Maidstone: Culture & Heritage
Despite being the county town and the largest settlement in Kent, with a rich and diverse heritage, Maidstone is not widely recognised as a cultural centre. As part of a new strategic drive to strengthen the town’s image and profile, Maidstone Borough Council commissioned NEA to work on a cultural and heritage strategy for Maidstone. Avoiding the well-trodden route of producing just another glossy report, NEA undertook a series of interviews and consultations with key stakeholders and community groups leading to agreement over a set of priorities for action. NEA then led the formation of a Maidstone Townscape Heritage Board, which has developed an ambitious project to invest in the heritage assets of the town’s historic core of Gabriel’s Hill and Lower Stone Street and to improve links to the Archbishop’s Palace Quarter and the River Medway.