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Kent Archives

@kentarchives.bsky.social

A nationally accredited archive repository for Kent, established in 1933 and based in Maidstone. Get involved and keep up-to-date with the latest news and events from our service. This account is monitored from Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 5pm.

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Kent Archives@kentarchives.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Can't stand the heat? Escape the sizzling streets and step into our Search Room… 🏃🏻‍♀️💨☀️ With our climate controls and extensive historical collections, Kent Archives might just be the coolest place to visit in #Maidstone! 😎 We're open from 9am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

Shown here is a photograph of the Search Room at Kent Archives. We're based at Kent History and Library Centre on James Whatman Way, Maidstone. Our Search Room is equipped with climate controls designed to preserve our collections whilst they are being accessed by the public, with the added bonus of keeping the space pleasantly cool during the summer months. We’re open to the public from 9am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Documents can be ordered until 4pm, and we kindly ask that anything being viewed is returned to the Search Room Supervisor no later than 4:45pm, ensuring our team has enough time to return items to the strong rooms before closing. We advise booking a desk to avoid disappointment. However, we are happy to accommodate non‑booked readers if space allows. To book your visit, contact us at archives@kent.gov.uk — we’ll be happy to check our desk availability and guide you through the process of being authorised to access our collections.
Kent Archives@kentarchives.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Join Mark and Alice from Kent Archives at #Maidstone Museum's Local History Fair, taking place today from 10am to 3pm. Learn about our collections and services, view a small selection of original documents, and discover other heritage organisations from across the county 🤝

Shown here is a promotional graphic advertising Maidstone Museum's Local History Fair. The event is taking place on Saturday 11th April 2026, from 10am - 3pm, and will be attended by historical societies, museums, and heritage organisations from across Kent. Maidstone Museum is located at St Faiths Street, ME14 1LH.
Kent Archives@kentarchives.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Kent Archives will be closed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday whilst our team consumes copious amounts of chocolate, but we'll be open as usual this Saturday 4th April. Feel free to hop into our Search Room — just remember to leave any #Easter eggs in the lockers… 🐰🍫

Shown here is a graphic displaying Kent Archives' opening hours for the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, Friday 3rd – Monday 6th April 2026.
Kent Archives@kentarchives.bsky.social · 5mo ago

We recently said farewell to João who has volunteered with us for several months, transcribing the late-19th century nominal registers from our #Maidstone Prison collection. Thank you for all your hard work, João! You'll be greatly missed and we wish you every success for the future.

Shown here is João, a former volunteer at Kent Archives. He can be seen in our Search Room, transcribing one of the late-19th century nominal registers from our Maidstone Prison collection [sub-fonds ref. PR/Md] From hosting reading groups to providing customers with IT support and developing resources to aid historical research, the Time2Give scheme offers members of the public the opportunity to volunteer at Kent Libraries, Registration and Archives. For further information and to submit an application, visit: www.kent.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/libraries/clubs-and-activities-in-libraries/volunteer-in-libraries-and-archives
Kent Archives@kentarchives.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Announcing our first lunchtime talk of 2026! Monday 9th March, 1-2pm: 'Using title deeds to research historic buildings, and to trace lost houses' presented by Mark Ballard – Archivist at Kent Archives. Book your free seat today: 📧 archives@kent.gov.uk ☎️ 03000 420 673

About the talk: Kent Archives' guide, 'How to Research the History of Your House', outlines the sources available at Kent Archives for researching properties, including deeds proving title to land, whether built upon or not. Mark will explain how to locate and interpret title deeds, discuss their limitations, and show how other sources may be used to supplement them. He will also demonstrate how title deeds can aid research into historic houses that no longer exist, using the Tonbridge abode of Jane Austen’s grandfather, William Austen, as an example. Mark Ballard has worked for Kent Archives since 1991, with an interlude at Tower Hamlets Archives working on title deeds for its National Lottery Fund-supported Land and Lives project and the Survey of London volumes on Whitechapel. He has published articles about Jane Austen’s Kent relatives, including 'Tales of Inheritance from West Kent' in 'Jane Austen's Geographies', edited by Robert Clark (Routledge, 2018).
Kent Archives@kentarchives.bsky.social · 6mo ago

A lost landmark of Chatham Hill in #Gillingham, Jezreel’s Tower was built in the 1880s to serve as the headquarters of the New and Latter House of Israel. Although never completed and razed in 1961, it remains a notable curiosity in the history of #Medway 🧱 🔎 To learn more, click ALT ☟

Shown here is a postcard depicting an exterior view of Jezreel's Tower at Chatham Hill, Gillingham. Postmark dated 9th August 1923 [ref. GIL 85] Jezreel's Tower was an imposing religious structure intended to be the centrepiece of a small but fervent sect called the New and Latter House of Israel, led by James Jezreel (c.1851-1885). Initially a soldier in the British Army, Jezreel was influenced by the prophetic teachings of Joanna Southcott of Taleford, Devon (1750-1814), and established a Medway-based enclave of "Jezreelites" to continue her movement. Despite the sect's ambition, the tower was never completed owing to financial strain and the death of Jezreel in 1885, which left the group without strong leadership. Whilst the structure fell into disrepair, its decaying shell became a notable curiosity of the local landscape. After standing derelict for decades, the tower was demolished in 1961 — bringing an end to one of Kent’s most unusual architectural landmarks.
Kent Archives@kentarchives.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Today we’d like to wish Maidstone Museum a very happy 168th birthday! Just a stone’s throw from Kent Archives, the museum was founded in 1858 and holds a diverse collection of over 600,000 artefacts — from Japanese decorative art and Ancient Egypt to ethnography and local history 🏺📿 ☟ See H/U18/44

Shown here is an undated [late 19th century] albumen print photograph showing Maidstone Museum from Brenchley Gardens. It was published by Frederick Bunyard, a bookseller and stationer in Maidstone [ref. H/U18/44] A handwritten inscription on the verso of the mount reads: 'Maidstone: The Museum is a curious ancient building upon the site of the Manor house of Chillington and associated with the name of Sir John Lord Cobham as early as 1343. The building itself is a curiosity. The collections are good in ancient remains, geology, specimens of extinct animals, and general natural history. The room set apart for the Library is large and commodious and well stocked with books which though neither old nor rare are good and some of them very valuable. Open to all, admission free. God keep all Dwelling in this place in Meat and Wealth with Truth and Grace Amen. J. C. Inscription in the interior of the Great Hall.'
Kent Archives@kentarchives.bsky.social · 8mo ago

✨ Our opening hours this festive season ✨ Following our temporary closure, we look forward to re-opening our Search Room to the public on Tuesday 16th December. Plan to visit us in the next few weeks? To avoid disappointment, please bear in mind the following dates…

Shown here is a graphic listing Kent Archives' opening hours for December 2025 and January 2026. Key dates to bear in mind include: Christmas Eve, Wednesday 24th December – Closed Christmas Day, Thursday 25th December – Closed Boxing Day, Friday 26th December – Closed New Year's Eve, Wednesday 31st December – Open until 4pm New Year's Day, Thursday 1st January – Closed We look forward to welcoming you to the Search Room this festive season!