Explore Strood along two trails of different lengths: the Strood Town Centre Trail is a 1.2-mile (2 km) loop, while the Strood Community Trail is 5 miles long and runs around Strood. There is also a medieval manor house and a landscape where natural waterways meet an industrial legacy. The trails and historical themes give you practical ways to choose how to experience the town, based on route length and cultural interests.
The Strood Town Centre Trail
The Strood Town Centre Trail forms a loop taking in Strood Esplanade, Strood High Street, St Nicholas Church and the site of the Aveling and Porter Engineering Works. The route brings together a riverside stretch, a high street, a church and a site associated with the engineering works. This gives the walk several named stops rather than a single point of interest.
The trail booklet includes a route map and five pages of trail-related activities for children. These include a picture hunt with eight images taken along the route. This activity makes the trail easier to follow by encouraging you to look for specific images, rather than relying solely on the route details. Three information boards featuring historic photographs add images relating to the past to the walk.
The “Time Piece” sculpture by artist David Annand reflects Strood’s half-timbered buildings and its boatbuilding history. The historic photographs and sculpture therefore offer different ways to engage with the town’s past: documentary images and an artistic motif that draws on half-timbering and boatbuilding.
Water, industry and different trail lengths
Janes’ Creek is a natural inlet of the River Medway that has been shaped by industry. Strood Esplanade runs along this inlet. The Strood Town Centre Trail also offers views across the River Medway towards Rochester Castle. The creek and the river are two distinct waterways associated with the route.
Length is not the only factor when comparing the trails: the Town Centre Trail is a 1.2-mile (2 km) loop with several named stops. The Community Trail is 5 miles long and runs around Strood. These details give you a practical basis for deciding whether a loop with specific places to visit or a longer trail around the town better suits your travel plans.
Temple Manor and medieval history
Temple Manor is a medieval manor house built by the Knights Templar in the 13th century. Its hall was designed to accommodate dignitaries travelling between Dover and London. This intended function links the building to a historical route. Traces of wall paintings also survive in the first-floor hall.
Visiting the Medway Archives Centre
Visiting arrangements at the Medway Archives Centre vary depending on how you plan to use it. An appointment is required to consult original archive material and use microfilm or microfiche readers. Walk-in visits are accepted for published materials and photographs, subject to space being available in the reading room. As operating arrangements may change, check the latest information before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Isle of Grain, High Halstow, Allhallows, Chattenden.
For the wider travel overview: Medway.
