Coordinates: 51°24′11″N 0°29′17″E / 51.403168°N 0.488033°E / 51.403168; 0.488033

Strood is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is part of the ceremonial county of Kent. It lies on the north west bank of the River Medway at its lowest bridging point, and is part of the Rochester post town.

Strood was part of Frindsbury until 1193, but now Frindsbury is considered part of Strood. Strood's history has been dominated by the river, the bridges and the road and rail links they carried. It is now a mainly residential suburb of Rochester, and a commuter town for London.

Strood was part of Frindsbury until 1193. It was named "Strodes" in the Textus Roffensis, though most early records use the spelling Stroud. The name Strõd or Strõþ refers to a marshy land overgrown with brushwood.

The Romans built a stone bridge and laid a road on a causeway across the marshy ground. The foundations were about 8 ft below the level of the 1856 road. The road went up Strood Hill, and was called Watling Street, as it still is today. This is the A2 road . There is further evidence of a causewayed road leading along the bank towards the Frindsbury Peninsula leading to a villa, was found in 1819. The present road and field pattern suggest that there was a substantial Roman agricultural settlement centred near Frindsbury.

Mark John Reckless (born 6 December 1970) is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood, elected at the 2010 general election.

He graduated in PPE from Oxford University; he also has an MBA from Columbia Business School. He trained as a barrister at the College of Law, gaining an LLB, and was called to the Bar in 2007.

Reckless apologised for missing a budget vote because he was too drunk to vote during a late night sitting of the House of Commons.

On 10 December 2010, Reckless voted against the coalition government on raising tuition fees.

Reckless is rated as one of the Conservatives' most rebellious MPs.

Reckless is the grandson of Henry McDevitt, a Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal East in the Dáil Éireann from 1938 until 1943. On 1 October 2011 he married Catriona Brown at Westminster Cathedral, with a reception held at the Palace of Westminster.