PEOPLE were taken back half a century and more today to the heyday of Maidstone's brewing tradition.

Horse drawn drays will be a distant memory to even the oldest generation but were once a regular sight on the streets of the town.

This morning the traditional barrel wagon returned for one last trip from the former Fremlins Brewery in Earl Street to Maidstone Museum.

But the only deliveries this time were Maidstone Mayor Cllr Pat Marshall and Fremlin Walk developer Centros Miller's Managing Director Lestor Hampton.

The symbolic gesture was held as construction work on the £100 million new centre officially got underway.

The launch ceremony at Maidstone Museum included a full briefing updating invited dignitaries on progress on site.

There were also exhibitions of updated designs and artist's impressions detailing how Fremlin Walk will look when it finally opens in 2005.

Archaeological teams meanwhile are set to excavate a wider area of the site in a bid to discover more about the town's Roman past.

It is estimated an area 40 metres by 20 metres will be dug next month near the junction of Museum Street and Earl Street.

Fragments of pottery dating back 1,800 years were discovered in the area during initial investigations over the past three weeks.

Further trenches are also being dug as demolition of remaining buildings at the junction of Early Street and Week Street reaches its final stage.

AOC Archaeology field project officer Darryl Palmer said: "It will help us to make a lot more sense of what we have already found.

"We are still negotiating when the best time will be to get on site but we have been given plenty of time to get a more detailed look.

Visitors to Maidstone council's website - www.digitalmaidstone.co.uk can watch the development of Fremlin Walk as it happens.

Webcam images regularly update work on site with other information including a directory of shops set to open for business in 2005.