|||
His grandson Henry Brooke lost his estates to [[James I]] in 1603 through a false charge of [[treason]], although he escaped with his life.(no attrib) |
|||
The ancient City of Rochester merged with the borough of [[Chatham, Medway|Chatham]] and part of the [[Strood Rural District]] in 1974<ref>{{cite web | url=https://cityark.medway.gov.uk/Details/archive/110024803 | title=Medway Council Heritage Services catalogues | Details }}</ref> to form the Borough of Medway, later renamed the City of Rochester-upon-Medway. In 1998 another merger with the rest of the Medway Towns created the Medway [[unitary authority]]. |
|||
===Twenty-first century=== |
|||
The manor thereafter was granted to [[Sir Robert Cecil]], the [[Earl of Salisbury]] (son of William, Lord Burleigh), who later became Lord Treasurer of England under [[Queen Elizabeth]], and married Elizabeth, sister of Henry, Lord Cobham.(no attrib) |
|||
21st century Strood has seen significant growth, due to its proximity to London and cheaper housing. Although Strood is a town in its own right with a population in 2019 estimated at 40,000, it is also officially a suburb of Rochester, albeit a very large suburb. Strangely, Strood the suburb is more heavily populated than its post town Rochester on the east side of the River Medway, the total population being around 68,000. |
|||
==Geography== |
|||
1526 is the first mention of the Angel Inn.<ref name=Coulson/> |
|||
Strood lies on the edge of marshy land alongside the [[River Medway]]. The chalk hills of the [[North Downs]] have been breached at this point, forming a river cliff rising to 100 ft directly behind.{{sfn|Smetham|1899|pp=4, 348}} |
|||
==Strood Fair== |
|||
1554 [[Thomas Wyatt]] of [[Allington]], heard that the queen intended to marry a Catholic and gathered an army with intention of marching to London. He took Rochester Castle and The Bridge. There was to have been a battle at Strood, but the Queens men deserted. The rebellion fizzled out and Wyatt was executed along with captain of the deserters. <ref name=marsh>Marsh, A History of Rochester,1976, Medway Borough Council</ref> |
|||
An annual fair was instituted in 1206 during the seventh year of King John's reign to the priory of Rochester, to be held on 26 August, which continued well into the 18th Century, according to [[Edward Hasted|Hasted]], the Kent historian. It was traditionally held over three days, and associated with Christian celebration of the [[Assumption of Mary|Assumption]] (15 August). The [[Strood Fair]]<!-- rm link is no article written--> was held regularly into the 1970s. The land used for the Strood Fair was sandwiched between Grange Road and Station Road, adjacent to [[Strood railway station]]. It was for many years part of a dairy farm, though by the 1970s the farm building had been turned into a motor repair business. The fair ground was passed on to the people who ran the Strood Fair. It was then used by them to stay through the winter months. |
|||
The land is still occupied as winter quarters by the Showman's Guild with its running costs supported by an annual fair on the site. In June 2007, the motor repair building was demolished to be replaced by flats. Today's market is held on a Tuesday and Saturday, and a boot fair is held on a Sunday. |
|||
[[Image:StroodCrispin8591.JPG |400px|right|thumb| |
|||
The ''Crispin and Crispianus'' is typical of the shiplapped houses that were in Strood on the higher ground. It stands between Gun Lane and the railway, on the A2 London Road.]] |
|||
===18th Century=== |
|||
==Newark Hospital== |
|||
In 1769, under authority of the 1768 [[Paving Act]], a [[tollgate]]s were erected at The Angel Inn, Strood and to pay for improvements to the parish was instituted on the Watling Street leading to Rochester bridge into the old city. |
|||
[[Gilbert Glanvill|Gilbert de Glanvill]], Bishop of Rochester, in 1190, early during the reign of [[Richard I of England|Richard I]] founded a hospital in Strood, east of the church,{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} which was afterwards called the Newark or Stroud Hospital. Newark Hospital was important in raising the profile of Strood, however there was constant concern about its financial management, and the rivalry between it and the Rochester Priory.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/kent/vol2/pp228-229 | title=Hospitals: Strood | British History Online }}</ref> In 1539, under [[King Henry VIII]], the hospital was under the control of the Dean and Chapter of Rochester.<ref>[[William Henry Ireland]] {{google books|NQ0HAAAAQAAJ|England's topographer, or A new and complete history of the county of Kent (1830)|page=261}}</ref> |
|||
Near the church, some time after the Newark hospital had been replaced, a workhouse was built, funded by the Watts charity in 1721.(no attrib) |
|||
The location of the former Newark Hospital is now mainly a car park behind Strood High Street. The 19th century railway embankment carrying the [[Chatham Main Line]] cuts across the back of the old hospital site. Strood Market was held on part of this land, but was relocated to make way for a food store, [[Aldi]]. An archaeological dig of the site was done in the 1970s. |
|||
Hasted, in his study of Kent (1778-99), said Strood's inhabitants were chiefly seafaring or fishermen, and engaged in dredging oysters. <ref name=Hasted>Hasted, Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, 1778-99. Two vols.</ref> |
|||
== |
==Politics== |
||
In 1891 the [[civil parish]] had a population of 7982.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10227057/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Strood CP/AP through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=21 April 2024}}</ref> On 30 September 1894 the parish was abolished and split, the part in Rochester Municipal Borough becoming [[Strood Extra]] and the [[rural district|rural]] part becoming [[Strood Intra]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/strood.html|title=Strood Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=21 April 2024}}</ref> It is now in the [[unparished area]] of Rochester. |
|||
An annual fair was instituted in 1206 during the seventh year of King John's reign to the priory of Rochester, to be held on [[26 August]], which continued well into the 18th century, according to [[Hasted]], the Kent historian. It was traditionally held over three days, and associated with Christian celebration of the [[Assumption]] ([[15 August]]). Strood fair was held regularly into the 1970s. The land used for the fair was sandwiched between Grange Road and Station Road. It was for many years part of a dairy farm, though by the 1970s the farm building had been turned into a motor repair business. The fair ground was passed on to the people who ran the fair. It was then used by them to stay through the winter months. Gradually the number or fairs held on the land dwindled. (Note from contibutor: ''I remember as a boy in the 1970s being able to openly play on the land when the fair was not in town. I lived in Grange Road, so it was a convienient playgound for me. When the land passed hands to the fair people, they walled it off from the locals.'')(no attrib) |
|||
===Strood Rural District=== |
|||
Today's market is held on a Tuesday, and Saturday, and a boot fair is held on a Sunday, so this tradition continues, in some fashion, to this day. No significant market or festival is held in Strood in August in 2006, however.(no attrib) |
|||
[[Strood Rural District]] was a local government district of Kent from 1894 to 1974. It did not include Strood itself (which formed part of Rochester) and covered a wide area. The offices of Strood Rural District Council were in Frindsbury, Strood; they are now a nursing home called Frindsbury Hall. |
|||
==Canals, Railways, Bridges and Stations== |
|||
[[Image:1863 Strood.jpg|400px|right|thumb| |
|||
Here we see how Strood was indeed the ''marshy place'', see the undrained land between the railway, and Frindsbury Hill, the creeks behind the Civic Centre and the lack of houses.]] |
|||
The [[Thames and Medway Canal]] was to pass through a deep cutting but the cutting was abandoned and a tunnel dug instead. It was 2.5 miles long the canal was 8ft deep with 27ft headroom and 26ft 6in wide, to take 94ft long, 60ton [[Thames Barge]]s. It had a 5ft tow path its entire length. Spoil from the tunnel was used to infill the marshland between St Mary's Church Strood and the River Medway. It opened [[4 October]] 1824. |
|||
===Strood representation=== |
|||
The Frindsbury basin could handle vessels to 300 tons. A steam pump was installed here to keep the canal topped up. Commercially the venture was a failure, because |
|||
Strood is part of the [[Rochester and Strood (UK Parliament constituency)|parliamentary constituency of Rochester and Strood]]. |
|||
Local government was consolidated in the late 1990s into a single tier with the creation of Medway Council. |
|||
* Tolls were high to recoup the cost |
|||
* Entry to the basins could only occur at high tides, making it quicker to sail the 47 miles round the Isle of Grain |
|||
* The effect of the railways |
|||
==Economy== |
|||
The tunnel was sold for 310,000 to the [[South Eastern Railway]], c1845 who filled in the canal and laid a double track. The railway terminated at Strood with passengers taking a steamer or coaches to reach Rochester or [[Chatham, Medway|Chatham]], the station completed [[10 February]] 1856, was opposite The Railway Tavern. More recently it was called the Old Terminus. |
|||
===Engineering=== |
|||
[[File:Aveling&Porter Strood RoadRoller.jpg|thumb|A Strood-built road roller, standing in the grounds of the former Aveling and Porter factory in 1993]] |
|||
Small enterprises were formed to service [[Chatham Dockyard]]. |
|||
[[Joseph Collis]] started as a retail ironmonger in 1777. By 1865 he was a wholesaler specialising in zinc, iron, tinplate and locksmithery. By 1870, he and his partner Stace took over the Pelican Foundry and manufactured structural ironwork, toilet cisterns and manhole covers.{{sfn|Austin|2006}} |
|||
[[Aveling and Porter|Thomas Aveling]] built his traction engines at the [[Invicta Works]] next to [[Rochester Bridge]] from 1861. Later the works were acquired the Collis and Stace's Pelican Foundry. Avelings were noted for excellent employment practices, and made their premises available for meetings of co-operative and radical societies. Avelings in turn became [[Wingets]] factory,{{sfn|Austin|2006}} then the [[Rochester-upon-Medway]] Civic Centre which passed to [[Medway|Medway Council]]. |
|||
[[Short Brothers|Shorts]], the [[seaplane]] manufacturer, used a yard on the Strood side for construction of the airframes of [[Felixstowe F.3|F3]] and [[Felixstowe F.5|F5]] flying boats.{{sfn|Austin|2006}} |
|||
Other employers were [[Hobourn-Eaton]], [[Kent Alloys]], Fishers and the Co-operative bakery.{{sfn|Austin|2006}} |
|||
===Retail=== |
|||
[[File:Strood Retail Park - geograph.org.uk - 714444.jpg|thumb|Strood Retail Park]] |
|||
[[Settlement geography]] tells us that a bridging point becomes a [[route centre]] and a [[trading centre]].{{sfn|Barcelona Field Studies Centre|2017}} Being a [[lowest bridging point]] of a critical prehistoric military route compounds the problem. Towns had to built above the flood plain at a pinch point and flat land on the Rochester side of the river was needed for a walled town with castle and cathedral, in effect sterilising the land that side of the river from future major development. The land was locked by the construction of the [[London, Chatham and Dover Railway|London, Chatham and Dover railway]] in an embankment and arches. Small shops grew up around "The Angel" in Strood forming the town centre. Further small rows were built within the housing along Gun Lane and at Darnley Road. |
|||
By 2005 Strood was served by two supermarkets. [[Tesco]] acquired and demolished Temple Street and bought the freehold of all the other plots on the block for future expansion. [[Safeway (UK)|Safeway]] in the High Street built on the site of small firms and the Budden and Biggs Brewery. Following the takeover by [[Morrisons]] the store was closed with a new, larger, site built at the far side of Jane's Creek. The town centre store lay empty until autumn 2008 when it was redeveloped by the marginal supermarket retailer [[Netto (store)|Netto]] and discount chain [[Wilko (retailer)|Wilko]] (the Netto store has since been remodelled as an [[Asda]] following a buyout). |
|||
[[Tesco]] planned for a brand new store to be built on its acquired land in February 2013, but after a national policy change in March 2013 it announced that it would focus on smaller Express stores.{{sfn|Bloom|2013}} The Tesco Store was to include a community hub and library which would be for Medway Council and would have replaced the annex at the previous Civic Centre site in Strood.{{sfn|Bloom|2013}} |
|||
An [[Aldi]] supermarket also opened on land opposite the Angel Corner (the former site of Strood Market) in November 2012,{{sfn|McGuinness|2012}} three years later than originally planned – with locals opposed to the Tuesday and Saturday markets being relocated to the Commercial Road car park. |
|||
Strood Retail Park has grown to include [[Next (clothing)|Next]], [[Argos (retailer)|Argos]], [[Poundworld]], [[Carpet Right]], [[Matalan]] and [[KFC]].{{sfn|Hornor|2013}} The nature of the offer reflects the market's interpretation of the local economy. |
|||
The [[Poundland]] store opened in the Retail Park in February 2015 in the former Paul Simons store.{{sfn|Horn|2015}}{{sfn|Medway News|2015}} Poundworld went into administration on 11 June 2018 though administrators are hoping for a rescue package.<ref>{{cite news |title=Poundworld in administration |url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-business/county-news/poundworld-in-administration-184406/ |access-date=13 June 2018 |work=Kent Online |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612213946/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-business/county-news/poundworld-in-administration-184406/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
|||
In March 2015 It was announced that [[B&Q]] would be replaced with a gym, cafe and three shops.{{sfn|Massey|2015}}{{sfn|Forster|2015}}{{sfn|Horn|2016}} |
|||
In January 2016 It was announced that [[Brantano]] would close due to going into administration.{{sfn|Cox|2016a}} The store subsequently closed on 22 March 2016. |
|||
A [[Poundworld]] store opened in the Retail Park in May 2016 in the former [[Brantano]] store.{{sfn|Cox|2016b}} |
|||
In early 2017 it was announced that an [[M&S Foodhall]],{{sfn|Jordan|2017}} [[B & M|B&M]]{{sfn|Jordan|2017b}} and a [[Maplin Electronics|Maplin]]{{sfn|Jordan|2017}} would open at the former B&Q site. It was then later announced in July 2017 that [[Starbucks Coffee]] would be opening amongst the new retail units on Strood Retail Park.{{sfn|Cox|2017c}} |
|||
In February 2018 It was announced that [[Maplin Electronics|Maplin]] would close due to going into administration.{{sfn|KentOnline|2018}} |
|||
In June 2018 Following a £15 million loan,{{sfn|Jahshan|2018}} it was announced that Carpetright was to restructure its Kent stores with the Strood store closing{{sfn|Couchman|2018}} and everything being transferred to the Gillingham store.{{efn|As of 13 June there is a notice in the window stating the store is closed and that the nearest store is in Gillingham.}} |
|||
Strood's retail centre serves the villages out to the Isle of Grain and Rochester, as the town has six major supermarkets at its heart (Aldi, Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Iceland, M&S Food Hall), as well as a plethora of smaller shops and units. |
|||
==Transport== |
|||
[[File:1863 Strood.jpg|thumb|1863 Map of Strood and Frindsbury: note the undrained land between the railway and Frindsbury Hill, the creeks behind the Civic Centre and the lack of houses.]] |
|||
[[File:1909 Strood.jpg|thumb|1909 Map of Strood and Frindsbury: note the growth in houses. There is no separation between Strood and Frindsbury, an extra church in Frindsbury parish to accommodate the new houses, and note also how Jane's Creek has been developed; later this will be back filled to provide land for retail.]] |
|||
[[File:Strood Station 5842.JPG|thumb|A [[British Rail Class 466]] unit and a [[British Rail Class 395]] unit at [[Strood railway station]]]] |
|||
===River=== |
|||
Transport in Strood was dominated by the river. From the earliest times river transport used Strood, but before the coming of the Romans the area was marshy and not well populated. Once Strood started to be filled in various boatyards and ship repair businesses started up both on the river and in the creeks which drain the marshes. |
|||
===Road=== |
|||
Although Strood must have lain on ancient tracks, the coming of the Romans started to fix the road pattern. The lowest bridging point of the River Medway is between Strood and Rochester, and the first bridge was built soon after the [[Battle of the Medway]]. This road from Dover via Longdon towards north Wales became known as Watling Street and forms two of the major highways of the Kingdom. The section from Dover to London became the A2 trunk road. |
|||
The 20th century has seen a major expansion in road transport and the consequent building of the M2 motorway. The route roughly parallels the old A2 and has necessitated the building of two high level bridges in Strood to the south of the town. |
|||
Beyond the M2 is the M20 motorway leading to the south of London and accessible by major roads from Strood. |
|||
Strood is on [[National Cycle Route 1]]. |
|||
===Canal=== |
|||
{{main|Thames and Medway Canal}} |
|||
The Thames and Medway Canal was dug between 1804 and 1824 to provide a safe route between the rivers Medway and Thames. Barges were able to avoid the long passage into the Thames estuary and around the Isle of Grain. At the Strood end the canal was entered through a lock into Frindsbury basin and then entered a tunnel. It opened 4 October 1824. |
|||
The canal was {{convert|8|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=mid|deep}} with {{convert|27|ft|m|adj=on}} headroom and {{convert|26|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} wide, to take {{convert|94|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}}, 60-ton [[Thames sailing barge|Thames Barges]]. It had a {{convert|5|ft|m|adj=on}} tow path its entire length. Spoil from the tunnel was used to infill the marshland between St Mary's Church Strood and the [[River Medway]]. Frindsbury Basin could handle vessels to 300 tons. A steam pump was installed there to keep the canal topped up. |
|||
Commercially the venture was a failure, because tolls were high to recoup the cost, entry to the basins could only occur at high tides (making it quicker to sail the {{convert|47|mi}} round the Isle of Grain). With the end of the Napoleonic wars the military justification had also been removed. |
|||
In 1844 A single line railway was laid through the tunnel, part on the towpath and part on a timber structure over the canal. The canal was sold in 1845 to the [[South Eastern Railway (UK)|South Eastern Railway]] (SER), who filled in the canal within the tunnel and laid a double track (see [[North Kent Line]]). |
|||
===Rail=== |
|||
{{See also|Template:Medway area RDT|l1=Medway Towns railway map}} |
|||
The South Eastern Railway terminated at Strood, with passengers taking a steamer or coaches to reach Rochester or [[Chatham, Medway|Chatham]]. The station, completed 10 February 1856, was opposite The Railway Tavern. More recently it was called the Old Terminus. |
|||
On 18 June 1856, the line was extended along the river bank to Maidstone, and Strood Station we see today, was opened (see [[Medway Valley Line]]). Also in 1856 the new road bridge over the Medway was opened,{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1994}} in its present position, back where the Roman bridge had been. In 1857 the mediaeval bridge was demolished the stone being used to build the Strood Esplanade in 1858.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} In 1860 the SER built the Strood pier. |
|||
The East Kent Railway had permission to run a line from [[Faversham]] to Chatham,and intended to connect with the South Eastern Railway at Strood. When negotiations failed, the East Kent, now called the [[London Chatham and Dover]], linked with the Mid Kent Co. at Bromley. The built a bridge over the Medway (1853) and taking their line to the North of the Angel, over Gun Lane, and Watling Street then south to [[Cuxton]] where it followed the Bush Valley and hence to Sole Street. The London Chatham and Dover built a |
The [[East Kent Railway]] had permission to run a line from [[Faversham]] to Chatham, and intended to connect with the South Eastern Railway at Strood. When negotiations failed, the East Kent, now called the [[London Chatham and Dover]] (LCDR), linked with the Mid Kent Co. at Bromley (see [[Chatham Main Line]]). The East Kent Railway built a bridge over the Medway (1853) and taking their line to the North of the Angel, over Gun Lane, and Watling Street then south to [[Cuxton]] where it followed the Bush Valley and hence to Sole Street. The London Chatham and Dover built a station on the A2, adjacent to Canal Road, this was called |
||
*Strood Station, when it was built, then |
*Strood Station, when it was built, then |
||
*Rochester Bridge Station,1 April 1861 |
*Rochester Bridge Station,1 April 1861 |
||
*Rochester & Strood, |
*Rochester & Strood, 1 November 1861 |
||
*Rochester Bridge (Strood), 1862 |
*Rochester Bridge (Strood), 1862 |
||
*Rochester Bridge, 1905 |
*Rochester Bridge, 1905 |
||
The South Eastern |
The South Eastern Railway retaliated by building a parallel bridge (after 1866 and before 1909) and running a separate line into Chatham.{{sfn|Mitchell|Smith|1994}} To do this the Watermill was demolished and the Mill Pond filled in. Over the pond was built an Oil and Seed Mill with its own sidings. |
||
There was a loop between the lines at Strood, opened |
There was a loop between the lines at Strood, opened 29 March 1859 which closed in 1860. In 1875 Mayor N. E. Toomer forced the two companies to reopen the loop, now nicknamed Toomers Loop. The service resumed 1 April 1877. |
||
The SER and LCDR effectively merged on 1 January 1899 to form the [[South Eastern and Chatham Railway]]. Subsequent rationalisation saw the closure of the SER branch to Chatham, and the closure of the LCDR Strood station. The SER bridge over the Medway was retained for the Chatham Main Line, and the LCDR bridge was abandoned (its piers were later used for the second road bridge). The link between the two lines was used to run services from the Chatham line onto the North Kent Line. |
|||
The line of LCD Railway was changed to align with the stronger SER Bridge, releasing the old bridge to be used as an additional road carriage way. |
|||
For the current railway station see [[Strood railway station]]. |
|||
==Industry== |
|||
===The River and the Strood Basin=== |
|||
All Strood below the Angel was built on marshland which was fed by small creeks, these were excavated to make usable jetties and wharf. Two such creeks are well known, Janes Creek which once extended back to the Cricketers Inn, and Temple Creek. Joining Janes Creek, at a right angle was Pelican Creek which has been infilled and now forms a carpark and the foundations of B&Q. Strood frequently flooded and the area around Temple St (now a car park and Tesco's) was known as the 'Swamp'. |
|||
[[Image:Strood JanesCreek Dark.JPG |400px|right|thumb| |
|||
All that remains of Jane's Creek in 2006.]] |
|||
===Floods=== |
|||
*1158 |
|||
*1235 |
|||
*1309 |
|||
*1682 |
|||
*1735 |
|||
*1791 |
|||
*1854 |
|||
*1874 |
|||
*1987 |
|||
*1953 |
|||
*1968 |
|||
*1979<ref name=place/> |
|||
===Barge Building=== |
|||
William Curel was Medways oldest establish barge builder, he has two yards on the Strood bank, the Curel's Upper Yard was adjacent to the Railway Tavern. In 1900 Gill and Son took over the yard, and it became a sail loft.<ref name=bridge>John K. Austin, Yesterdays Medway from Rochester Bridge to Chatham Intra,2006 Rainmore Books ISBN 0-9553903-0-3</ref> |
|||
==River and the Strood Basin== |
|||
===The Tidal Mill=== |
|||
[[File:Strood JanesCreek Dark.JPG|thumb|The remains of Jane's Creek in 2006]] |
|||
When the tide was rising, water flowed into the mill pond driving the mill, when the tide was falling, water flowed back into the river, driving the mill. |
|||
All Strood below The Angel Inn, on North Street, near Strood Post Office, was built on marshland which was fed by small creeks, these were excavated to make usable jetties and wharf. Two such creeks are well known, Janes Creek which once extended back to the Cricketers Inn, and Temple Creek. Joining Janes Creek, at a right angle was Pelican Creek which has been in-filled and now forms a car park and the foundations of [[B & M]]. Strood frequently flooded and the area around Temple Street (now a car park and a Tesco) was known as the 'Swamp'. |
|||
===Windmills=== |
|||
1860 The Strood Hill Mill was demolished- it now forms part of the Cedars Hotel. |
|||
Significant floods were recorded in Strood in the years 1158, 1235, 1309, 1682, 1735, 1791, 1854, 1874, 1887, 1953, 1968 and 1979.{{sfn|Coulson|Collins|1982}} <!-- More research needs to be done to record each of the floods, which are also recorded on Matthews work on Strood RDC for Stoke, Kent.--> |
|||
1875 Fields Mill on Broom Hill burnt down |
|||
William Curel was Medway's oldest established [[Thames sailing barge|barge builder]], with two yards on the Strood bank. The Curel's Upper Yard was next to the Railway Tavern. In 1900 Gill and Son took over the yard, and it became a sail loft.{{sfn|Austin|2006}} |
|||
===Engineering=== |
|||
[[HM Dockyard Chatham ]] had always been a centre of new technology, and high standards of workmanship. Numerous small enterprises were formed to service the dockyard and by dockyard trained staff. |
|||
==Mills== |
|||
[[Joseph Collis]] started as a retail ironmonger in 1777, by 1865 he was a wholesaler specialising zinc, iron, tinplate and locksmithery. By 1870, he and his partner Stace took over the Pelican Foundry and manufactured structural ironwork, toilet cisterns and manhole covers.<ref name=bridge/> |
|||
There was a [[windmill]] on Strood Hill,<ref>{{cite book | url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-the-windmills-opposite-rochester-r1184498 | isbn=9781849763868 | title=The Windmills opposite Rochester c.1821–2 by Joseph Mallord William Turner | date=26 February 2017 | last1=(Gallery) | first1=Tate Britain }}</ref> two on Broom Hill<ref>{{cite web | url=https://apps.medway.gov.uk/apps/medwayimages/details.asp?pg=2&pga=10&searchtype=&search=strood | title=MALSC - Medway images search details }}</ref> and five in neighbouring Frindsbury. |
|||
* The Strood Hill Mill was a [[smock mill]] that was demolished in 1860. It was unsuitably sited, and suffered from variable winds The site now forms part of the Cedars Hotel. |
|||
* Killicks Mill on Broom Hill cap was blown off for the second time in 1880. It was replaced and worked again for a year in 1890 but was unprofitable and was probably demolished in the 1920s. It had six sides rather than the usual eight. |
|||
* Fields Mill on Broom Hill burnt down in 1875.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://apps.medway.gov.uk/apps/medwayimages/details.asp?pg=2&pga=10&searchtype=&search=strood | title=MALSC - Medway images search details }}</ref> In Dickens' times, the Miller was a Mr Clark, but the owner was Mr Field. Mr Field was an amateur musician, who kept a piano, a harp and a barrel organ in his sitting room. It is said that the organ was bought from Loose Church, and so fixed that the power from the mill turned the organ's handle. Dickens would visit the mill on his walks, and listen to the organ music.{{sfn|ColesFinch|1976}} |
|||
The Frindsbury Mills. |
|||
[[Thomas Aveling]] built his traction engines at the [[Invicta Works]] next to [[Rochester Bridge]] in 1861. Later they acquired the Collis and Stace foundry-the Pelican Foundry. Avelings were important for their excellent employment practices, and made their premises available for meetings of cooperative and radical societies. Avelings in turn became [[Wingets]] factory<ref name=bridge/>, then the [[Rochester-upon-Medway]] Civic Centre which passed to [[Medway Council]]. |
|||
* The oldest was a ''tripod – or [[post mill]]''. It was called the Quarry Mill and was 100 yards south east of the church. Destroyed in 1850. |
|||
The other four mills were all owned by Mr Kimmins. |
|||
* On Prospect Hill there were two mills. The first was called Manwaring Mill, or Little Mill. It was a black tarred ''smock mill'', and it drove four sets of stones. Little Mill was struck by lightning and demolished in 1886. |
|||
* Also on Prospect Hill was Great Mill or Rose's Mill. It was the highest in Kent with 40 feet by nine feet sweeps. Together the two mills produced 400 sacks of flour a week. Great Mill was demolished in 1890. |
|||
* Kimmin's Mill on Frindsbury Hill was a smock mill with no base. The land became a brick field. A man was killed by its sweeps. |
|||
* House Mill, also known as Kimmins Mill or Frindsbury Mill, stood on Frindsbury hill and was a black smock mill. It was demolished in 1931.{{sfn|ColesFinch|1976}} |
|||
There was a [[tidemill]]. When the tide was rising, water flowed into the mill pond driving a mill, when the tide was falling, water flowed back into the river, driving the mill. |
|||
[[Short's]] the [[seaplane]] manufacturer, used a yard on the Strood side for construction of the airframes of F3 and F5 flying boats.<ref name=bridge/> |
|||
==Horticulture== |
|||
Other employers were [[Hobourn-Eaton]], [[Kent Alloys]], Fishers and the Co-operative bakery.<ref name=bridge/> |
|||
The [[damson]] cultivar 'Farleigh Damson'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Prunus insititia'' 'Farleigh Damson'|url=http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1536|access-date=29 May 2013|archive-date=4 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104175430/http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1536|url-status=dead}}</ref> has gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]]. |
|||
*'Farleigh Damson' ([[Synonym (taxonomy)|syn.]] 'Crittenden's Prolific', 'Strood Cluster') is named after the village of [[East Farleigh]] in [[Kent]], where it was raised by James Crittenden in the early 19th century. An 1871 letter to the ''Journal of horticulture and practical gardening'' claimed that the original seedling had been found by a Mr. Herbert, the tenant of a market garden in Strood, who had given it to Crittenden.<ref name=rivers>Letter from [[Thomas Rivers (nurseryman)|Thomas Rivers]], ''Journal of horticulture and practical gardening'', Volume 20, (1871), 349</ref> It has small, roundish, black fruit, with a blue bloom, and is a very heavy bearer.<ref name=hyams48>Hyams and Jackson, ''The orchard and fruit garden: a new pomona of hardy and sub-tropical fruits'', Longmans, 1961, p.48</ref> Its heavy cropping led to it being widely planted in England. |
|||
==Retail== |
|||
The area round The Angel was the tradition area for small shops. Further small rows were built within the housing, along Gun Lane, at Darnley Road etc. In 2005, Strood was served by two supermarkets,[[Tesco's]] being built over the demolished Temple Street, and [[Safeways]] being on the High Street, being built over many small firms and the Budden and Biggs Brewery. Following the recent takeover by [[Morrisons]], this has closed and lies empty, a new store being built the far side of Jane's Creek. There is thus no major food shop or magnet store on the High Street. |
|||
[[Image:1909 Strood.jpg|400px|right|thumb| |
|||
See the growth in houses- there is no separation between Strood and Frindsbury, an extra church in Frindsbury parish to accommodate the new houses, and see how Janes's Creek has been developed. Later this will be back filled to provide land for retail.]] |
|||
==Housing== |
==Housing== |
||
[[File:MedwayGate9989.JPG|thumb|right|Work progresses on the foundations of the first houses in the Medway Gate Housing Development.]] |
|||
The area of Strood around Knight's Place and Temple Street, was referred to as the Swamp. On the floods Smetham wrote in 1899 ''in that woebegone spot the foul contents of water closets were washed into poor peoples homes, and an indescribable filth permeated the fetid spot for months''<ref name=bridge/><ref name=history>Henry Smetham, History of Strood, 1899.</ref> |
|||
[[File:A and P Building 11.jpg|thumb|The former Edwardian Aveling & Porter building March 2010]] |
|||
In 1912 there was a [[typhoid]] outbreak here, 56 people contracted it, 5 died. |
|||
The area of Strood around Knight's Place and Temple Street, was referred to as the Swamp. On the floods Smetham wrote in 1899 ''in that woebegone spot the foul contents of water closets were washed into poor peoples homes, and an indescribable filth permeated the fetid spot for months''.{{sfn|Austin|2006}}{{sfn|Smetham|1899}} In 1912 there was a [[typhoid]] outbreak here, 56 people contracted it, and five died. |
|||
In the 1880s, there was a major expansion of houses. [[Terraced |
In the 1880s, there was a major expansion of houses. [[Terraced house]]s were built on the hill, closing the gap between Strood and Frindsbury. The land around St Mary's, now drained and close to the station was used. There was a mix of house sizes, from the large detached to the small terraces that opened on the street. They were all built in local yellow brick, with detailing in reds. |
||
Following World War I, the city built 19 houses in Steele St, and 73 on Frindsbury Hill (Murray Road). Following World War II, under the [[Housing (Financial and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1946]], and the [[Housing Subsidies Act 1956]] the city continued to build, including the triangle between the A228, Watling Street and the M2.{{sfn|Marsh|1976}} |
|||
After |
|||
With continuing population growth and pressure from commuters, more and more land has been developed by the private sector. By 2000, the riverside by the station had been developed. Kingswear Gardens off Canal Road is a social housing estate. Kingswear Gardens is a high crime area,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hunt|first1=Keith|title=Drug dealer Sampson Obasusi, of Kingswear Gardens, Strood, jailed for almost seven years|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/jail-for-drug-dealer-who-119222/|access-date=1 May 2018|work=kentonline.co.uk|date=20 January 2017|archive-date=2 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502065753/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/jail-for-drug-dealer-who-119222/|url-status=live}}</ref> and is prone to flooding.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Horn|first1=Jenni|title=People in Medway able to return home after flood warning for Kent|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/families-told-to-leave-their-9885/|access-date=1 May 2018|work=kentonline.co.uk|date=5 December 2013|archive-date=2 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502065405/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/families-told-to-leave-their-9885/|url-status=live}}</ref> The chalkpit by the A228 at Merral's Shaw now has 400 dwellings on it, in spite of the massive infrastructure work needed, (roads and landscaping) this development is called Medway Gate.<ref>{{cite news|title=Persimmon reaches 75 per cent Medway Gate milestone|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/persimmon-reaches-75-per-cent-me-a83247/|access-date=1 May 2018|work=kentonline.co.uk|date=25 August 2010|archive-date=2 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502065322/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/persimmon-reaches-75-per-cent-me-a83247/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, plans were in existence to build over the Temple Marsh. Up to 620 homes are planned to be built and up to 12,300 sq metres of mixed-use employment and retail floorspace to develop. Now renamed as 'Temple Waterfront'.<ref>{{cite news|title=Video: Temple Waterfront regeneration scheme unveiled|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/video-temple-waterfront-regener-a52488/|access-date=1 May 2018|work=kentonline.co.uk|date=7 April 2009|archive-date=2 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502140022/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/video-temple-waterfront-regener-a52488/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
|||
There are concerns for the architectural heritage in the area. A sad loss of an Edwardian gem occurred in 2010 when Medway Council demolished the Aveling & Porter building to make way for a car park.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.savebritainsheritage.org/news/item/125/Bulldozers-Move-in-on-Stroods-Edwardian-Gem | title=Bulldozers Move in on Strood's Edwardian Gem }}</ref> |
|||
==Education== |
|||
''For a full list of schools serving Strood see [[List of schools in Medway]].'' |
|||
[[Strood Academy]] is the only secondary school in Strood. For secondary education, many pupils from Strood attend schools in neighbouring towns. |
|||
==Churches== |
==Churches== |
||
[[File:St. Nicholas Church, Strood - geograph.org.uk - 1044614.jpg|thumb|Grade II listed St Nicholas church, Strood]] [[File:Strood Methodist Church.JPG|thumb|Front elevation of Strood Methodist Church]] [[File:Plaque outsie Strood Methodist Church.JPG|thumb|Plaque recording the use of the church as an auxiliary hospital during the Great War 1914–1918]] |
|||
* St Nicholas' |
|||
The parish church for Strood is St Nicholas College Yard Strood which is Grade II listed building.{{sfn|Historic England|1086418}} St Mary's (notionally Frindsbury) was opened by [[Thomas Legh Claughton|Bishop Claughton]] in 1869 as a chapel of ease. It has subsequently closed as an Anglican church but has been taken over by the New Testament Church of God.{{sfn|Historic England|1121550}} The other Anglican church in the area is St Francis. |
|||
* St Mary's church Frindsbury was opened by [[Thomas Legh Claughton|Bishop Claughton]] in 1869 |
|||
* Zoar Chapel 1782- Protestant dissenters. |
|||
* Wesleyan Methodist Jubilee Church Stonehorse Lane (now Cliffe Road) |
|||
There is an historic Catholic church. English Martyrs Church was rebuilt in 1964 in the brutalist style. In recent years it has been featured in articles and books as an early example of this style used for a Catholic church. |
|||
==Strood Rural District== |
|||
[[Strood Rural District]] was a local government district of Kent from 1894 to 1974. It did not include Strood itself (which formed part of Rochester) and covered a wide area. |
|||
The Methodist church in Stonehouse Lane has undergone two changes of name. First the road name changed to Cliffe Road and then the church changed from "Jubilee" to "Peninsular".<ref>Notice board outside main door</ref> During the First World War the church was lent to the St John's Voluntary Aid Department as an auxiliary hospital.<ref>Bronze plaque affixed to the front wall</ref> |
|||
==People== |
|||
Protestant dissenters founded the Zoar chapel in 1782. There is a Gospel Mission Evangelical church in Brompton Lane and an Evangelical church in Darnley Road. |
|||
Anne Pratt, the botanist, was born at Strood. She wrote several books in the 19th century covering a wide range of botanical subjects. She was so well respected for her knowledge of wild flowers that she was granted an allowance from the Civil List. A portrait of her was placed in the Rochester museum.(no attrib) |
|||
==Media== |
|||
[[Charles Roach Smith]] d 1890- notable amateur archaeologist. |
|||
Regional local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC South East]] and [[ITV Meridian]]. Television signals are received from the [[Bluebell Hill transmitting station|Bluebell Hill]] TV transmitter. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Bluebell_Hill|title=Full Freeview on the Bluebell Hill (Medway, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=27 September 2023}}</ref> |
|||
Local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Kent]] on 96.7 FM, [[Heart South]] on 103.1 FM, [[Gold (British radio network)|Gold Radio]] on 1242 AM and [[KMFM Medway]] which broadcast from its studios in the town on 100.4 FM. <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dartford.gov.uk/community-safety/local-radio-stations-kent-medway |title=Local radio stations for Kent and Medway |access-date=27 September 2023}}</ref> |
|||
The model and television presenter [[Kelly Brook]] is also from this Kentish town.(no attrib) |
|||
The town is served by these local newspapers: |
|||
==Visits== |
|||
* Medway Messenger <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-se/medway-messenger/|title=Medway Messenger|date=30 March 2014|website=British Papers|accessdate=27 September 2023}}</ref> |
|||
1165 [[Thomas Becket]] - the story of cutting off the tail of his Horse. |
|||
* Medway Times <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.medwaytimes.co.uk/ |title=Medway Times |access-date=27 September 2023}}</ref> |
|||
* [[KOS Media|yourmedway]] |
|||
==Sport and leisure== |
|||
1527 [[Cardinal Wolsey]]'s men stayed overnight in Strood. He stayed in Rochester. |
|||
[[Non-League football]] club [[Rochester United F.C.]], formerly Bly Spartans, plays at Bly Spartans Sports Ground in Strood. The club is in the [[Southern Counties East Football League|Kent League]], at level nine of the [[English football league system]]. Gillingham FC, in EFL's League One is the local professional team, being located approximately three miles from central Strood. Strood boasts an impressive Sports Centre, complete with astroturf floodlit football pitches. |
|||
1772 [[Hogarth]] visited and made his way ''Merrily to Frendsbury''. |
|||
==People== |
|||
1871 Ex-Emperor [[Napoleon III]] and [[Empress Eugene]] waited in the garden of the Railway Tavern for the Steamboat. |
|||
* [[Lucy Ann Brooks]] (1835-1926), the temperance advocate, was born in Strood. She was a co-founder and president of the [[Women's Total Abstinence Union]].<ref name="Cherrington-1925">{{cite book |last1=Cherrington |first1=Ernest Hurst |title=Standard Encyclopedia of the Alcohol Problem |date=1925 |publisher=American Issue Publishing Company |page=432 |volume=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/standardencyclop01cher/page/432 |via=Internet Archive |access-date=22 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref> |
|||
* [[Isaac Newell]] (Strood, 24 April 1853 – [[Rosario]], Argentina, 16 October 1907) a teacher and a pioneer of football in Argentina. He was the founder of the Colegio Comercial Anglicano Argentino and the founder of Argentinean football club [[Newell's Old Boys]], which is named in his honour. This club is considered the sixth most important team of Argentina. |
|||
[[File:AnnePrattColumbineLarkspur.JPG|right|thumb|An illustration of flowers including Columbine and larkspur by Anne Pratt]] |
|||
* [[Anne Pratt]] (1806–1893), the botanist, was born in Strood. She wrote several books in the 19th century covering a wide range of botanical subjects. She was so well respected for her knowledge of wild flowers that she was granted an allowance from the Civil List. A portrait of her was placed in the Rochester museum. Her most famous work is ''The flowering plants, grasses, sedges, and ferns of Great Britain and their allies the club mosses, pepperworts, and horsetails''. London: Frederick Warne and Co.{{sfn|Pratt|1855}} |
|||
* [[Charles Roach Smith]] (1806–1890) notable amateur archaeologist, died in Strood. He was born at [[Shanklin]], Isle of Wight, the youngest of 10 children. In 1826 he moved to London, and established his own business as a chemist in 1834. In 1876 he and his sister bought Temple Place in Cuxton Road, Strood, and some adjoining horticultural land. In London he made the first collection of Roman coins from London excavations which was bought by the British Museum. He subsequently pioneered 'urban site observation' and his 'Illustrations of Roman London '(1859) remained the principal work on the subject until 1909. He pioneered the statistic study of Roman coin hoards. He was elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (1836), London Numismatic Society (1837) and was founder member of the British Archaeological Association (1843).{{sfn|Rhodes|2004}} After his death, four streets in Strood were named in his honour, Charles Street, Smith Street, Roach Street and Antiquarian Street. Three of these still exist in the vicinity of the Tesco supermarket with Antiquarian Street being demolished and the area now being under the Tesco car park. |
|||
==See also== |
|||
*[[Gillingham, Kent|Gillingham]] |
|||
*[[Listed buildings in Frindsbury]] |
|||
*[[Rainham, Kent|Rainham]] |
|||
{{portal|England}} |
|||
==Trivia== |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
<!-- '''Footnotes''' |
|||
{{notelist|notes=}} --> |
|||
'''Citations''' |
|||
{{reflist}} |
|||
'''Bibliography''' |
|||
{{Refbegin}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Austin |
|||
| first = John K. |
|||
| title = Yesterday's Medway from Rochester Bridge to Chatham Intra |
|||
| year = 2006 |
|||
| publisher = Rainmore Books |
|||
| isbn = 978-0-9553903-0-2 |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| author = Barcelona Field Studies Centre |
|||
| title = Urban Geography Glossary |
|||
| year = 2017 |
|||
| url = http://geographyfieldwork.com/urban_geography_glossary.htm |
|||
| website = Barcelona Field Studies Centre |
|||
| publisher = geographyfieldwork.com |
|||
| access-date = 19 June 2017 |
|||
| archive-date = 27 June 2017 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170627050911/http://geographyfieldwork.com/urban_geography_glossary.htm |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Barnard |
|||
| first = Derek |
|||
| title = Merrily to Frendsbury-A History of the Parish of Frindsbury |
|||
| publisher = City of Rochester Society |
|||
| year = 1994 |
|||
}} (publication date is approximate) |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| author = BBC |
|||
| title = Fire damages historic Charles Dickens pub |
|||
| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-12886802 |
|||
| date = 28 March 2011 |
|||
| work = BBC News |
|||
| access-date = 10 January 2015 |
|||
| archive-date = 25 September 2015 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150925233636/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-12886802 |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Bloom |
|||
| first = Dan |
|||
| year = 2013 |
|||
| title = Tesco pull out of Strood hub deal |
|||
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/tesco-pull-out-of-strood-hub-dea-a55332 |
|||
| publisher = Kent Online |
|||
| access-date = 10 January 2015 |
|||
| archive-date = 31 October 2014 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141031165456/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/tesco-pull-out-of-strood-hub-dea-a55332/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = ColesFinch |
|||
| first = William |
|||
| year = 1976 |
|||
| orig-year = First published by C.W.Daniel in 1933 |
|||
| title = Windmills and Watermills |
|||
| publisher = Arthur J. Cassell |
|||
| isbn = 978-0-903253-02-4 |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| first1 = Richard Lewis Harrison |
|||
| last1 = Coulson |
|||
| last2 = Collins |
|||
| first2 = L.M. |
|||
| title = A Chronology of Strood to 1899 |
|||
| year = 1982 |
|||
| publisher = Kent County Libraries |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Cox |
|||
| first = Lynn |
|||
| title = Shoe shop's closure news shocks staff in Strood as Brantano Footwear goes into administration |
|||
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/store-in-strood-to-close-70020/ |
|||
| year = 2016a |
|||
| publisher = Kent Online |
|||
| access-date = 29 January 2016 |
|||
| archive-date = 6 February 2016 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160206010016/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/store-in-strood-to-close-70020/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Cox |
|||
| first = Lynn |
|||
| title = Poundworld store opens at Strood Retail Park – opposite a branch of Poundland |
|||
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/new-jobs-at-discount-store-96502/ |
|||
| year = 2016b |
|||
| publisher = Kent Online |
|||
| access-date = 26 May 2016 |
|||
| archive-date = 26 May 2016 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160526161457/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/new-jobs-at-discount-store-96502/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Forest |
|||
| first = Ebenezer |
|||
| title = Hogarth's Frolic |
|||
| year = 1772 |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Forster |
|||
| first = Ellen |
|||
| title = Strood retail park plans given go ahead |
|||
| url = https://bdaily.co.uk/environment/06-03-2015/strood-retail-park-given-go-ahead/ |
|||
| year = 2015 |
|||
| publisher = Bdaily |
|||
| access-date = 9 March 2015 |
|||
| archive-date = 2 April 2015 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101750/https://bdaily.co.uk/environment/06-03-2015/strood-retail-park-given-go-ahead/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Glover |
|||
| first = Judith |
|||
| year = 1992 |
|||
| title = Placenames of Kent |
|||
| isbn = 978-0-905270-61-6 |
|||
| orig-year = 1976, 1982 |
|||
| publisher = Meresborough Books |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Hasted |
|||
| first = Edward |
|||
| year = 1797 |
|||
| url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62879 |
|||
| title = Stroud |
|||
| publisher = British History Online |
|||
| access-date = 10 January 2015 |
|||
| work = The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent |
|||
| volume = III |
|||
| archive-date = 1 November 2014 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141101055520/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62879 |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Hinkley |
|||
| first = E.J.F. |
|||
| title = A History of the Richard Watts Charity |
|||
| publisher = Richard Watts and the City of Rochester Almshouse Charities |
|||
| location = Rochester |
|||
| year = 1979 |
|||
| isbn = 978-0-905418-76-6 |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{National Heritage List for England |
|||
| num = 1086418 |
|||
| desc = Former Parish Church of St Nicholas, with day centre |
|||
| access-date = 10 January 2015 |
|||
| grade=II |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{National Heritage List for England |
|||
| num = 1121550 |
|||
| desc = Parish Church of St Mary, Vicarage Road |
|||
| access-date = 15 November 2016 |
|||
| grade=II |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{National Heritage List for England |
|||
| num = 1336171 |
|||
| desc = Crispin and Crispianus Public House |
|||
| access-date = 10 January 2015 |
|||
| grade = II |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Horn |
|||
| first = Jenni |
|||
| title = Strood to get huge Poundland store in old Paul Simon premises |
|||
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/poundland-to-open-huge-new-31059/ |
|||
| year = 2015 |
|||
| publisher = Kent Online |
|||
| access-date = 9 March 2015 |
|||
| archive-date = 2 April 2015 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402125346/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/poundland-to-open-huge-new-31059/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Horn |
|||
| first = Jenni |
|||
| title = B&Q store at Strood Retail Park shuts ahead of plans for new shops, cafe and The Gym Group 24-hour gym |
|||
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/stores-closes-its-door-48893/ |
|||
| year = 2016 |
|||
| publisher = Kent Online |
|||
| access-date = 13 January 2016 |
|||
| archive-date = 31 January 2016 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160131175933/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/stores-closes-its-door-48893/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
|last = Hornor |
|||
|first = Tim |
|||
|date = 26 April 2013 |
|||
|title = Strood Retail Park |
|||
|url = http://completelyretail.co.uk/media/scheme/4744/CR_RW_4744_Strood_Retail_Park_Strood_brochure_2.pdf |
|||
|publisher = completelyretail |
|||
|access-date = 11 January 2015 |
|||
|url-status = dead |
|||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131004223818/http://completelyretail.co.uk/media/scheme/4744/CR_RW_4744_Strood_Retail_Park_Strood_brochure_2.pdf |
|||
|archive-date = 4 October 2013 |
|||
|df = dmy-all |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Jordan |
|||
| first = Nicola |
|||
| title = New M&S Foodhall for Medway |
|||
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/ms-planned-for-new-shops-120898/ |
|||
| year = 2017 |
|||
| publisher = Kent Online |
|||
| access-date = 16 June 2017 |
|||
| archive-date = 24 February 2017 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170224141224/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/ms-planned-for-new-shops-120898/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Jordan |
|||
| first = Nicola |
|||
| title = M&S Foodhall and B&M opening at Strood Retail Park and Peacocks opening at Dockside Outlet Centre |
|||
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/business-boom-bringing-diversity-to-127736/ |
|||
| year = 2017b |
|||
| publisher = Kent Online |
|||
| access-date = 23 June 2017 |
|||
| archive-date = 23 June 2017 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170623133104/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/business-boom-bringing-diversity-to-127736/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Cox |
|||
| first = Lynn |
|||
| title = Starbucks, the American coffee giant, will soon be opened at Strood Retail Park |
|||
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/starbucks-opening-at-retail-park-128867/ |
|||
| year = 2017c |
|||
| publisher = Kent Online |
|||
| access-date = 6 August 2017 |
|||
| archive-date = 7 August 2017 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170807032530/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/starbucks-opening-at-retail-park-128867/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| author = KentOnline |
|||
| title = Jobs at risk as Maplin enters administration |
|||
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/jobs-at-risk-as-maplin-160801/ |
|||
| year = 2018 |
|||
| publisher = Kent Online |
|||
| access-date = 28 February 2018 |
|||
| archive-date = 28 February 2018 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180228123026/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/jobs-at-risk-as-maplin-160801/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Jahshan |
|||
| first = Elias |
|||
| title = Carpetright secures £60m equity raise for CVA |
|||
| url = https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2018/06/carpetright-secures/ |
|||
| year = 2018 |
|||
| publisher = Retail Gazette |
|||
| access-date = 6 June 2018 |
|||
| archive-date = 13 June 2018 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180613184017/https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2018/06/carpetright-secures/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Couchman |
|||
| first = Adele |
|||
| title = Kent Carpetright stores are set to close and put dozens of jobs at risk |
|||
| url = https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/kent-carpetright-stores-set-close-1447595 |
|||
| year = 2018 |
|||
| publisher = Kentlive |
|||
| access-date = 12 April 2018 |
|||
| archive-date = 13 June 2018 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180613184446/https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/kent-carpetright-stores-set-close-1447595 |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
<references/> |
|||
| url = http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/23/schedule/1 |
|||
| title = Lieutenancies Act 1997 |
|||
| work = legislation.gov.uk |
|||
| year = 2012 |
|||
| access-date = 10 January 2015 |
|||
| ref = CITEREFLieutenancies_Act1997 |
|||
| archive-date = 8 October 2020 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201008071721/https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/23/schedule/1 |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Marsh |
|||
| title = A History of Rochester |
|||
| year = 1976 |
|||
| publisher = Medway Borough Council |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Massey |
|||
| first = Lizzie |
|||
| title = Strood Retail Park plans approved |
|||
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/retail-park-plans-approved-32931/ |
|||
| year = 2015 |
|||
| publisher = Kent Online |
|||
| access-date = 9 March 2015 |
|||
| archive-date = 8 March 2015 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150308223023/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/retail-park-plans-approved-32931/ |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = McGuinness |
|||
| first = Alan |
|||
| title = Aldi to open in Strood |
|||
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway_messenger/news/2012/november/21/aldi_to_open_in_strood.aspx |
|||
| publisher = Kent Online |
|||
| date = 21 November 2012 |
|||
| access-date = 11 January 2015 |
|||
| archive-date = 4 October 2013 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131004230910/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway_messenger/news/2012/november/21/aldi_to_open_in_strood.aspx |
|||
| url-status = live |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| author = Medway Archives and Local Studies Centre |
|||
| title = Medway Council – Local history: Medway in the 20th century 1901 – 2000 |
|||
| date = 9 March 2009 |
|||
| url = http://www.medway.gov.uk/index/leisure/localhistory/timeline/17909.htm |
|||
| access-date = 10 January 2015 |
|||
| url-status = unfit |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090309021853/http://www.medway.gov.uk/index/leisure/localhistory/timeline/17909.htm |
|||
| archive-date = 9 March 2009 |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| author = Medway News |
|||
| title = Poundland set to open in Strood |
|||
| url = http://www.maidstoneandmedwaynews.co.uk/Poundland-set-open-Strood/story-25949770-detail/story.html |
|||
| date = 30 January 2015 |
|||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402093654/http://www.maidstoneandmedwaynews.co.uk/Poundland-set-open-Strood/story-25949770-detail/story.html |
|||
| archive-date = 2 April 2015 |
|||
| publisher = Maidstone and Medway News |
|||
| access-date = 9 March 2015 |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last1 = Mitchell |
|||
| first1 = Vic |
|||
| last2 = Smith |
|||
| first2 = Keith |
|||
| title = Southern Main Lines Dartford to Sittingbourne |
|||
| year = 1994 |
|||
| publisher = Middleton Press |
|||
| isbn = 978-1-873793-34-3 |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
|last = Pratt |
|||
|first = Anne |
|||
|year = 1855 |
|||
|title = The flowering plants, grasses, sedges, and ferns of Great Britain and their allies the club mosses, pepperworts, and horsetails |
|||
|url = http://192.104.39.88/item/43934#page/1/mode/1up |
|||
|publisher = Frederick Warne and Co. |
|||
|place = London |
|||
|url-status = dead |
|||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150112015616/http://192.104.39.88/item/43934#page/1/mode/1up |
|||
|archive-date = 12 January 2015 |
|||
|df = dmy-all |
|||
}} 5 vols 1855 – 1866. A sixth volume was added in 1873, on the grasses sedges and ferns. |
|||
* {{Cite ODNB |
|||
| last = Rhodes |
|||
| first = Michael |
|||
| year = 2004 |
|||
| id = 25789 |
|||
| title = Smith, Charles Roach (1806–1890) |
|||
| url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25789 |
|||
| access-date = 11 January 2015 |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Room |
|||
| first = Adrian |
|||
| year = 1988 |
|||
| title = Dictionary of Place Names |
|||
| isbn = 978-0-747501-70-1 |
|||
| publisher = Bloomsbury |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{Citation |
|||
| last = Smetham |
|||
| first = Henry |
|||
| title = History of Strood |
|||
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SIIuAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA348 |
|||
| year = 1899 |
|||
| publisher = Parrett & Neves |
|||
| access-date = 10 January 2015 |
|||
}} |
|||
{{Refend}} |
|||
'''Notes''' |
|||
[[Category:Medway]] |
|||
{{notelist}} |
|||
[[Category:Towns in Kent]] |
|||
==External links== |
|||
[[nl:Strood]] |
|||
{{Commons category|Strood}} |
|||
{{Wikivoyage}} |
|||
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100329110819/http://www.medway.gov.uk/medwayimages/ Archive Images] |
|||
{{Medway}} |
|||
{{Kent}} |
|||
{{authority control}} |
|||
[[Category:Towns in Kent]] |
|||
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Kent]] |
|||
[[Category:Rochester, Kent]] |
Revision as of 20:15, 21 April 2024
Strood | |
---|---|
Town | |
![]() High Street, Strood | |
Location within Kent | |
Population | 40,000 |
OS grid reference | TQ725695 |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ROCHESTER |
Postcode district | ME2 |
Dialling code | 01634 |
Police | Kent |
Fire | Kent |
Ambulance | South East Coast |
UK Parliament | |
Strood is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in Kent, South East England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rochester, Gillingham and Rainham. It lies on the northwest bank of the River Medway at its lowest bridging point.
Strood began as a manor then chapelry of Frindsbury until gaining its own parish status in 1193. Today Frindsbury is effectively, in all but a few associations such as in the Church of England, the northern part of Strood. Strood's history has been dominated by the river and facing port-associated towns, particularly its road and rail bridges since the Roman era to Rochester and the two other Medway Towns immediately adjoining and beyond from the north-east quarter of Kent to London and the rest of Britain. It has a mixed retail and leisure area at its heart. Most of its sources of employment are the other Medway towns, their associated commercial, industrial and logistics parks.
Among its broadest named neighbourhoods are the "Earl estate" and Marlowe Park, one named after a house builder, the other after the grounds of a former mansion house.
History
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Medway_Valley_Leisure_Park_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1226876.jpg/220px-Medway_Valley_Leisure_Park_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1226876.jpg)
Pre-conquest
Strood was part of Frindsbury until 1193. It was named Strodes in the Textus Roffensis, now kept in Strood in the Medway Archives Centre, though most early records use the spelling Stroud.[3] The Old English name Strōd refers to a "marshy land overgrown with brushwood".[4] The Gloucestershire town of Stroud has the same etymology.[5]
The Romans built a stone bridge and laid a road on a causeway across the marshy ground.[6] The foundations were about 8 ft below the level of the 1856 road. The road went up Strood Hill, and was called Watling Street, as it still is today. This is the A2 road. There is further evidence of a causewayed road leading along the bank towards the Frindsbury Peninsula leading to a villa, was found in 1819.[7] The present road and field pattern suggest that there was a substantial Roman agricultural settlement centred near Frindsbury.[7]
In 764 AD Offa King of Mercia and Sigered King of Kent granted to Eardulph lands in Easlingham (Frindsbury).[6] In 840, 994, and 998 AD Strood was pillaged by the Danes.[6] In 960 AD a wooden bridge was built across the Medway.[6]
Medieval
A small wooden church was erected at Strood in 1122, as a chapel of ease in the parish of Frindsbury.[6] Land was granted in 1160 to the Knights Templar by King Henry II. The Manor House was used as a Lodging House.[6]
In 1193, Strood became a parish. It was run by the monks of Newark Hospital, and had its own burial grounds.[6] In 1291 there was an affray at Newark Hospital between the Monks of Strood and the locals from Frindsbury.[7]
In 1264 Simon de Montfort laid siege to Rochester Castle from the Strood Side. In the action the wooden bridge was destroyed by fire.[6] After Simon's death a heavy fine was levied on Strood because he had stayed there during the siege.[6] The Strood Quay and Strood Wharf had been built by Bishop de Glanville with rents going to Newark Hospital. In 1293 the Rochester wharf was in such disrepair that ships had to use the Strood facilities, however as the bridge was out of use, ferries had to be used to cross the river.[6] In 1309, a harsh winter, the bridge was damaged by ice.[6] In 1312 the Knight's Templar were suppressed and the Manor of Strood passed into private hands briefly before being passed on to the Abbess and Sisters Minorites of St. Clare of Denney in Cambridgeshire.[6] In 1387 a stone bridge was built by John de Cobham and Robert Knolles.[6] In 1460 Edward IV appointed a mayor of Rochester with jurisdiction over Strood river frontage and the houses there.[6]
Early Modern
Strood was owned by the Rochester monastery from the 18th year of Edward III's reign until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, after which time as part of the Hundred of Sharnel (Shamwell) which included Cobham, it was passed to George Brooke, Lord Cobham. His grandson Henry Brooke lost his estates to James I in 1603 through a false charge of treason, although he escaped with his life.[citation needed] The Temple Manor thereafter was granted to Sir Robert Cecil, the Earl of Salisbury (son of William, Lord Burleigh), who later became Lord Treasurer of England under Queen Elizabeth, and married Elizabeth, sister of Henry, Lord Cobham.[citation needed]
In 1554 Thomas Wyatt of Allington on hearing that Mary I intended to marry a Catholic gathered an army with the intention of marching on London. He took Rochester Castle and the bridge. According to Marsh there was to have been a battle at Strood,[8] but the Queen's men, stationed on Strood Hill, deserted.[9] However, Coulson records that Wyatt defeated the Duke of Norfolk and seized six cannon. Wyatt then marched on Cooling Castle.[6] The rebellion fizzled out, and Wyatt was executed, along with the captain of the deserters.
The parish accounts begin in 1555. Following the accession and marriage of Queen Mary (known as "Bloody" Mary) the country reconverted to Roman Catholicism and a considerable sum was spent re-converting the church. However just nine years later in 1565 a further five-year period of refurbishment was required to convert the church back to Protestant usage following the accession of Queen Elizabeth I.[6] The parish registers start from this date. Possibly mindful of the changes, the churchwardens waited until 1574 before going to St. Dunstan's Fair in Rochester to sell "a cross and other relics of Roman superstition, formerly used in Strood Church".[6]
To the Honour of God.
and for the Benefit of the Poor.
of this Parish, This House was.
Built with Mr. Watt's Charity.
A.D. 1671 in which the Sick and.
Aged are taken care of; ye Ignorant.
instructed, Such as are Able to.
Work Imployed, & a Comfortable.
Maintenance Provided for All..Go and do Thou Likewise.
Inscription above Strood workhouse
In the 1672 the parishes of St. Margaret's, Rochester and St Nicholas, Strood jointly applied to the Court of Chancery for a ruling which was decided in their favour to extend the area over which Watts charities could operate.[10] The parish of Strood utilised some of the money to provide a workhouse for the poor.[11] Above the door was set a stone slab which is now displayed in the Guildhall Museum, Rochester. The text is reproduced alongside.
In 1769, under authority of the Paving, etc., of London Act 1768, a tollgate was erected at The Angel Inn on North Street in Strood, to pay for improvements to the parish. Hasted, in his study of Kent (1778–99), said Strood's inhabitants were chiefly seafaring or fishermen, and engaged in dredging oysters.[3]
Nineteenth century
Between 1804 and 1824 the Thames and Medway canal was dug. See below, under Transport for more details.
Twentieth century
The ancient City of Rochester merged with the borough of Chatham and part of the Strood Rural District in 1974[12] to form the Borough of Medway, later renamed the City of Rochester-upon-Medway. In 1998 another merger with the rest of the Medway Towns created the Medway unitary authority.
Twenty-first century
21st century Strood has seen significant growth, due to its proximity to London and cheaper housing. Although Strood is a town in its own right with a population in 2019 estimated at 40,000, it is also officially a suburb of Rochester, albeit a very large suburb. Strangely, Strood the suburb is more heavily populated than its post town Rochester on the east side of the River Medway, the total population being around 68,000.
Geography
Strood lies on the edge of marshy land alongside the River Medway. The chalk hills of the North Downs have been breached at this point, forming a river cliff rising to 100 ft directly behind.[13]
Strood Fair
An annual fair was instituted in 1206 during the seventh year of King John's reign to the priory of Rochester, to be held on 26 August, which continued well into the 18th Century, according to Hasted, the Kent historian. It was traditionally held over three days, and associated with Christian celebration of the Assumption (15 August). The Strood Fair was held regularly into the 1970s. The land used for the Strood Fair was sandwiched between Grange Road and Station Road, adjacent to Strood railway station. It was for many years part of a dairy farm, though by the 1970s the farm building had been turned into a motor repair business. The fair ground was passed on to the people who ran the Strood Fair. It was then used by them to stay through the winter months.
The land is still occupied as winter quarters by the Showman's Guild with its running costs supported by an annual fair on the site. In June 2007, the motor repair building was demolished to be replaced by flats. Today's market is held on a Tuesday and Saturday, and a boot fair is held on a Sunday.
Newark Hospital
Gilbert de Glanvill, Bishop of Rochester, in 1190, early during the reign of Richard I founded a hospital in Strood, east of the church,[6] which was afterwards called the Newark or Stroud Hospital. Newark Hospital was important in raising the profile of Strood, however there was constant concern about its financial management, and the rivalry between it and the Rochester Priory.[14] In 1539, under King Henry VIII, the hospital was under the control of the Dean and Chapter of Rochester.[15]
The location of the former Newark Hospital is now mainly a car park behind Strood High Street. The 19th century railway embankment carrying the Chatham Main Line cuts across the back of the old hospital site. Strood Market was held on part of this land, but was relocated to make way for a food store, Aldi. An archaeological dig of the site was done in the 1970s.
Politics
In 1891 the civil parish had a population of 7982.[16] On 30 September 1894 the parish was abolished and split, the part in Rochester Municipal Borough becoming Strood Extra and the rural part becoming Strood Intra.[17] It is now in the unparished area of Rochester.
Strood Rural District
Strood Rural District was a local government district of Kent from 1894 to 1974. It did not include Strood itself (which formed part of Rochester) and covered a wide area. The offices of Strood Rural District Council were in Frindsbury, Strood; they are now a nursing home called Frindsbury Hall.
Strood representation
Strood is part of the parliamentary constituency of Rochester and Strood.
Local government was consolidated in the late 1990s into a single tier with the creation of Medway Council.
Economy
Engineering
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Aveling%26Porter_Strood_RoadRoller.jpg/220px-Aveling%26Porter_Strood_RoadRoller.jpg)
Small enterprises were formed to service Chatham Dockyard.
Joseph Collis started as a retail ironmonger in 1777. By 1865 he was a wholesaler specialising in zinc, iron, tinplate and locksmithery. By 1870, he and his partner Stace took over the Pelican Foundry and manufactured structural ironwork, toilet cisterns and manhole covers.[18] Thomas Aveling built his traction engines at the Invicta Works next to Rochester Bridge from 1861. Later the works were acquired the Collis and Stace's Pelican Foundry. Avelings were noted for excellent employment practices, and made their premises available for meetings of co-operative and radical societies. Avelings in turn became Wingets factory,[18] then the Rochester-upon-Medway Civic Centre which passed to Medway Council.
Shorts, the seaplane manufacturer, used a yard on the Strood side for construction of the airframes of F3 and F5 flying boats.[18]
Other employers were Hobourn-Eaton, Kent Alloys, Fishers and the Co-operative bakery.[18]
Retail
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Strood_Retail_Park_-_geograph.org.uk_-_714444.jpg/220px-Strood_Retail_Park_-_geograph.org.uk_-_714444.jpg)
Settlement geography tells us that a bridging point becomes a route centre and a trading centre.[19] Being a lowest bridging point of a critical prehistoric military route compounds the problem. Towns had to built above the flood plain at a pinch point and flat land on the Rochester side of the river was needed for a walled town with castle and cathedral, in effect sterilising the land that side of the river from future major development. The land was locked by the construction of the London, Chatham and Dover railway in an embankment and arches. Small shops grew up around "The Angel" in Strood forming the town centre. Further small rows were built within the housing along Gun Lane and at Darnley Road.
By 2005 Strood was served by two supermarkets. Tesco acquired and demolished Temple Street and bought the freehold of all the other plots on the block for future expansion. Safeway in the High Street built on the site of small firms and the Budden and Biggs Brewery. Following the takeover by Morrisons the store was closed with a new, larger, site built at the far side of Jane's Creek. The town centre store lay empty until autumn 2008 when it was redeveloped by the marginal supermarket retailer Netto and discount chain Wilko (the Netto store has since been remodelled as an Asda following a buyout).
Tesco planned for a brand new store to be built on its acquired land in February 2013, but after a national policy change in March 2013 it announced that it would focus on smaller Express stores.[20] The Tesco Store was to include a community hub and library which would be for Medway Council and would have replaced the annex at the previous Civic Centre site in Strood.[20]
An Aldi supermarket also opened on land opposite the Angel Corner (the former site of Strood Market) in November 2012,[21] three years later than originally planned – with locals opposed to the Tuesday and Saturday markets being relocated to the Commercial Road car park.
Strood Retail Park has grown to include Next, Argos, Poundworld, Carpet Right, Matalan and KFC.[22] The nature of the offer reflects the market's interpretation of the local economy.
The Poundland store opened in the Retail Park in February 2015 in the former Paul Simons store.[23][24] Poundworld went into administration on 11 June 2018 though administrators are hoping for a rescue package.[25]
In March 2015 It was announced that B&Q would be replaced with a gym, cafe and three shops.[26][27][28]
In January 2016 It was announced that Brantano would close due to going into administration.[29] The store subsequently closed on 22 March 2016.
A Poundworld store opened in the Retail Park in May 2016 in the former Brantano store.[30]
In early 2017 it was announced that an M&S Foodhall,[31] B&M[32] and a Maplin[31] would open at the former B&Q site. It was then later announced in July 2017 that Starbucks Coffee would be opening amongst the new retail units on Strood Retail Park.[33]
In February 2018 It was announced that Maplin would close due to going into administration.[34]
In June 2018 Following a £15 million loan,[35] it was announced that Carpetright was to restructure its Kent stores with the Strood store closing[36] and everything being transferred to the Gillingham store.[a]
Strood's retail centre serves the villages out to the Isle of Grain and Rochester, as the town has six major supermarkets at its heart (Aldi, Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Iceland, M&S Food Hall), as well as a plethora of smaller shops and units.
Transport
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/1863_Strood.jpg/220px-1863_Strood.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/1909_Strood.jpg/220px-1909_Strood.jpg)
River
Transport in Strood was dominated by the river. From the earliest times river transport used Strood, but before the coming of the Romans the area was marshy and not well populated. Once Strood started to be filled in various boatyards and ship repair businesses started up both on the river and in the creeks which drain the marshes.
Road
Although Strood must have lain on ancient tracks, the coming of the Romans started to fix the road pattern. The lowest bridging point of the River Medway is between Strood and Rochester, and the first bridge was built soon after the Battle of the Medway. This road from Dover via Longdon towards north Wales became known as Watling Street and forms two of the major highways of the Kingdom. The section from Dover to London became the A2 trunk road.
The 20th century has seen a major expansion in road transport and the consequent building of the M2 motorway. The route roughly parallels the old A2 and has necessitated the building of two high level bridges in Strood to the south of the town.
Beyond the M2 is the M20 motorway leading to the south of London and accessible by major roads from Strood.
Strood is on National Cycle Route 1.
Canal
The Thames and Medway Canal was dug between 1804 and 1824 to provide a safe route between the rivers Medway and Thames. Barges were able to avoid the long passage into the Thames estuary and around the Isle of Grain. At the Strood end the canal was entered through a lock into Frindsbury basin and then entered a tunnel. It opened 4 October 1824.
The canal was 8 ft deep (2.4 m) with 27-foot (8.2 m) headroom and 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) wide, to take 94-foot-long (29 m), 60-ton Thames Barges. It had a 5-foot (1.5 m) tow path its entire length. Spoil from the tunnel was used to infill the marshland between St Mary's Church Strood and the River Medway. Frindsbury Basin could handle vessels to 300 tons. A steam pump was installed there to keep the canal topped up.
Commercially the venture was a failure, because tolls were high to recoup the cost, entry to the basins could only occur at high tides (making it quicker to sail the 47 miles (76 km) round the Isle of Grain). With the end of the Napoleonic wars the military justification had also been removed.
In 1844 A single line railway was laid through the tunnel, part on the towpath and part on a timber structure over the canal. The canal was sold in 1845 to the South Eastern Railway (SER), who filled in the canal within the tunnel and laid a double track (see North Kent Line).
Rail
The South Eastern Railway terminated at Strood, with passengers taking a steamer or coaches to reach Rochester or Chatham. The station, completed 10 February 1856, was opposite The Railway Tavern. More recently it was called the Old Terminus.
On 18 June 1856, the line was extended along the river bank to Maidstone, and Strood Station we see today, was opened (see Medway Valley Line). Also in 1856 the new road bridge over the Medway was opened,[37] in its present position, back where the Roman bridge had been. In 1857 the mediaeval bridge was demolished the stone being used to build the Strood Esplanade in 1858.[6] In 1860 the SER built the Strood pier.
The East Kent Railway had permission to run a line from Faversham to Chatham, and intended to connect with the South Eastern Railway at Strood. When negotiations failed, the East Kent, now called the London Chatham and Dover (LCDR), linked with the Mid Kent Co. at Bromley (see Chatham Main Line). The East Kent Railway built a bridge over the Medway (1853) and taking their line to the North of the Angel, over Gun Lane, and Watling Street then south to Cuxton where it followed the Bush Valley and hence to Sole Street. The London Chatham and Dover built a station on the A2, adjacent to Canal Road, this was called
- Strood Station, when it was built, then
- Rochester Bridge Station,1 April 1861
- Rochester & Strood, 1 November 1861
- Rochester Bridge (Strood), 1862
- Rochester Bridge, 1905
The South Eastern Railway retaliated by building a parallel bridge (after 1866 and before 1909) and running a separate line into Chatham.[37] To do this the Watermill was demolished and the Mill Pond filled in. Over the pond was built an Oil and Seed Mill with its own sidings.
There was a loop between the lines at Strood, opened 29 March 1859 which closed in 1860. In 1875 Mayor N. E. Toomer forced the two companies to reopen the loop, now nicknamed Toomers Loop. The service resumed 1 April 1877.
The SER and LCDR effectively merged on 1 January 1899 to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. Subsequent rationalisation saw the closure of the SER branch to Chatham, and the closure of the LCDR Strood station. The SER bridge over the Medway was retained for the Chatham Main Line, and the LCDR bridge was abandoned (its piers were later used for the second road bridge). The link between the two lines was used to run services from the Chatham line onto the North Kent Line.
For the current railway station see Strood railway station.
River and the Strood Basin
All Strood below The Angel Inn, on North Street, near Strood Post Office, was built on marshland which was fed by small creeks, these were excavated to make usable jetties and wharf. Two such creeks are well known, Janes Creek which once extended back to the Cricketers Inn, and Temple Creek. Joining Janes Creek, at a right angle was Pelican Creek which has been in-filled and now forms a car park and the foundations of B & M. Strood frequently flooded and the area around Temple Street (now a car park and a Tesco) was known as the 'Swamp'.
Significant floods were recorded in Strood in the years 1158, 1235, 1309, 1682, 1735, 1791, 1854, 1874, 1887, 1953, 1968 and 1979.[6]
William Curel was Medway's oldest established barge builder, with two yards on the Strood bank. The Curel's Upper Yard was next to the Railway Tavern. In 1900 Gill and Son took over the yard, and it became a sail loft.[18]
Mills
There was a windmill on Strood Hill,[38] two on Broom Hill[39] and five in neighbouring Frindsbury.
- The Strood Hill Mill was a smock mill that was demolished in 1860. It was unsuitably sited, and suffered from variable winds The site now forms part of the Cedars Hotel.
- Killicks Mill on Broom Hill cap was blown off for the second time in 1880. It was replaced and worked again for a year in 1890 but was unprofitable and was probably demolished in the 1920s. It had six sides rather than the usual eight.
- Fields Mill on Broom Hill burnt down in 1875.[40] In Dickens' times, the Miller was a Mr Clark, but the owner was Mr Field. Mr Field was an amateur musician, who kept a piano, a harp and a barrel organ in his sitting room. It is said that the organ was bought from Loose Church, and so fixed that the power from the mill turned the organ's handle. Dickens would visit the mill on his walks, and listen to the organ music.[41]
The Frindsbury Mills.
- The oldest was a tripod – or post mill. It was called the Quarry Mill and was 100 yards south east of the church. Destroyed in 1850.
The other four mills were all owned by Mr Kimmins.
- On Prospect Hill there were two mills. The first was called Manwaring Mill, or Little Mill. It was a black tarred smock mill, and it drove four sets of stones. Little Mill was struck by lightning and demolished in 1886.
- Also on Prospect Hill was Great Mill or Rose's Mill. It was the highest in Kent with 40 feet by nine feet sweeps. Together the two mills produced 400 sacks of flour a week. Great Mill was demolished in 1890.
- Kimmin's Mill on Frindsbury Hill was a smock mill with no base. The land became a brick field. A man was killed by its sweeps.
- House Mill, also known as Kimmins Mill or Frindsbury Mill, stood on Frindsbury hill and was a black smock mill. It was demolished in 1931.[41]
There was a tidemill. When the tide was rising, water flowed into the mill pond driving a mill, when the tide was falling, water flowed back into the river, driving the mill.
Horticulture
The damson cultivar 'Farleigh Damson'[42] has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
- 'Farleigh Damson' (syn. 'Crittenden's Prolific', 'Strood Cluster') is named after the village of East Farleigh in Kent, where it was raised by James Crittenden in the early 19th century. An 1871 letter to the Journal of horticulture and practical gardening claimed that the original seedling had been found by a Mr. Herbert, the tenant of a market garden in Strood, who had given it to Crittenden.[43] It has small, roundish, black fruit, with a blue bloom, and is a very heavy bearer.[44] Its heavy cropping led to it being widely planted in England.
Housing
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/A_and_P_Building_11.jpg/220px-A_and_P_Building_11.jpg)
The area of Strood around Knight's Place and Temple Street, was referred to as the Swamp. On the floods Smetham wrote in 1899 in that woebegone spot the foul contents of water closets were washed into poor peoples homes, and an indescribable filth permeated the fetid spot for months.[18][45] In 1912 there was a typhoid outbreak here, 56 people contracted it, and five died.
In the 1880s, there was a major expansion of houses. Terraced houses were built on the hill, closing the gap between Strood and Frindsbury. The land around St Mary's, now drained and close to the station was used. There was a mix of house sizes, from the large detached to the small terraces that opened on the street. They were all built in local yellow brick, with detailing in reds.
Following World War I, the city built 19 houses in Steele St, and 73 on Frindsbury Hill (Murray Road). Following World War II, under the Housing (Financial and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1946, and the Housing Subsidies Act 1956 the city continued to build, including the triangle between the A228, Watling Street and the M2.[8]
With continuing population growth and pressure from commuters, more and more land has been developed by the private sector. By 2000, the riverside by the station had been developed. Kingswear Gardens off Canal Road is a social housing estate. Kingswear Gardens is a high crime area,[46] and is prone to flooding.[47] The chalkpit by the A228 at Merral's Shaw now has 400 dwellings on it, in spite of the massive infrastructure work needed, (roads and landscaping) this development is called Medway Gate.[48] In 2009, plans were in existence to build over the Temple Marsh. Up to 620 homes are planned to be built and up to 12,300 sq metres of mixed-use employment and retail floorspace to develop. Now renamed as 'Temple Waterfront'.[49]
There are concerns for the architectural heritage in the area. A sad loss of an Edwardian gem occurred in 2010 when Medway Council demolished the Aveling & Porter building to make way for a car park.[50]
Education
For a full list of schools serving Strood see List of schools in Medway.
Strood Academy is the only secondary school in Strood. For secondary education, many pupils from Strood attend schools in neighbouring towns.
Churches
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/St._Nicholas_Church%2C_Strood_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1044614.jpg/220px-St._Nicholas_Church%2C_Strood_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1044614.jpg)
The parish church for Strood is St Nicholas College Yard Strood which is Grade II listed building.[51] St Mary's (notionally Frindsbury) was opened by Bishop Claughton in 1869 as a chapel of ease. It has subsequently closed as an Anglican church but has been taken over by the New Testament Church of God.[52] The other Anglican church in the area is St Francis.
There is an historic Catholic church. English Martyrs Church was rebuilt in 1964 in the brutalist style. In recent years it has been featured in articles and books as an early example of this style used for a Catholic church.
The Methodist church in Stonehouse Lane has undergone two changes of name. First the road name changed to Cliffe Road and then the church changed from "Jubilee" to "Peninsular".[53] During the First World War the church was lent to the St John's Voluntary Aid Department as an auxiliary hospital.[54]
Protestant dissenters founded the Zoar chapel in 1782. There is a Gospel Mission Evangelical church in Brompton Lane and an Evangelical church in Darnley Road.
Media
Regional local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South East and ITV Meridian. Television signals are received from the Bluebell Hill TV transmitter. [55]
Local radio stations are BBC Radio Kent on 96.7 FM, Heart South on 103.1 FM, Gold Radio on 1242 AM and KMFM Medway which broadcast from its studios in the town on 100.4 FM. [56]
The town is served by these local newspapers:
- Medway Messenger [57]
- Medway Times [58]
- yourmedway
Sport and leisure
Non-League football club Rochester United F.C., formerly Bly Spartans, plays at Bly Spartans Sports Ground in Strood. The club is in the Kent League, at level nine of the English football league system. Gillingham FC, in EFL's League One is the local professional team, being located approximately three miles from central Strood. Strood boasts an impressive Sports Centre, complete with astroturf floodlit football pitches.
People
- Lucy Ann Brooks (1835-1926), the temperance advocate, was born in Strood. She was a co-founder and president of the Women's Total Abstinence Union.[59]
- Isaac Newell (Strood, 24 April 1853 – Rosario, Argentina, 16 October 1907) a teacher and a pioneer of football in Argentina. He was the founder of the Colegio Comercial Anglicano Argentino and the founder of Argentinean football club Newell's Old Boys, which is named in his honour. This club is considered the sixth most important team of Argentina.
- Anne Pratt (1806–1893), the botanist, was born in Strood. She wrote several books in the 19th century covering a wide range of botanical subjects. She was so well respected for her knowledge of wild flowers that she was granted an allowance from the Civil List. A portrait of her was placed in the Rochester museum. Her most famous work is The flowering plants, grasses, sedges, and ferns of Great Britain and their allies the club mosses, pepperworts, and horsetails. London: Frederick Warne and Co.[60]
- Charles Roach Smith (1806–1890) notable amateur archaeologist, died in Strood. He was born at Shanklin, Isle of Wight, the youngest of 10 children. In 1826 he moved to London, and established his own business as a chemist in 1834. In 1876 he and his sister bought Temple Place in Cuxton Road, Strood, and some adjoining horticultural land. In London he made the first collection of Roman coins from London excavations which was bought by the British Museum. He subsequently pioneered 'urban site observation' and his 'Illustrations of Roman London '(1859) remained the principal work on the subject until 1909. He pioneered the statistic study of Roman coin hoards. He was elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (1836), London Numismatic Society (1837) and was founder member of the British Archaeological Association (1843).[61] After his death, four streets in Strood were named in his honour, Charles Street, Smith Street, Roach Street and Antiquarian Street. Three of these still exist in the vicinity of the Tesco supermarket with Antiquarian Street being demolished and the area now being under the Tesco car park.
See also
References
Citations
- ^ BBC 2011.
- ^ Historic England & 1336171.
- ^ a b Hasted 1797, pp. 546–560.
- ^ Glover 1992.
- ^ Room 1988.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Coulson & Collins 1982.
- ^ a b c Barnard 1994.
- ^ a b Marsh 1976.
- ^ Alfred Pollard, Tudor Tracts (London, 1903), pp. 229–230
- ^ Hinkley 1979, p. 14.
- ^ Hinkley 1979, p. 104.
- ^ "Medway Council Heritage Services catalogues | Details".
- ^ Smetham 1899, pp. 4, 348.
- ^ "Hospitals: Strood | British History Online".
- ^ William Henry Ireland England's topographer, or A new and complete history of the county of Kent (1830), p. 261, at Google Books
- ^ "Population statistics Strood CP/AP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Strood Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Austin 2006.
- ^ Barcelona Field Studies Centre 2017.
- ^ a b Bloom 2013.
- ^ McGuinness 2012.
- ^ Hornor 2013.
- ^ Horn 2015.
- ^ Medway News 2015.
- ^ "Poundworld in administration". Kent Online. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ Massey 2015.
- ^ Forster 2015.
- ^ Horn 2016.
- ^ Cox 2016a.
- ^ Cox 2016b.
- ^ a b Jordan 2017.
- ^ Jordan 2017b.
- ^ Cox 2017c.
- ^ KentOnline 2018.
- ^ Jahshan 2018.
- ^ Couchman 2018.
- ^ a b Mitchell & Smith 1994.
- ^ (Gallery), Tate Britain (26 February 2017). The Windmills opposite Rochester c.1821–2 by Joseph Mallord William Turner. ISBN 9781849763868.
- ^ "MALSC - Medway images search details".
- ^ "MALSC - Medway images search details".
- ^ a b ColesFinch 1976.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Prunus insititia 'Farleigh Damson'". Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- ^ Letter from Thomas Rivers, Journal of horticulture and practical gardening, Volume 20, (1871), 349
- ^ Hyams and Jackson, The orchard and fruit garden: a new pomona of hardy and sub-tropical fruits, Longmans, 1961, p.48
- ^ Smetham 1899.
- ^ Hunt, Keith (20 January 2017). "Drug dealer Sampson Obasusi, of Kingswear Gardens, Strood, jailed for almost seven years". kentonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ Horn, Jenni (5 December 2013). "People in Medway able to return home after flood warning for Kent". kentonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ "Persimmon reaches 75 per cent Medway Gate milestone". kentonline.co.uk. 25 August 2010. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ "Video: Temple Waterfront regeneration scheme unveiled". kentonline.co.uk. 7 April 2009. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ "Bulldozers Move in on Strood's Edwardian Gem".
- ^ Historic England & 1086418.
- ^ Historic England & 1121550.
- ^ Notice board outside main door
- ^ Bronze plaque affixed to the front wall
- ^ "Full Freeview on the Bluebell Hill (Medway, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ "Local radio stations for Kent and Medway". Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ "Medway Messenger". British Papers. 30 March 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ "Medway Times". Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ Cherrington, Ernest Hurst (1925). Standard Encyclopedia of the Alcohol Problem. Vol. 1. American Issue Publishing Company. p. 432. Retrieved 22 July 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Pratt 1855.
- ^ Rhodes 2004.
Bibliography
- Austin, John K. (2006), Yesterday's Medway from Rochester Bridge to Chatham Intra, Rainmore Books, ISBN 978-0-9553903-0-2
- Barcelona Field Studies Centre (2017), "Urban Geography Glossary", Barcelona Field Studies Centre, geographyfieldwork.com, archived from the original on 27 June 2017, retrieved 19 June 2017
- Barnard, Derek (1994), Merrily to Frendsbury-A History of the Parish of Frindsbury, City of Rochester Society (publication date is approximate)
- BBC (28 March 2011), "Fire damages historic Charles Dickens pub", BBC News, archived from the original on 25 September 2015, retrieved 10 January 2015
- Bloom, Dan (2013), Tesco pull out of Strood hub deal, Kent Online, archived from the original on 31 October 2014, retrieved 10 January 2015
- ColesFinch, William (1976) [First published by C.W.Daniel in 1933], Windmills and Watermills, Arthur J. Cassell, ISBN 978-0-903253-02-4
- Coulson, Richard Lewis Harrison; Collins, L.M. (1982), A Chronology of Strood to 1899, Kent County Libraries
- Cox, Lynn (2016a), Shoe shop's closure news shocks staff in Strood as Brantano Footwear goes into administration, Kent Online, archived from the original on 6 February 2016, retrieved 29 January 2016
- Cox, Lynn (2016b), Poundworld store opens at Strood Retail Park – opposite a branch of Poundland, Kent Online, archived from the original on 26 May 2016, retrieved 26 May 2016
- Forest, Ebenezer (1772), Hogarth's Frolic
- Forster, Ellen (2015), Strood retail park plans given go ahead, Bdaily, archived from the original on 2 April 2015, retrieved 9 March 2015
- Glover, Judith (1992) [1976, 1982], Placenames of Kent, Meresborough Books, ISBN 978-0-905270-61-6
- Hasted, Edward (1797), "Stroud", The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, vol. III, British History Online, archived from the original on 1 November 2014, retrieved 10 January 2015
- Hinkley, E.J.F. (1979), A History of the Richard Watts Charity, Rochester: Richard Watts and the City of Rochester Almshouse Charities, ISBN 978-0-905418-76-6
- Historic England. "Former Parish Church of St Nicholas, with day centre (Grade II) (1086418)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- Historic England. "Parish Church of St Mary, Vicarage Road (Grade II) (1121550)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- Historic England. "Crispin and Crispianus Public House (Grade II) (1336171)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- Horn, Jenni (2015), Strood to get huge Poundland store in old Paul Simon premises, Kent Online, archived from the original on 2 April 2015, retrieved 9 March 2015
- Horn, Jenni (2016), B&Q store at Strood Retail Park shuts ahead of plans for new shops, cafe and The Gym Group 24-hour gym, Kent Online, archived from the original on 31 January 2016, retrieved 13 January 2016
- Hornor, Tim (26 April 2013), Strood Retail Park (PDF), completelyretail, archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2013, retrieved 11 January 2015
- Jordan, Nicola (2017), New M&S Foodhall for Medway, Kent Online, archived from the original on 24 February 2017, retrieved 16 June 2017
- Jordan, Nicola (2017b), M&S Foodhall and B&M opening at Strood Retail Park and Peacocks opening at Dockside Outlet Centre, Kent Online, archived from the original on 23 June 2017, retrieved 23 June 2017
- Cox, Lynn (2017c), Starbucks, the American coffee giant, will soon be opened at Strood Retail Park, Kent Online, archived from the original on 7 August 2017, retrieved 6 August 2017
- KentOnline (2018), Jobs at risk as Maplin enters administration, Kent Online, archived from the original on 28 February 2018, retrieved 28 February 2018
- Jahshan, Elias (2018), Carpetright secures £60m equity raise for CVA, Retail Gazette, archived from the original on 13 June 2018, retrieved 6 June 2018
- Couchman, Adele (2018), Kent Carpetright stores are set to close and put dozens of jobs at risk, Kentlive, archived from the original on 13 June 2018, retrieved 12 April 2018
- "Lieutenancies Act 1997", legislation.gov.uk, 2012, archived from the original on 8 October 2020, retrieved 10 January 2015
- Marsh (1976), A History of Rochester, Medway Borough Council
- Massey, Lizzie (2015), Strood Retail Park plans approved, Kent Online, archived from the original on 8 March 2015, retrieved 9 March 2015
- McGuinness, Alan (21 November 2012), Aldi to open in Strood, Kent Online, archived from the original on 4 October 2013, retrieved 11 January 2015
- Medway Archives and Local Studies Centre (9 March 2009), Medway Council – Local history: Medway in the 20th century 1901 – 2000, archived from the original on 9 March 2009, retrieved 10 January 2015
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Medway News (30 January 2015), Poundland set to open in Strood, Maidstone and Medway News, archived from the original on 2 April 2015, retrieved 9 March 2015
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1994), Southern Main Lines Dartford to Sittingbourne, Middleton Press, ISBN 978-1-873793-34-3
- Pratt, Anne (1855), The flowering plants, grasses, sedges, and ferns of Great Britain and their allies the club mosses, pepperworts, and horsetails, London: Frederick Warne and Co., archived from the original on 12 January 2015 5 vols 1855 – 1866. A sixth volume was added in 1873, on the grasses sedges and ferns.
- Rhodes, Michael (2004). "Smith, Charles Roach (1806–1890)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25789. Retrieved 11 January 2015. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- Room, Adrian (1988), Dictionary of Place Names, Bloomsbury, ISBN 978-0-747501-70-1
- Smetham, Henry (1899), History of Strood, Parrett & Neves, retrieved 10 January 2015
Notes
- ^ As of 13 June there is a notice in the window stating the store is closed and that the nearest store is in Gillingham.