Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, 32 miles (51 km) southeast of London, and home to a 12ft high, 5 tonne, concrete sheep that has a floral fleece (see photo in the pictures section).
The River Medway runs through centre of the town, and the town is also serviced by two train stations.
Traditionally Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural county of Kent, known as the Garden of England. Conservative Ann Widdecombe is MP for Maidstone & The Weald.
There is evidence of a settlement in the area dating back to the Stone Age. In 2001, the town had a population of 75,000.
The modern town of Maidstone incorporates a number of previously outlying villages and settlements. The county council offices, to the north of the town centre and beside the prison, were built of Portland Stone between 1910 and 1913.
Maidstone General Hospital opened on the outskirts of the town in 1983, replacing West Kent General Hospital, which opened 150 years earlier in Marsham Street.
Many of today’s residents use Maidstone as a base to commute to London, or are employed within the retail, administrative or service sectors within the town.
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