Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, 32 miles (51 km) southeast of London. The River Medway runs through centre of the town. Traditionally Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural county of Kent, known as the Garden of England. Conservative Ann Widdecombe is MP for Maidstone & The Weald. There is evidence of a settlement in the area dating back to the Stone Age. In 2001, the town had a population of 75,000. The Fremlin Walk shopping arcade opened, on the site of a former brewery in the centre of the town. It has an area of 32,500 square metres. Other recent developments include the riverside Lockmeadow Centre, which includes a multiplex cinema, restaurants, nightclub, bowling alley, and market square. As of the 2001 UK census, 45.2% of the town's residents aged 16–74 were employed full-time, 12.7% employed part-time, 7.6% self-employed and 2.5% unemployed, while 2.3% were students with jobs, 3.0% students without jobs, 12.9% retired, 6.6% looking after home or family, 3.8% permanently sick or disabled and 3.2% economically inactive for other reasons. These figures were roughly inline with the national average. More on Maidstone 

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