Our Towns / Villages
Maidstone
Maidstone is our County town and is a large, historically important town in Kent, England. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it with Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river carried much of the town’s trade as the centre of the agricultural county of Kent, known as the Garden
Quirky historical facts include:-
Elephants were once a common sight in Maidstone as Maidstone Zoo was a popular tourist attraction until it closed in 1959. For 25 years local townsfolk could hear the lions roaring and Gert and Daisy the elephants became firm favourites. The zoo’s home at Cobtree Manor Park became run down, but more recently has been given a new lease of life.
Week Street lies on the same line as a Roman road which ran to Rochester via the ironworks of the Weald.
The tooth of a woolly mammoth was discovered at the site of Barclays Bank in Maidstone High Street in 1959.
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Once upon a time, over 400 years ago, a natural spring welled up from the ground. And it was named “The Tunbridge Wells”.
This historic spa town (the water is orange!) welcomes visitors to browse among the chic independent shops of the colonnaded Pantiles and the High Street, with buzzy cafes bars, music and one-of-a-kind shops. This includes stories of 20 ghosts that haunt the Pantiles.
Quirky facts –
Buffalo Bill and his travelling circus came to the Old West Station in 1903
If you look between the elephants heads on Camden Road, there is a former air raid shelter for up to 90 people