Living in Maidstone - anyone?

Caporegime
Joined
1 Nov 2003
Posts
35,691
Location
Lisbon, Portugal
Hi guys,

Currently looking at properties in Kent. Main favourites are Rochester and Maidstone.

Rochester we are pretty clued up on...ie where to and where not to live etc.

Can anyone offer any guidance on Maidstone?

We don't want anywhere scummy :p [/snob] a nice area thats walking distance (upto 1.5 miles) from the station would be ideal as I need to commute into London.

If anyone can offer any guidance/advice that would be brilliant.

TIA
Best,
Jake
 
Man of Honour
Joined
5 Jun 2003
Posts
91,331
Location
Falling...
All I know is that you'll be closer to me if you live there. This is a good thing. <3

I have friends that live in Maidstone, but I don't know enough about it to help you - but it's a nice town from the times I've spent there.
 
Caporegime
OP
Joined
1 Nov 2003
Posts
35,691
Location
Lisbon, Portugal
All I know is that you'll be closer to me if you live there. This is a good thing. <3

I have friends that live in Maidstone, but I don't know enough about it to help you - but it's a nice town from the times I've spent there.

Well that was my first priority sweetie. <3

Cool, it seems nice enough! Would you mind asking on my behalf please? :)
 
Soldato
Joined
12 Jun 2008
Posts
3,011
lived there for a while, tbh at night time it can be a little lively/rough (IMO). I don't mean to sound snobby, but its surrounded by quite a few council estates and properties which i think results in my former point. During the day its a reasonable place i guess.
 
Soldato
Joined
19 Nov 2004
Posts
12,499
Location
Wokingham
Only been to Maidstone once, but its got a decent town centre. West (or East, can't remember) Malling is nearby and thats really nice. Much smaller and more of a country feel, but you can get in and out of London easily, especially east London/Canary Wharf.
 
Caporegime
OP
Joined
1 Nov 2003
Posts
35,691
Location
Lisbon, Portugal
Only been to Maidstone once, but its got a decent town centre. West (or East, can't remember) Malling is nearby and thats really nice. Much smaller and more of a country feel, but you can get in and out of London easily, especially east London/Canary Wharf.

Malling you say?

Shall take a look :) - Thank you!
 
Associate
Joined
29 Jun 2004
Posts
2,259
Location
Rainham, Kent
Just a note about Rochester - if you will be commuting, seats on the train (if you're going to Victoria or Cannon Street) may be hard to find as lots of commuters get on at Rainham, Gillingham and Chatham. If you'd be getting the high speed to St Pancras it wouldn't be a problem.

What sort of place would you be looking to get in Rochester or Maidstone ?
 
Soldato
Joined
25 Mar 2004
Posts
2,885
Location
Iwade, Kent
The only Pizza Express is in the high street and parking is a royal PITA, this is my experience of Maidstone (I considered moving my business from Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne to Maidstone TV Studios, Maidstone so did a bit of a reccy :p)
 
Associate
Joined
7 Jan 2010
Posts
886
The only Pizza Express is in the high street and parking is a royal PITA, this is my experience of Maidstone (I considered moving my business from Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne to Maidstone TV Studios, Maidstone so did a bit of a reccy :p)

No it isn't :confused:

It's in Earl Street, which runs parallel to the high street. Oh, and it's practically next to a giant multi storey car park.
 
Soldato
Joined
17 Jan 2006
Posts
4,211
I live in Maidstone and have done for the last 8 years or so and before that lived in a village not far from it called Staplehurst - so basically Maidstone is my home town.

My thoughts on it as a town...

Shopping is pretty good as far as high streets go and has al your typical shops. It hadn't been hit much by the economic down turn since 2008 but over the last year or so it seems to have suffered a bit a some shops have gone but if you're a fairly standard sort of person you'll find what you're looking for.

Eating out is great, there is pretty much everything you could wish for from a decent greasy spoon up to some lovely restaurants. You'll find pretty much all the main chains here including Nandos, Pizza Express, Zizzi, Prezzo etc. Most of these are situated on one street which is becoming a nice eating area. In addition in the surrounding area there are some lovely pubs that do amazing food and some truely fantastic restaurants about.

As for parking, there is actually masses of parking it's just that some of it is spreadout and hidden away a bit bit if you get to know the area you can always find a space!!!

Dodgy Areas...
As with pretty much any town there are some dodgy areas some are complete no go zones others you just need to avoid certain parts.

For example: Tovil
Avoid Coombe Road and Courtney Road as they are truely hideous however not far away at Tovil Green (literally half a mile away) there is a lovely set of estates which are really peaceful and quiet and some really nice houses.

My Rough off the top of my head guide to areas of Maidstone
1) Senacre - largely ok, a few areas to avoid.
2) Shepway - Largely avoid though there are some nice roads tucked away (I live on one such road)
3) Park Wood - Avoid
4) Mangravet - avoid at all costs!
5) Tovil - Some nice areas but some very rough areas too
6) Downswood -largely speaking ok
7) Bearsted - Nice
8) Weavering - Nice
9) Boxley - Ok though some areas to be avoided
10) Otham - nice
11) Sandling - nice
12) Ringlestone - avoid
13) Larkfield - ok
14) Ditton - nice
15) Detling - Nice
16) Barming - Nice for the most part

In the surrounding area there are some really really nice villages which are close enough to make Maidstone very handy but far enough away to be nicely rural, and a lot of them are on the trainline to London.

examples on train line:
Hollingbourne, Harrietsham, Lensham,

Examples not on train line:
Leeds, coxheath, Boughton Monchelsea, Linton, Langley

A bit further out you also have some nice villages which are on a different fast commuter line:
eg Marden, Staplehurst, Headcorn.

hope this is of some help.
 
Soldato
Joined
17 Jan 2006
Posts
4,211
No worries.

If you need any more info just give me a shout, happy to help out.

Of the two (Rochester and Maidstone) I would choose Maidstone every time! ALthough Rochester is quite nice, it is right next door to Chatham which is really not! Every time in the last 10 years that I have been to Chat shopping or anything, there has been palpable tension in the air and made it feel rather intimidating and unpleasant.

It's quite strange really as the change seemed to happen very quickly several years ago whic I was at university. Two or three times a year I'd go for a day out shopping with my Mum and we'd have a nice lunch (use to be a lovely greek restaurant there) and it was always a lovely day. Then. having not been for a few months we went and the whole place felt like it had changed, there seemed to be an atmosphere and tension that you could almost feel, and all the life had gone from the shopping centre and everywhere...twas most odd!!
 
Soldato
Joined
17 Jan 2006
Posts
4,211
I'd agree with Valve on pretty much everything there. Didn't know Boxley had some bad areas though - where do you mean?

Maybe using Boxley a little too loosely actually, thinking down the bottom of Boxley Road by the prison etc, though that's probably more town centre than Boxley itself...
 
Associate
Joined
7 Jan 2010
Posts
886
Maybe using Boxley a little too loosely actually, thinking down the bottom of Boxley Road by the prison etc, though that's probably more town centre than Boxley itself...

Ah ok - down towards the prison is Penenden Heath area, which itself has nice parts and not so nice parts, but there's no trouble to be worried about as far as I've seen.
 
Back
Top Bottom