Lower Brewery was the first in Maidstone, opened in Stone Street in the mid-seventeenth century; Upper Brewery in Brewer Street began at much the same time. By 1700 they were jointly owned, but after changes in ownership the Upper Brewery was demolished c.1820 while the Lower Brewery continued in business until 1930, when it amalgamated with Fremlin’s Brewery and the land was sold. 2 Lower Stone Street was reportedly the head brewers house.

Lower Brewery comprised a “brewhouse, two malthouses, barns and stables” as well as an adjacent house.

 

 

 

The Lower Brewery was reputedly established before 1650 and had been owned by several Maidstone brewers including the Brenchleys, Staceys, Crisps, Ramsbottoms, Fosters and Isherwoods. It acquired Seager & Co, Upper Brewery in 1825. By 1887 its owners were trading as Isherwood, Foster and Stacey.

 

Fremlins bought Isherwood, Foster and Stacey together with 151 licensed houses in 1929 and closed the latter’s Lower Brewery in Lower Stone Street, selling the site for redevelopment. It was replaced by the Granada Cinema in 1934 and Granada House, a development of shops with residential flats above, in 1937.

 

In 1974-6 a large tranche of land just outside the Conservation Area in the angle between Gabriel’s Hill and King Street was redeveloped to form Maidstone’s first indoor shopping mall – this resulted in the loss of some buildings in King Street such as the Congregational Church and the old Central Cinema and the obliteration of the historic Water Lane which ran from the bottom of Gabriel’s Hill to Padsole Mill.

 

 

Lower Stone Street follows the route of the Roman road from Rochester to Hastings and forms the continuation of Gabriel’s Hill on the south side of the River Len crossing (now hidden from view in a culvert).

 

As the linking route between the original settlement focus around All Saints’ Church and the new town centre based on the High Street, Lower Stone Street must have developed early and the west side of the street still preserves many of its long, thin burgage plots which are reflected in the grain of the built development, although some may have been merged early to provide larger plots for prestigious properties as at Stone House. In fact, until the early 19th Century, the street appears to have been one of the preferred locations for town houses of the gentry, some of which still survive. In the 19th Century, the street appears to have lost this character and to have become more commercial in nature – evidence from street directories suggests that it was much more a part of the true town centre than now is the case.

 

In the first decade of the 20th Century a hole was made in the street frontages on the western side of the road with the creation of Palace Avenue – a gap further widened some years later by the creation of the bus station at this corner on the site now occupied by Gail House. These works meant the loss of some fine 17th Century timber-framed houses.

 

Some of the older properties maintain the medieval form with gables facing the street, whilst other buildings are roofed parallel to the street, sometimes with parapets forming strong horizontal features. This results in a varied townscape, which is further emphasised by the wide range of building dates from the 15th to 19th Centuries.

 

Knightrider Street is possibly as old in its origin as Lower Stone Street, or maybe even older as it leads to the site of the original river crossing. It may indeed have formed the main street of the early settlement. It is first mentioned by name in the early 17th Century and like Lower Stone Street became a preferred site for town houses of the gentry. Only one of these, Knightrider House, now survives.

 

Palace Avenue is not a historic street, being a new creation of the first decade of the 20th Century. It is a relatively wide street with a spacious feel. Its dominant feature on the north side is the large millpond formed from the River Len, this large expanse of open water being admirably set off by the white buildings of the Len Engineering Works of the late 1930s/early 1940s.

 

Romney Place originated as a yard entrance to serve the fine Romney House which was set back behind the frontage development in Lower Stone Street. As a street it was probably laid out circa 1830 given the evidence of the terraces at its eastern end and was probably a development by Lord Romney contemporary with his other developments around Marsham Street in the north-eastern quarter of the town.