Town Profile


However, there are moves to change all that - partly


the result of the borough council's wish to revitalise the river frontage (and its link with a rejuvenated High Street), and partly through the enterprise of businessman James Bailey. He has a passion for the river - his family home in


College Avenue overlooks it and the floating restaurant he and his wife Lisa run is moored near the Archbishops Palace. Now, James is keen to give back something to the


community; to do his bit for Cameron's Big Society is the way he sees it. He has put forward the idea of an arts fair on the towpath near the palace, as a free platform for individuals, groups or schools to display their work. Another venture, which he is about to launch further


up the Medway at Tonbridge, is hiring rowing boats. His cousin, Mark Donnelly, is helping him to manage that, and a similar scheme should be up and running in Maidstone soon. James's


James Bailey, right, and Cllr Malcolm Greer, who has backed his plans for new river attractions.


enthusiasm has been welcomed by the council's cabinet member for regeneration, Malcolm Greer.


He said: "This is a project which I totally agree with as


it would make much more use of the river - one of our greatest assets. "I am keen to promote art, culture , leisure and


tourism in Maidstone and have arranged meetings between James, council officers and myself in an endeavour to forward this. "We should make much better use of the towpath,


with art work etc - if possible involving local artists, photographic clubs, University for the Creative Arts and local schools." Cllr Greer added: "The whole scheme could be an additional attraction for our tourism and economic development." But it goes deeper than that. The councillor


reminisces about the fun he had on the river as a youth. "In my teenage years I cycled from Chatham to Maidstone on a Sunday morning, ensuring that I was there by 8am to enable us to hire a canoe or rowing boat on an hourly basis. "The river was, at that time, a hive of activity with


walkers on the towpath with their families and dogs and much activity on the river. "I would love to see this rekindled and make the river


more easily available to be enjoyed by families again. "I do believe that we would have all-party political support for this."


James Bailey, wife Lisa, their sons Spencer and Curtis, plus cousin Mark Donnelly in one of the rowing boats that will soon be for hire on the Medway. Behind is the Baileys’ restaurant, The Barge.


Memories, sweet memories I AM indebted to a delightful website www.maidstone-i- remember-it-well.com for some happy memories of the River Medway. Contributors came from far and wide, including


several from Down Under. A brother and sister wrote separately about their reminiscences. Rene Newman, from New Zealand: "I remember the


barges with their red sails bringing timber for Smythes yard by the bridge. As a lad in Dad's Army, my father was our sergeant, guarding Maidstone Bridge determined to fight the Hun. I lived in Tovil so enjoyed the use of Avery's skiffs. About midnight on Home Guard duty we heard two matelots scrambling over the coal heap next to the bridge; they'd been on the town and went to sleep it off by the river and fell in. The police came to the rescue and got them cleaned up and rested and promised they would be back at Chatham in time to return to their ship! Then his sister, Ruby Todd: "My brother didn't tell you


we spent most of our summer holidays swimming in the River Medway, just past the paper mill (Tovil & Bridge). The water was lovely and clean. Our Dad worked in the mill so during his tea break he used to come out to make sure we were ok. All we needed was a bottle of lemonade (made with crystals and very sharp) and jam sandwiches, and we were set for the day then. Where we used to swim was named Sandy Bay. Does anyone else remember swimming there? Another woman, Shirley, who had a "lifelong


connection" with the river, including time spent on a little cabin cruiser, remembered trips on "The Swan", an old wooden boat. She also recalled: "There were dozens of real swans by the Old Palace in the '40s and '50s, attracted by the plentiful supply of fruit and vegetables from Foster Clark’s, and by all us children taking stale bread down to feed them. The water is much cleaner now - there were huge lumps of pulp from the paper mills floating, plus the fruit & veg, and the colour of the river varied with whatever Foster Clark’s was canning that day! There were the wood yards on the bank where the Law Courts are, and a narrow alley to access the bank by the palace due to the wharf buildings there."


14 Mid Kent Living


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