History - Riverside, Maidstone

Apart from the Archbishop’s Palace area and parts of Fairmeadow, the riverside until recently was crowded with wharves and industrial premises. There is a record of ragstone being sent by river to London in 1348, and it is likely that this trade originated in Roman times.

A new stone quay was built at Fairmeadow in the 1560’s by the Corporation and river dredging is documented in the early 17^th Century.  In 1739 the Medway Navigation Company improved navigation between Maidstone and Tonbridge, further enhancing Maidstone’s position as a port, until by the late 18^th Century. It was said that the whole of the Weald and some of Sussex received their groceries via Maidstone.

In 1834 more than 50 sailing barges were noted as trading from Maidstone carrying hops, paper, fruit, cloth, corn, leather and wool; most trade was with London (it being easier to ship goods by river than overland) but boats also went to France and Holland.  Early census returns in the first decades of the 19^th Century for some parts of the town (e.g. St Faith’s Street) show a significant proportion of men listing their profession as sailor.

River traffic was still considerable in 1900, but as the importance of road traffic grew it went into terminal decline, and the only boats now to be seen on the river ply for pleasure.