Maidstone in General

Advantages: (+) Good shops, green parkland available, places to go for days out
Disadvantages: (-) Traffic congestion like most towns

...centre on any land possible. Maidstone used to be quite an industrial area using the River Medway as transport for its goods from factories like Fremlins for brewing and Sharps (taken over by Trebor Basset) as well as paper making and a local market. This soon faded out with the demand for service industries and tourism becoming more prominent than ever before. It has a current population of almost 139,000. *****Accessibility***** Access from the ...
...There are various areas around Maidstone for shopping. The council is currently using the slogan, 'Great to Visit, Great to shop' with its recent development of the Fremlins walk and the change in management of the Chequers Centre over to The Mall company. I wont be able to list all the shops we have but I'll give it a go and give you an overview for you to judge what is available. ----------------Week Street---------------- This is sort of the ... Read review

Advantages: Plenty to do
Disadvantages: No football stadium yet

...I chose to move to Maidstone in 1978 when I purchased my first house with my then fiancé having scouted around the outer London area, from Basildon, Crawley and Canvey Island. We decided on Maidstone because it has excellent rail and road links into central London which was of major importance in those days as we both worked up there. Maidstone still has excellent links with London and the rest of the country's motorway network, although it has missed ...
...further down the county. Maidstone Itself Maidstone is the county town and the administrative centre of Kent. Tourists visit Canterbury, the former county town, but for business it is Maidstone that provides the jobs. Kent County Council offices are in the town and it is the biggest local authority outside of Greater London, or so I have been told. There is a largish open space with a large pub called Penenden Heath. Play area for kids, football ... Read review

Advantages: A practical, pleasant and prosperous town
Disadvantages: But short on character and maybe even charm

...or indeed very attractive. Maidstone is a practical and prosperous town. Although a community in its own right, not just a commuter dormitory, it is conveniently close to London. It is also convenient for reaching the continent. It offers copious, if rather unoriginal, opportunities for shopping and entertainment. There is some attractive countryside nearby. It stands at the heart of a varied and interesting county. Perhaps long familiarity has bred ...
...* History * Maidstone is indeed historic in that there has been a settlement here since Roman times, but not in having been the scene of any decisive battles, treaties or world-shaking events. Its main claim to historic fame was as the epicentre of Sir Thomas Wyatt's anti-Catholic uprising of 1554, which was rapidly suppressed by Queen Mary, with the result that Maidstone was deprived of its status as Kent's county town until Queen Elizabeth 1's ... Read review

Advantages: A large place - Lots of shops.
Disadvantages: A large place - Hard to find your way around if you are not use to it.

...are probably 350 shops in Maidstone if not more. The Chequers Centre itself, (The huge shopping centre in the middle of Maidstone) more than likely holds more than half of that total. ‘Shopping Roads’ ---------------------------------------- What do I mean by shopping roads? Well, in Maidstone, a lot of shops are all packed together in a street, i.e. Week Street, which is a non-traffic road (except for goods delivery), for pedestrians ...
...one of the busiest in Maidstone town centre. It has a large range of different shops that could help you with everyday items like Cameras, (if you are into that sort of stuff!). Yes, there is Jessops - Camera shop, Argos - Miscellaneous and many other shops. The Bank. Many people argue about whether the Natwest bank is in King Street, or High Street. Those two streets are joined on to each other and if you didn’t know already, you wouldn’t ... Read review

Advantages: Fantastic historical castle, extensive grounds, maze and grotto, suitable for all ages
Disadvantages: Can be busy in summer

Looking for something to do over the Easter weekend? Something which is still open to the public despite the foot and mouth restrictions? Suitable for the whole family, combining history, the outdoors, education, fun and also somewhat reminiscent of a fairy tale? If so, then Leeds Castle is certainly the place to come. Once again, this is an attraction which the Ciao team didn’t feel deserved its own category (I was advised to post it under ...
...op will explain why. Situated in the Kent countryside, a few miles from Maidstone, and only just over an hour from London, it’s very easy to get to. You could even leave the car at home for the day, as it’s possible to buy a combined ticket which includes either coach or rail travel. The regular admission price for an adult is £10, students £8.50 and children £6.50. You can also buy a family ticket for £29. This might seem a little on ... Read review