A quick look around in Maidstone

Maidstone Town Centre is a vibrant place with a lot to offer both locals and visitors.  There are some great cafés, restaurants, shops and shopping centres, places to visit, historical buildings to admire and even undertake the trail, a river to explore, boat trips, mini-golf, museums and more besides. 

The heart of Maidstone is around the Victoria Monument in Jubilee Square, from here everywhere is easily accessible. In every direction from here you will find cafés and restaurants. Earl Street has the greatest density of restaurants with a vast range of foods from around the globe and is a 2 minute walk.

Kings Street will take you to The Mall Shopping Centre and to a large Sainsburys.  Gabriels Hill, will take you to independent shops and cafés and another entrance to The Mall Shopping Centre. Continuing into Lower Stone Street, there are more independent shops but also the oldest collection of buildings in England hidden behind new shop fronts and facades. This road is always very busy with traffic.

Turning right at the bottom of Gabriels Hill will take you towards the Medieval Archbishop’s Palace, the Carriage Museum and the River.  If you choose this route, make sure you stop by the Mill Pond on the right and check to see if the Kingfishers are there. Brilliant flashes of blue give them away but it is always fantastic to see them in such an urban environment.

Back to Victoria Monument.  Heading down hill across Jubilee Square takes you past the Georgian Town Hall.  Here you can divide left or right.  Bank Street to the left has a host of historic buildings, just look up.  To the right you will find Muggletons, which was the name Charles Dickens gave to Maidstone. He used to walk to Muggleton regularly along the River Medway valley from Rochester.

Immediately next to Muggleton’s there is an archway through to Market Buildings. At the far end you will find the Hazlitt Theatre and Earl Street.

To continue down the High Street you will find the Royal Star Arcade which is a shopping centre but formerly a hotel.  Continuing down hill you pass Pudding Lane on the right, with shops and restaurants.  Welcome shade can be found on hot days from the London Plane trees on Remembrance Square.  To cross the road at the bottom takes you to the River Medway and the boat trips and the historical part of the town with the Archbishops’ Palace and All Saints Church. 

Back to the Victoria Monument. Heading along Week Street you will find the Post Office and a variety of shops and this runs all the way through to Kent County Council Offices at County Hall. Its about 1km from the Victoria Monument. Before getting to County Hall you will find on the left Earl Street, with its restaurants, pubs, cafés and the Hazlitt Theatre.  

At the sign post you will also find Fremlin Walk Shopping Centre.  Fremlin Walk is the original site of the old Fremlin Brewery.  This is the easy way to find Maidstone Museum.  Walk about halfway down until there is a gap in the shops on the right and look through the bandstand and Maidstone Museum is in front of you. Brenchley Gardens (park) can be found behind the Museum. 

Brenchley Gardens often has live music on summer weekend days, where you can settle in a deck chair and enjoy it.

Returning to Week Street, you will pass shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants until you reach Maidstone East Station and County Hall. 

Outside of Maidstone East Station you will find a dinosaur. Dinosaur remains were found in the Fant area of Maidstone in the 1830’s and a dinosaur appears on Maidstone’s coat of arms.

River Medway

This is easy to find if you are visiting Maidstone. Here you will find the Kentish Lady River Trips and some private hire cruisers which you can skipper yourself. Heading upstream The Archbishop’s Palace, the Infirmerers Garden and the ancient All Saints Church with the College of Priest can all be found adjacent to the River.  Here you can also find the Amphitheatre slightly further on from the Millennium Bridge.

Crossing the Millennium Bridge will take you into Lockmeadow where you will find the Leisure Complex with Cinema, Food Hall, Trampolining, mini golf, leisure centre and bowling.  The County Court can also be found along this bank of the river.

You can walk along the River as far as Yalding following the upstream path.  Returning to the Kentish Lady and heading downstream, you will pass under Maidstone bridge, pass the Old Boat Café and then under St Peter’s Bridge. Here you can walk as far as Allington Lock. Keep your eyes open for wildlife along the way.