'Kidbrooke' is an Anglo Saxon name meaning 'the brook where the kites were seen'. It suggests that Kidbrooke was not settled when it was named. It has three streams and heavy, wet clay, so would have been unsuitable for Saxon development.

By the late 11th or 12th century, however, Kidbrooke had a church and presumably a small population - although it didn't last. By 1428 the church had no priest, and by 1494 it was derelict.

The area remained rural until Kidbrooke Station opened in 1895, but farming dominated the area up to the 1930s. After then, development was rapid, especially after the Rochester Way was built.

Kidbrooke today

Now all that is left of the farmland is a sports field and a part of the ancient village green.