Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, in southeast England, about 30 miles from London. It is the economic, administrative and agricultural centre of the county, and also the borough of Maidstone. The Maidstone district has a population of 138,948, of which 68,350 are male and 70,598 are female (Census 2001, avaliable here [1]). The town center straddles the River Medway.
Incorporated under its current charter in 1549, Maidstone was originally administered by the Anglican church under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. However, when the people of Maidstone rebelled against the crown in support of Thomas Wyatt this charter was revoked, though a new charter was established soon afterwards.
The town's charter was finally ratified in 1619 under James I, and the coat of arms, bearing a golden lion and a representation of the river, was designed. Recently these arms were added to by the head of a white horse (representing Invicta, the motto of the county of Kent), a golden lion and an Iguanodon.
The iguanodon relates to the discovery in the 19th century of the fossilised remains of such a dinosaur locally. These remains are now displayed in the Natural History Museum in London.
The modernday commercial heart of Maidstone is built on a crossroads. High Street and King Street run up from the river crossing at Lockmeadow, while Week Street and Gabriel's Hill bisect this route. Much of the modern centre is traffic-free or has restrictions imposed on car traffic. The county council offices are on the northern edge of town, beside the prison. Cynics claim that this saves time.
For many years the main employment in the town was provided by the agricultural markets, insurance brokers and the toffee factory to the south of the river. Nowadays however, many residents use Maidstone as a base to commute into London, or are employed within the retail, administrative or service sectors within the town.
Leeds Castle is four miles east of Maidstone.
Much has been made in recent years of the importance of the river on Maidstone's way of life. For many years there has been an annual River Festival during the last week in August, and a millennium project inaugurated the Medway River walk, the Medway Park and a new footbridge linking the former cattle market (which is now a multiplex cinema and nightclub) south of the river to the shopping area to the north. In spring 2005 the Fremlin Shopping Centre and House of Frasier department store will open on the site of the Fremlins Brewery next to the River Medway.
Maidstone sits in the heart of hop country, and it is no surprise that brewing was a key industry until it was destroyed by the conglomerations of major international concerns in the 1950s and 1960s. Until that time, Maidstone supported no fewer than six breweries. Today there is just one small four-man band that produces Goachers ales. Another by-product of the riverside location were paper mills. Some of the world's finest papers were produced at places such as Hayle Mill, and the giant Reed group had several paper and cardboard milling plants in Maidstone and nearby Aylesford, including the world's largest newspaper recyling plant, which can be seen clearly from the M20 motorway when driving past Maidstone.
Maidstone takes its name from the quarries around the town, some still in use today; the oldest, now overgrown, date back to the Romans.