Walderslade comes from the Old English ‘wald’ meaning ‘wood’ and ‘slade’ as ‘valley,
dell’; therefore a ‘wooded dell’
The Normans settled in Walderslade first and built the manor in the 12th century.
In 1388, King Richard II gave the manor into the possession of the Priory of Chiltern,
who ran it as a farm until the reformation, when it reverted to the crown.
In 1838, Mr Brake purchased Walderslade and 300 acres of woodland, which he sold
off in smaller farming plots. With the establishment of a bus and tram service into
Chatham, he purchased more land, for housing development.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Walderslade developed further with a school,
shops and in 1973, Saint William’s church, which also served as a community centre.
