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.

[7] The present road and field pattern suggest that there was a substantial agricultural settlement of the Roman Empire centred near Frindsbury.

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.

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] 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.

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.

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".

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.

The chalk hills of the North Downs have been breached at this point, forming a river cliff rising to 100 ft directly behind.

[13] 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, the Kent historian.

The land is still occupied as winter quarters by the Showman's Guild with its running costs supported by the Strood Fair on the site, which is facilitated every 12 months.

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.

The 19th century railway embankment carrying the Chatham Main Line cuts across the back of the old hospital site.

By 1870, he and his partner Stace took over the Pelican Foundry and manufactured structural ironwork, toilet cisterns and manhole covers.

Avelings were noted for excellent employment practices, and made their premises available for meetings of co-operative and radical societies.

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.

Tesco acquired and demolished Temple Street and bought the freehold of all the other plots on the block for future expansion.

[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.

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.

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 route roughly parallels the old A2 and has necessitated the building of two high level bridges in Strood to the south of the town.

The South Eastern Railway terminated at Strood, with passengers taking a steamer or coaches to reach Rochester or Chatham.

Following World War I, the city built 19 houses in Steele St, and 73 on Frindsbury Hill (Murray Road).

[46] 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.

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.

In recent years it has been featured in articles and books as an early example of this style used for a Roman Catholic Church.

[52] During the First World War the church was lent to the St John's Voluntary Aid Department as an auxiliary hospital.

Regional local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South East and ITV Meridian.

Gillingham FC, in EFL's League One is the local professional team, being located approximately three miles from central Strood.