Talk:Maidstone

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Maidstone Prison[edit]

This article states that "the last person in Britain to be publicly hanged was Frances Kidder" but this disagrees with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_Kingdom which says that "the last public hanging in Britain takes place at Newgate Prison as Michael Barrett is executed". Which is correct? --80.177.27.175 06:20, 31 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

the quoted article now includes: 1964: On 13 August at 8 a.m. Peter Anthony Allen, at Walton Prison in Liverpool, and Gwynne Owen Evans, at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, are both executed for the murder of John Alan West becoming the last people executed in Britain [4]. They can't all have been the last! regards, Lynbarn 09:57, 6 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Sport[edit]

Is the advertising for players (The Mote cricket club) allowed in an encyclopedia entry?

Schools[edit]

Why is there an edit that has changed Maidstone Girls' Grammar to Invicta Girls' Grammar? Is MGGS not the original Girls' Grammar school in the town? There's maybe a great deal of merit including both schools, if we are going to list important seats of learning in Maidstone. After all, both Boys' Grammars are listed. I'm going to add MGGS to the list. Darren Rowe 20:41, 16 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The correct name for MGGS is actualy Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, Invicta is Invicta Grammar School, and Oakwood is Oakwood Park Grammar School, but I agree this part of the article is a little confusing. Although notionally single-sex schools, all four admit both boys and girls at sixth form, and in certain subject at lower levels, there are mixed courses. Regards, Lynbarn 10:52, 6 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Cornwallis Academy is part of New Line Learning, i.e. it's associated with Senacre and Oldborough. I'll get stuck in and change that unless anyone has any problems Nogbad (talk) 12:10, 1 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Maidstone pronunciation[edit]

The correct way to pronounce Maidstone is Maidsten. This is not due to accent. Check these links: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0831238.html

Another example is Holborn in London which is pronounced "hoe-b'n" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holborn

Nonsense, there is no particular way to say it. I personally live nearby and say maid-stone. I've removed this from the article because it is a load of tosh! 88.109.249.70 22:45, 25 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah it's nonsense. It just depends where you come from, I personally say maidSTONE as well. But I'm not going to get drawn into a long debate about something so whimsical (You can tell the person who so vehemently reverts anyone who dares to disagree has a huge chip on his/her shoulder). 109.109.249.70 13:11, 5 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've only ever heard people from Maidstone say maidSTONE. Maidsten is rarely said by people from the town. 86.139.133.10 (talk) 12:37, 22 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I was born and raised in Maidstone and so were my parents. I have always pronounced it maidSTONE and remember feeling quite affronted when someone (not natively from the town) corrected my pronunciation. I agree that this should not be a focal point of this article.(24.84.122.144 (talk) 16:46, 14 December 2011 (UTC))[reply]


Well, the people of Maidstone may think they pronounce it MaidSTONE, but as 'outsider' who has only lived here 33 years I can tell you they don't. As with all south-easterners (excluding the few who speak RP!) words like 'stone' are pronounced 'stun' or 'st'n' (the closest I can get using standard letters/sounds - it is more like an almost non-existant (dropped) vowel than a 'u'). No doubt Maidstonites do say 'MaidSTONE' when they're thinking about it and talking carefully, but catch them at an unguarded moment and they say 'Maidst'n'.

This may be what the original writer (above) meant when they wrote 'Maidsten', but they may also have been trying to capture the Kentish accent once heard around here. When I moved to Maidstone in 78, you could still occasinally hear people pronounce Maidstone with a Kentish accent and that could be written 'Maidsten' as a near approximation.

Quite why this comment has provoked such strong reaction is beyond me! Perhaps we should really get things going by having a discussion on how Teston is pronounced? (Interestingly - or not - it's 'tees'n'.)

Back on your heads! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.31.182.29 (talk) 00:29, 4 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]


Folkstone Pronunciation[edit]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folkstone

Is this town not pronounced the same way? Folk-STEN not Folk-STONE.

Oh come on now, that's ludicrous. Just because one town is said a certain way, should we apply that rule to all towns? Please can you sign your comments as well. 88.111.110.26 17:12, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Vote to change pronounciation to Mægthan stan, because apparently pronounciations can't change over time :p --iamajpeg 22:14, 17 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There's no timeframe in this, I don't know why you threw that argument in. I say it is maid-stone too, sorry. JD UK 21:14, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, it didn't come over quite as intended. Oh well. --iamajpeg 22:31, 20 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I live in maidstone and pronounce it maidSTONE.
Whoever you may be. I would pronounce it that way if there were a high wind or a poor telephone line. Not otherwise. Bmcln1 (talk) 09:40, 2 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Origin of Name[edit]

The origin 'Stone of the maidens' seems unlikely. Surely it comes from 'Meeds-toun' - town on the Medway? I'll look into this...

Status Dates[edit]

The dates under Status need changing. Currently they show dates in the 21st century. I don't know for certain the actual dates. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 83.105.80.171 (talk) 11:16, 29 January 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Introduction[edit]

The introduction to this article is far too long and reads like a tourist information brochure. It needs a total re-write, could someone please have a look at this before someone like myself who has never been to the town has to do it. Thanks. KevinCarmody 02:16, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I'll start. --Cunningham 16:45, 9 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Rewrite[edit]

This article is way off the mark in terms of where it should be. Even a cursory look at WP:CITIES indicates a huge way to go. As it's the County Town of Kent it should be a high priority for WP:KENT participants. Thankfully there is heaps of info out there on Maidstone as it has been lovingly researched by historians for several hundred years. I have dipped my toe in the water, would be grateful if others would join me...Dick G (talk) 04:38, 23 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Geography[edit]

I've just completed a rewrite on this section, using well-tried "geography exam" headings - site, situation etc. I am sure there is more to add (there always is!) ... Peter Shearan (talk) 10:17, 23 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I think the article has not got much more to go for WK:GA. The model headings and content for UK places is here.Adam37 (talk) 18:54, 2 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Museums[edit]

Mention should be made of the museums in Maidstone - Maidstone Museum and Art Gallery and the Tyrwhitt-Drake carriage museum spring to mind. The Museum of Kent Life has its own page - assistance in expansion welcome. Mjroots (talk) 07:44, 30 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Toponymy[edit]

I have reduced this para by using just the local reference. I know Nottingham University has clout, but could not find the exact reference to the derivation. I have also left out the sentence Another possible meaning is town of the Medway which might be derived from other versions ... since I can find no authority for that assertion Peter Shearan (talk) 07:21, 1 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Transport[edit]

The River Medway had, until the coming of better roads and the railways, long been one of the principal means of transporting goods to and from Maidatone, Improvements had been made in about 1730 to the River Medway, so that barges of 40 tons could get upriver to East Farleigh, Yalding and even Tonbridge. This meant that a good deal of trade, including corn, hops, fodder, fruit, stone and timber passed through the town, where there were several wharfs.
I am unhappy about the phrase- until the coming..., even with a turnpike I wouldn't want to haul 40 tons of pig iron up Blue Bell Hill- then the supposition that the river was bringing goods to Maidstone- I think through Maidstone was more accurate, and the poor rail connection shows how unimportant it was as a destination. I don't have many references for Maidstone so I'll leave it to others to do the rephrasing-- then take the photographs. I know my place. ClemRutter (talk) 18:38, 1 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]


People[edit]

I have added as many people I have found so far but should we be adding to sections, "Born" and "Connected"?

Thomas James Perry, politcal historian - this individual was added today and I can't verify he exists let alone that he was born in Maidstone, in fact Maidstone Australia claim him as one of theirs.

Iamthenewno2 (talk) 11:51, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I removed him as the same user updated both UK and Australian Maidstones and I still can't find anything on the person.

Iamthenewno2 (talk) 12:24, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

There seems to be an inordinate number of names here- I am tempted to ask whether I should include myself in the list because I did park my car there once- and I am older that most of those deemed ´´´notable´´´. Seriously, do we have so many Maidstone births because this was the location of the maternity hospital serving most of West Kent? -ClemRutter (talk) 12:47, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There are a lot of names but bar two they all appear in Wikipedia, maybe it due to the maternity hospital or maybe most places have a good number of notables but just haven't looked them up. -Iamthenewno2 (talk) 13:16, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Population[edit]

As this article is about the town, not the borough, the population in the infobox and lede should clearly be given as 75,070, not 138,959 – it even says as much in the Demography section! I shan't change it myself as I have no interest in the place one way or the other and am not prepared to start edit-warring on it, but someone more involved needs to correct it as otherwise it's just comes across as people trying to make "their" town seem bigger than it actually is. Canterbury (vs. City of Canterbury) has it right, Maidstone (vs. Maidstone (borough)) doesn't! Draggleduck (talk) 22:51, 28 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

As of 7/9/2017 I've corrected the population in the intro and infobox, using the figure from the Nomis Built Up Areas stats (which is what the list of urban areas page uses). The demography section could do with updating to show both a comparable figure and 2011 figures. Or replace the earlier figures with figures based on the town's wards. This would take more work, but allow other demographic data to be pulled and added at the same time. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.34.192.64 (talk) 20:16, 7 September 2017 (UTC)[reply]

School merge[edit]

I have suggested that West Borough Primary School article should be merged to here. It is a non-notable primary and would not survive an AfD. Atlas-maker (talk) 22:42, 18 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Support per precedent.--Charles (talk) 09:43, 19 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Support - Most non notable schools get sent to AFD which then end up being redirected (and rarely merged or deleted) per WP:SCHOOLOUTCOMES. –Davey2010 • (talk) 13:22, 19 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Well seeing as Atlas has buggered off I'll close as redirect to List of schools in Kent seeing as school articles aren't actually ever merged in to articles ... –Davey2010Talk 05:05, 1 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Assessment comment[edit]

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Maidstone/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

More inline citations needed. Epbr123 10:47, 5 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Last edited at 10:47, 5 June 2007 (UTC). Substituted at 22:51, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

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External links, again[edit]

To comment on recent edits about Jesse Ellis - Bmcln1, please see LISTBIO to find: Furthermore, every entry in any such list requires a reliable source attesting to the fact that the named person is a member of the listed group. Notability that allows inclusion in the list is established by a reliable source, which, of course, cannot be a WP article (which is what seems to have happened here). Notability was established by my citation, which ClemRutter has used to create a good article stub. However, there still needs to be a reliable source attached to Jesse Ellis on that biolist, which is what I put there. That source has now been removed, and it looks as if creating an internal WP link allows that. In fact, the entire list of notable people on the Maidstone article is devoid of reliable sources - please compare notable people, with citations, on the Bexleyheath article. Roger 8 Roger (talk) 20:47, 30 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I would be happy to see the Maidstone links checked and even referenced within the list, but I can't undertake to do it at the moment. Bmcln1 (talk) 20:54, 30 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

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Infobox map[edit]

The infobox map seems to show the Maidstone parliamentary constituency area (or something similar). It certainly doesn't show where the town is. Could someone with greater wiki map skills than I please fix? Thanks danno_uk 22:35, 10 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

It is the local govt district. I agree it should be of the town. The problem is finding a non-copyright image, such as a map, to put in its place. Wiki commons only has this image and google free use has very little, a couple of much larger scale maps, eg England, that are propbably even worse than the current map. Someone else might be able to find something to use though. This is, in my opinion, a problem all over wikipedia, where the same name is used to refer to different things, such as geographical places. ("Kent" for example can refer to two or three different things).Roger 8 Roger (talk) 23:18, 10 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

District merge[edit]

I oppose to the merge proposal as the district is much larger than the town and its common to have separate articles, see WP:UKDISTRICTS. Crouch, Swale (talk) 05:41, 2 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Maidstone Radio[edit]

There seems to be some dispute over the inclusion of Maidstone Radio in this article. I do think it is worthy of inclusion but requires proper independent sourcing. It's very easy to see why people may think the edits are promotional though. ElliotPadfield (talk) 11:00, 26 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

For the record, I'm not so worried about promotional aspects, or COI, as I am about some sort of independant sourcing for it. -Roxy the inedible dog . wooF 11:04, 26 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Infobox image[edit]

The infobox montage contains Leeds Castle. Problem is that Leeds Castle isn't in Maidstone, it's 7 miles away and there are other villages in between. Yes it's in the borough or district of Maidstone, but this article is about the town and the borough has its own article which covers a different area. Canterbury Tail talk 18:48, 28 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

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