The Parish of Stoke lies on the south side of the Hoo Peninsula. Situated below a ridge of higher ground, its landscape is a mixture of farmland and saltings fringing the river Medway. Three areas of settlement developed in the parish; a manorial and religious centre in the village of Stoke, a residential and commercial settlement at Lower Stoke, and a small hamlet at Middle Stoke. Of these, only Lower Stoke experienced significant residential expansion in the 20th century. The parish is crossed by two significant transport routes, the A228 and the mineral railway and the geography of Stoke Saltings have been greatly affected by the widespread extraction of clay in the late 19th and early 20th century for the cement industry. This Historic Area Assessment provides an overview of the historical development and architectural character of the parish. It forms a component of the larger Hoo Peninsula Historic Landscape Project.