Maidstone

Town and borough (pop., 2001: 138,959), administrative and historic county of Kent, southeastern England. It is situated on the River Medway southeast of London. Its name is derived from one given it in Domesday Book. A residence of the Norman archbishops of Canterbury until the Reformation, it grew as a market town. Still an agricultural centre, it is located in England's largest hops-growing area, and brewing is important to its economy. Among many sites of architectural interest is the medieval archbishop's palace.