[citation needed]. John Henry “Jack” Wesson settled in the area in 1907. The Medway Valley Walk between Tonbridge and Gillingham passes through the town, following the banks of the river. As a result, many decided to emigrate to Western Canada to take advantage of offers of free homesteads. 24.8% of homes are fully owned, and 30.0% are in the process of being purchased by home loan mortgage. Southern Water and Mid Kent Water operate the Maidstone water system. [5] The Normans set up a shire moot, and religious organisations established an abbey at Boxley, hospitals and a college for priests. 38.6% of people are married, 45.6% have never married and 7.3% are divorced and 3.3% are separated. In the 2014/15 season they were unbeaten and won the National RFU Intermediate Cup at Twickenham Stadium. last known population is ≈ 161 800 (year 2014). Maidstone is mentioned several times in Ian Fleming's 1955 James Bond novel, Moonraker. Charlow (Shiloh) Baptist Church and Cemetery located north of Maidstone was built in 1912. Following the NASA tradition of naming craters on Mars after small towns, the Maidstone crater was added to the list of Martian geographical features in 1976.[37][38]. [22] Upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948 ownership of the station passed to the British Electricity Authority and then to the Central Electricity Generating Board.
[4] It has been suggested that the name derives from stones set into the river to allow clothes to be rinsed in the cleaner water away from the banks. The rebel priest John Ball had been imprisoned there and was freed by Kentish rebels under the command of Wat Tyler, who is reputed to have been a resident of the town. All Saints' Church in the town centre was the collegiate church of the College of All Saints built in 1395 next to the Archbishop's Palace. Whilst living in the slums of London in the summer of 1902, he heads to Maidstone in search of hop-picking work up the London Road. Name County / District Population Census 2001-04-29 Population Census 2011-03-27 Population Estimate 2018-06-30 ; Maidstone: Kent: 93,670: 107,627: 118,899 → Source: UK Office for National Statistics (web). [citation needed] It was reported at the time that inhabitants were bitterly opposed to the railway, the mayor suggesting that "Maidstone will be ruined as a commercial town". Maidstone (3012) is a suburb of Melbourne, North, Victoria.It is about 9 kms from VIC's capital city of Melbourne.Maidstone is in the federal electorates of Gellibrand, Maribyrnong.. KMFM Maidstone, formerly CTR 105.6, is the local commercial station. Maidstone has an unemployment rate of 9.3%. The road to the championship defeat the Turtleford Tigers 3-0 in the best of five series, with Maidstone having home ice advantage. There are 363 male residents living in Maidstone and 348 female residents. The town is divided between the constituencies of Maidstone and the Weald and Faversham and Mid Kent. [16] East Malling also holds the record for the mildest January day in South East England, 17.4 °C (63.3 °F), also set in 2003. Delfrari-Victoria Park where the Maidstone & District Museum is located. Maidstone United now play in the National League South, the second division of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League.