Overview of Aylesford

Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, 4 miles NW of Maidstone in England. Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. One pub, a village shop and four other small independent shops remain, although some more modern shops, including a hairdressers and a coffee shop have opened in more recent years. Aylesford has expanded rapidly over the past thirty years to gain a population of around 5,000. The Parish of Aylesford covers more than seven square miles, stretching north to Rochester Airport estate and south to Barming, and has a total population of over 10,000, with the main settlements at Aylesford, Eccles, Blue Bell Hill Village and (part of) Walderslade. Aylesford Newsprint, a long-established major employer in the area, is the largest paper recycling factory in Europe, manufacturing newsprint for the newspaper industry.