Wouldham is a village within the borough of Tonbridge and Malling. It is nestled between the River Medway and the southern side of the North Downs and comprises of two very different areas. The older part of the village dates back to 751 A.D where a Saxon record showed King Ethelbert of Kent giving "Wuldeham" to the Church of St Andrew in Rochester, which later became the Catholic Church. Up until the mid-1800s, Wouldham's working population were mainly agricultural workers. However, this was soon to change, with Wouldham becoming at the forefront of the cement making industry, having both the Wouldham Court and Peters/Wouldham Hall works operating on the banks of the river. It is said that Peters Cement works were so famous that you send a letter from anywhere in the world, addressed to Peters Wouldham Hall Cement Works, England and it would be delivered. In 2011 its population was approximately 1500, which has increased since 2017, with substantial housing development to the south of the village. It has an 11th-century church, two schools – a primary school and one for those with special educational needs, and two public houses; The Medway Inn and The Waterman's Arms. The newest part of the village, known as Peters Village, is an area of new housing being constructed since 2014 to the south of the existing village on the former Peters Wouldham Hall Cement Works and in Peters Pit. It consists of 1000 houses grouped in three sectors: the Village Centre, Lower Peters Village and Upper Peters Village. It includes a new primary school, (relocated from the old village), community centre, playing fields cycle way and riverside esplanade together with a new road bridge across the River Medway. The site is sensitive as it lies adjoining a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the North Downs AONB. The plans were approved in 2006 but postponed due to the economic downturn. Construction started on the infrastructure in 2014. The first apartments and houses were occupied in late 2017. The project, which received £19.5m from the government, was due to be completed by 2024 with a new crossing over the River Medway to link with the A228 road, the Peters Bridge, opened in September 2016.