the sale of plots of land in the 1930s. Originally, chalets, shacks and caravans were built on the plots. Since then unauthorised developments, often extending the original buildings, have taken place in an area which is now Green Belt. Poor access and limited facilities such as proper drainage has led Gravesham Borough Council to take action by curbing this trend. Other settlements The other two main settlements in the parish are Nurstead (until 1935 a separate civil parish), where Nurstead Court is located next to the parish church, with former estate workers' cottages nearby; and Camer, once home to the family of Smith-Masters, with a few cottages near Camer Park. Geography The village lies on the dip slope of the North Downs, above sea level in Kent. The windmill The windmill was built by James Killick, a millwright from Strood, in 1801. After his death in 1823, it passed to his wife Sukey, then to his son James, and after to his grandson Thomas who died in 1891. The Killicks lived in Strood where the family also owned mills and were reputed to walk the eight miles to Meopham each day. The mill worked by wind until 1929 and then by engine until 1965. It has been fully restored and is now in full working order. Churches There are two Church of England parish churches (now combined into one benefice): the grade I listed parish church of St John the Baptist, Meopham and Nurstead'''s 14th-century church of St Mildred. Other churches include Mount Zion Baptist Church built in 1828 and nearby Meopham Green, South Street Baptist Church, to the north of Culverstone and the Roman Catholic Church of St Paul, consecrated in 1965. Education There are three state schools in the village: the secondary Meopham School has developed as a specialist sports academy, and this is where Meopham Library is situated too; there are two primary schools: Meopham Community Academy (formerly Meopham Community Primary School) and Culverstone Green Primary School. Gravesend Grammar School is within the borough, and nearby are fee-paying schools, such as Cobham Hall School, and King's School, Rochester. Transport The main road through the village, the A227, carries a large amount of traffic. It first became a main road under the Turnpike Acts in 1825, when it was designed to connect Gravesend with Wrotham. Meopham Railway Station, at the north end of the village, is on the