In the late 19th century Cliffe consisted of long rows of houses along Church Street, Reed Street and West Street. The primary economy in the area was agriculture; with an 1840 survey identifying windmills, oast houses and malt houses. From 1851 the economy diversified with the establishment of the cement works and the development of the Curtis’s and Harvey explosives works at Cliffe, leading to the local population trebling from 877 to 2,595 people between 1851 and 1891. This influx of employment created a great demand for workers’ housing, in-turn leading to the construction of a range of terraces which shaped a large part of the village with its distinctive use of local yellow stock brick construction throughout the village.
In comparison the newer village of Cliffe Woods began as ‘plot land’ development and was grandly called ‘Rochester Park Estate and Garden Suburb’. It emerged piecemeal from Mortimers Wood and Lady’s Close when a private speculator parcelled land and sold plots of land from mid 1914. It consisted of small sites of self-built bungalows and chalets. It had only tracks, rather than roads, and very few facilities: minimal water, electric and non-mains sewerage.
Development stalled until after the First World War and the initial layout was in place by the 1930s. It was ribbon-developed along the B2000.
In the early 1970's most of the land was acquired by Strood Rural District Council, the local council, and was further developed into what we see today.
Looking for a small camo tube.