Oakwood House, set in parkland off the Tonbridge Road, was almost certainly built in 1869 or 1870. An Abstract of Title included among the Deeds of Property reveals that a mortgage, dated 30 September 1868, was acquired by Lewis Davis Wigan and by the time of the 1871 Census he and his family were in residence there.

The Wigan family had been Bristol bankers and London Hop Merchants. In 1824 John Alfred Wigan (1787 - 1869) bought Clare House, East Malling. He had a large family of fifteen children including William Lewis Wigan (1817 - 1876) who was Vicar of East Malling for 28 years, and Lewis Davis Wigan (1820 - 1886) who was in partnership at The Kentish Bank in Bank Street, Maidstone from 1856. Lewis Davis Wigan had Oakwood House built and moved there with his wife Mary and their five surviving children (one child had died prior to the move to Oakwood). Their youngest child, Mary (May) was born at Oakwood on 10 January 1876.

Lewis Davis Wigan died on 21 February 1886 at Oakwood and his widow Mary, continued to live there until her death on 1 January 1900 after which the property passed to her son John Alfred Graham-Wigan. He was appointed a JP by 1905 and it was soon after this that he had some extensions made to Oakwood House. The plans for these extensions (drawn up in 1900) can be seen in the main reception area and The Morning Room. The parkland itself also proved of some benefit to the town for an Indenture dated 31 December 1913 granted rights to Maidstone Golf Club.

John Alfred Graham-Wigan continued to reside at Oakwood until his own death on 21 January 1948 just one week short of his 88th birthday. Evidence suggests that during the latter half of the Second World War the military occupied at least part of the parkland, although not the house itself.

Oakwood Park was purchased by Kent County Council for educational purposes in October 1948. Among the deeds is an Inventory of the property taken prior to purchase which shows that John Graham-Wigan had retained the character of his home as it had been in its hey-day with few modern intrusions, and from this record it can be seen that it had been a residence of some standing, having 17 bedrooms, servants quarters, stabling, and all the facilities required by a well-to-do family of the late Victorian and Edwardian era.

Having been used as an annexe for the schools built in the Park a decision was taken in 1989 to refurbish the house for use as a Conference Centre. Today Oakwood retains much of its Victorian splendour combined with modern conference and function facilities.