News Tell us your favourite Heritage Spaces in Maidstone
Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) and Maidstone Museum are inviting residents to put forward their favourite Heritage Spaces in the borough, as part of a new interpretation project to highlight these historic areas.
Interpretation is the way we communicate stories and ideas, and clearer interpretation creates stronger links between a community and their collective heritage. This also provides an access point to visitors, helping them to engage and identify with Maidstone.
Methods of interpretation can be a number of different things, including: information boards to provide historical context and connections, lighting up a specific building, recording a soundscape of spoken memories, or introducing music to bring an area to life.
Residents are invited to nominate their favourite Heritage Spaces in Maidstone before the closing date on Monday 30 June 2025, using the Let’s Talk Maidstone platform. You can give your reasons for nominating a heritage space and suggest the types of information or interpretation you would like to see there. Text boxes are provided for multiple nominations to be included and if you have additional suggestions, they can be emailed to: Consultation@Maidstone.gov.uk
Cllr Stephen Thompson, MBC Cabinet Member for Healthier Stronger Communities, commented, saying:
Maidstone is the County Town of Kent and has a rich cultural history with over 2,000 listed buildings and more than 40 conservation areas. I am proud of our borough’s heritage, and we would love to hear what your top picks are to see how we can highlight our Heritage Spaces.
After the submissions have closed, there will be an opportunity to take part in focus group sessions to look at the proposed Heritage Spaces and to shortlist the entries. MBC will then look to see how these areas can be best spotlighted, using the feedback provided by the submissions.
The focus group sessions will be held at Maidstone Museum and will be open to anyone over the age of 18 years old and living in the borough of Maidstone.
The sessions will take place on:
- Monday 21 July, 6pm-7:30pm
- Thursday 24 July, 6pm-7:30pm
Details about applying to join the focus groups are also available on Let’s Talk Maidstone.
The Council wants to ensure that those selected for the focus groups are a representative mix of members that reflect the wider diversity of the borough. If the focus groups are oversubscribed and you are not selected to join a session at this time, MBC would welcome your involvement in future engagement on this topic.
Those who have been allocated a place on the focus group sessions will be informed by 14 July 2025.
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