Historically, the river carried much of the town's trade as the centre of the agricultural county of Kent, which is known as the Garden of England.

[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.

Neolithic finds have revealed the earliest occupation of the area, and the Romans have left their mark in the road through the town and evidence of villas.

[5] The Normans set up a shire moot, and religious organisations established an abbey at Boxley, hospitals and a college for priests.

The arms also include the head of a white horse (representing Invicta, the motto of the county of Kent), a golden lion and an iguanodon.

[6] The iguanodon relates to the discovery in the 19th century of the fossilised remains of that dinosaur, now in the Natural History Museum in London.

On 29 September 1975 a local pub serving Invicta Park Barracks, The Hare and Hounds, was damaged by a bomb during an IRA campaign in England.

Maidstone Borough Council is responsible for services such as recreation, refuse collection, most planning decisions and social housing.

These include Allington, Barming, Bearsted, Penenden Heath, Sandling, Tovil and Weavering Street.

Housing estates include Grove Green, Harbourland, Ringlestone, Roseacre, Shepway, Senacre and Vinters Park.

The nearest official Met Office weather station for which online records are available is at East Malling, about three miles west of Maidstone.

The place of birth was 94.1% United Kingdom (91.4% England), 0.6% Republic of Ireland, 0.6% Germany, 1.3% other European countries, 1.7% Asia, 0.9% Africa and 0.8% elsewhere.

[24] Until 1998, the Sharps toffee factory (later part of Cadbury Trebor Basset), was in central Maidstone and provided a significant source of employment.

[28] Other recent developments include the riverside Lockmeadow Centre, with a multiplex cinema, restaurants, nightclubs (now a trampoline park), and the town's market square.

[24] Employment, by industry, was 19% retail; 13% real estate; 11% manufacturing; 9% construction; 7% transport and communications; 10% health and social work; 8% public administration; 7% education; 5% finance; 4% hotels and restaurants; 1% agriculture; 1% energy and water supply; and 5% other.

[24] According to the Office for National Statistics estimates, the average gross income of households between April 2001 and March 2002 was £595 per week (£31,000 per year).

The University for the Creative Arts (formerly Kent Institute of Art & Design) at which Turner Prize nominated artist Tracey Emin, fashion designer Karen Millen and television personality and artist Tony Hart studied, has a campus at the Maidstone TV Studios.

[31] The following roads connect Maidstone with nearby locations: In 2001, religions were 73.9% Christian, 0.8% Muslim, 0.7% Hindu, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.14% Sikh and 0.11% Jewish.

It contains a monument to Sir Jacob Astley, the Royalist Civil War soldier and a memorial to Lawrence Washington, great-uncle of George Washington's great-great-grandfather, that includes the stars and stripes in the family coat of arms[32] The college, the church, the palace and the palace's tithe barn are all Grade I listed buildings.

An annual sporting weekend is also held, with Maidstone and Beauvais taking it in turns to host the event.

The studio complex first opened in late 1982, providing broadcasting and production output for Television South (TVS).

Villain Hugo Drax passes through King Street and Gabriels Hill and later stops at the Thomas Wyatt Hotel.

He finds lodgings with a "Sea Wife" living in the poor quarter of Maidstone, and persuades her and her husband to let him stay in their front room.

Operated by Maidstone Borough Council, the museum is open seven days a week, with free admission.

A striking gold-coloured extension was added in 2012 which has extended the display space by 40% but the modern design has divided opinion.

[42] The Tyrwhitt-Drake Museum of Carriages is located in a Grade I Listed tithe barn near the Archbishop's Palace.

The museum was established by Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake, a former mayor of Maidstone, who amassed a large collection of horse-drawn vehicles.

The club could not bring its London Road Ground up to Football League standards so it ground-shared at Dartford's Watling Street stadium and played its games there.

Maidstone United currently play in the National League South, the second highest non-league division and the sixth tier of English football.

A baseball team, the Kent Mariners, is based in the town, playing in the BBF AA South division.