News Maidstone’s Oldest Family Announced at The Oldham Gallery Launch
The reinterpretation of Maidstone Museum’s Local History Gallery is now open as ‘The Oldham Gallery: Exploring Maidstone’s Past and Present’ after a special launch event was held on Friday evening.
As part of the launch, the winner was announced for the ‘Maidstone’s Oldest Family’ competition: a search for the family that could trace their lineage back to the borough’s earliest origins. Supported by the Kent Family History Society, the judging panel congratulated Nicholas and Mary Leppard as Maidstone’s Oldest Family. The Leppard family presented sufficient evidence to connect their ancestral roots to the Fleet family, who were based in the borough since 1714. The family will be commemorated in The Oldham Gallery as part of their prize.
‘The Oldham Gallery’ is the latest project undertaken by the team following the successful launch of the ‘Lives In Our Landscape’ in 2024, which told the story of Maidstone’s earliest history up to the Tudor period. The team has since worked with volunteers, local businesses and charities over the last nine months to tell the continuing story of Maidstone, right up to the present day.
Through this support and a generous donation from The William & Edith Oldham Charitable Trust, this vision has come to fruition, and, with ‘Lives In Our Landscape’, the connecting galleries bring over 600,000 years of Maidstone history to life.
At the launch event, guests including members of the Charitable Trust and Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) Councillors, were treated to an exclusive look at the gallery ahead of the public opening, seeing some of the rare collections on display; 30% of which have never been seen by visitors to the museum before.
Spotlighting local talent, musical entertainment was provided by Darren Clark, an Olivier award-winning composer who wrote ‘Ordinary People’: an original musical inspired by a collection of stories from the everyday people of Maidstone and the surrounding areas of Kent that ran at the Hazlitt Theatre and Canterbury’s Marlowe Studio Theatre in 2023.
The guests were also impressed by the range of interactive sounds, films and activities for the whole family, making this a gallery fit for a 21st century audience. One of these films is an animation created by Giles Whitehead, who has used the inspiration of the River Medway as the central thread throughout the town’s history, showing how Maidstone transformed from an agriculture settlement to an industrial epicentre.
Also drawing from the River is local artist Cathy McClymont, who has created three stunning artworks depicting Maidstone with the Medway running through each of the pieces. The works will hang proudly in the new gallery and reminds visitors of the importance of the waterway for the town.
The Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Martin Round, officially opened ‘The Oldham Gallery’, saying:
As Mayor for Maidstone, and as the First Citizen of the Borough of Maidstone, it is a pleasure to launch this reimagined space. I send very special thank you to the incredible staff of Maidstone Museum as this gallery is a testament to their passion and professionalism, and we are all deeply grateful. To all visitors, we invite you to explore, to reflect, and to celebrate your history and your museum.
The Oldham Gallery is now open, and, like Maidstone Museum, it is free for everyone to enjoy. The Museum will be open six days a week over the summer holidays from 10am to 4pm before returning to seasonal hours. Check the website to help plan your visit.
Maidstone Museum is owned and managed by MBC, and this gallery project meets the Council’s priority to build A High Quality Place that preserves heritage and creates a vibrant and sustainable place for everyone to enjoy.