The Royal Oak

Roadhouse Developments acquired this beautiful development site in 2007 and working closely with the Medway Council and Historic England this project has become a labour of love to restore the Royal Oak public house back to its former glory.

The Royal Oak is a Grade II-listed former historic public house that has been sympathetically converted into a stunning 4 bedroom house with a modern twist and many unusual features. The building dates from the late 17th century and it was used as a public house since before 1754. It is one of a few pre-Victorian buildings on Cooling Road in Frindsbury and one of the last remaining coach houses in the area.

The date that the building was first constructed is uncertain, with best estimates putting the build date during the Georgian era around the late 17th century as a timber-framed house. It transitioned into use as a public house by 1754, which is a common origin of country pubs.

The origin of the name of the pub is unclear, but one reported theory is that it was named after the 17th-century warship HMS Royal Oak, which was sunk at the nearby Raid on the Medway in 1664. Local people say that one of the beams in the pub comes from the ship, the remains of which may have been broken up at a nearby shipyard after the battle. Another theory is that it was named after the Royal Oak that Charles II of England hid in following the Battle of Worcester.

Commuting is not a problem with easy access to the M2 motorway links just over 2 miles away. Alternatively, Strood train station is less than a mile away and can be easily reached on foot, offering direct routes to London St Pancras (34mins), London Charing Cross (1h 16mins), London Blackfriars (1hr 19mins) or London Victoria (56mins) via Rochester.

There is a wide range of education facilities in the area to choose from. The popular Hilltop Nursery with a ‘Good’ Ofsted report is circa 3mins walk away, Alternatively Temple Mill primary school is just 0.8miles away as well as many others in the surrounding area to choose from. There are also many schools and academies available in the surrounding Medway towns for higher education, as well as the Medway University of Kent located in near by Chatham (2.7miles).