Fremlin Walk is a shopping centre in the town of Maidstone in Kent. it opened in 2005 after several years of development by Centros Miller to include 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2) of shopping and an 800 space car park.[1]
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The site was previously a factory making Fremlins' Ales & Beers, However, in the 1970s, the Victorian brewery was closed and the existing building just used as a bottling depot. Later on, the site was downgraded once more to a despatch depot. The only original structure from when the site was a brewery, is the arch entrance and clock.
To fit in with the scheme of 'new life' for the river area in the town, it was decided that the shipping depot should be demolished, and something new put in its place; a shopping centre.
There are still many reminders of the site's past. For example, the management office buildings bear the original gold elephant weather vane, an icon of the company. Also, the Fremlins clock was replaced with an identical replica provided by Maidstone Rotary Club. The original brewery entrance has been maintained, and now forms one of the pedestrian entrances.
One of the original trademark nodding elephants from the original brewery is on display, fully restored, in the adjacent Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery.
Today, the centre has over 50 shops, and these are mainly top high street brands, as well as phone shops, and various shoe shops. There are cafés, coffee shops and plenty of benches. Since its opening in 2005, Maidstone has pushed its way into the top 50 shopping towns in the UK, and now stands at 48th.
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