United Kingdom · England · Gillingham
Strood, Gillingham — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Strood is a town on the River Medway in the north of the English county of Kent, sharing the Medway Towns conurbation with Rochester and Chatham.
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Where to stay in Strood
How the choice of base plays out on the ground.
Strood sits on the water. A stay on the northwest bank of the River Medway puts the visitor at the lowest bridging point, with Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham joined on in the same conurbation, which is the practical argument for it. Temple Manor anchors the older end, St Francis' Church and the Church of St Nicholas mark the parish streets, and Diggerland Kent draws a different sort of day out on this side of the Medway.
Bryant House rounds out the list.
Find hotels in Strood
Direct booking searches for these neighbourhoods.
Temple Manor
Temple Manor is the oldest named building in Strood, standing back from the northwest bank of the River Medway among the streets that grew around it. Few places to stay nearby — book ahead.Find hotels in Temple Manorguests who want the Church of St Nicholas and the River Medway frontage in one walkChurch of St Nicholas end
The Church of St Nicholas and St Francis' Church give this part of Strood its two parish markers, with the lowest bridging point of the River Medway a short way off.Find hotels in Church of St Nicholas endvisitors building the trip around Diggerland Kent rather than the Medway Towns centresDiggerland Kent side
Diggerland Kent is the one entry on Strood's list that is neither a church nor a manor, and a room chosen for it puts the River Medway frontage second. Beds are limited here, so book early.Find hotels in Diggerland Kent sidearrivals treating Rochester and Chatham as the base and Strood as the quieter bankRochester and Chatham
Rochester and Chatham share the Medway Towns conurbation with Strood, which keeps Temple Manor and Bryant House inside reach of a room on either side.Find hotels in Rochester and ChathamHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
About Strood
What are the main landmarks in Strood?
Five names carry Strood. Temple Manor stands first among them, with the Church of St Nicholas and St Francis' Church covering the parish record and Bryant House the domestic one. Diggerland Kent is the outlier.
It sits away from the older fabric altogether, and a visitor working through the whole list crosses from the River Medway frontage out toward the edge of the town.
What is the history of Strood?
Strood grew at a crossing. The town holds the northwest bank of the River Medway at its lowest bridging point, and Temple Manor survives from the older phase of that ground. The Church of St Nicholas belongs to the same long parish record, with St Francis' Church and Bryant House on the same short list.
Strood is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, joined into one conurbation with Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham, the group known together as the Medway Towns, in the north of the English county of Kent.
Where is Strood?
Strood holds the northwest bank of the River Medway at its lowest bridging point, alongside Rochester and Chatham in the Medway Towns.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Strood?
Temple Manor: stays within sight of Temple Manor and the older ground behind the Medway bank. Church of St Nicholas end: guests who want the Church of St Nicholas and the River Medway frontage in one walk. Diggerland Kent side: visitors building the trip around Diggerland Kent rather than the Medway Towns centres. Rochester and Chatham: arrivals treating Rochester and Chatham as the base and Strood as the quieter bank.
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Updated October 2026