Town Profile Maidstone -


the art of making the most of its river


by Peter Erlam Mention "messing about


by the river" to anyone and it will bring childhood memories flooding back. We can all recall lazy, hazy


summer days by a waterway, lounging in the sun, picnicking, busy doing nothing. Rivers have always been


a place of leisure as well as industry. The Medway is no exception, particularly on its meandering course through the borough of Maidstone.


The river has been the driving force behind so much


that has happened in the County Town, less so nowadays perhaps. The wharves, the paper-making factories and the boat-building activities that once lined the Medway have long since disappeared. An angler casting his line is often the only sign of work on the riverbank. Pleasure boat owners, the hardy souls of Maidstone Invicta Rowing Club and the families that run trips aboard the Kentish Lady and the Allington Belle are among the few regular users of the stretch of water that was once a hive of industry.


Mid Kent Living 13


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