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More on KentOnline
Could the historic Archbishop’s Palace be turned into a hotel, or our green expanse of Mote Park be covered in new houses?
These plans may seem far-fetched - and would likely meet with angry opposition from the people of Maidstone - but they could become a reality later this year.
Maidstone landmarks will feature in the town's version of the iconic game
But it’s far from a get-rich-quick scheme by local developers, everyone will have a chance to grab a piece of the action, and hopefully a tidy profit, when the County Town is immortalised in its very own edition of the iconic board game Monopoly.
Today it has been announced that Maidstone will become the latest location in Kent to be honoured with its own version of the famous board, with local landmarks replacing the traditional London locations.
The people of the town are now being encouraged to come forward with their suggestions for addresses to feature and local prizes and forfeits to be included on the Community Chest cards.
George Shrimpton, custom games executive at manufacturer Winning Moves, explained what it takes to bring a special edition of the famous game to life.
“We look for the public’s input, so polling is open today,” he said as the plans for the Maidstone game were revealed.
“We have had some fantastic suggestions already for Community Chest cards, and different locations on the board, so we go through all the suggestions and put together the Maidstone edition of Monopoly. So don’t forget to write in and help us out.”
Mr Shrimpton said the company would carry out research to look for what is important to the County Town to ensure the game has a really unique local flavour.
“Locals will be helping us decide, especially on the Community Chest cards and things like this,” he said.
“It can be nice little facts, different bits of trivia that are key to Maidstone but people outside Maidstone may not know, that’s why it is so important that people write in and let us know what should be on the board.”
Maidstone emerged as the winner of its own edition of the game from a shortlist of potential towns and cities, seeing off runners-ups Antwerp in Belgium and Chartres in France to claim the honour.
Mr Shrimpton said: “For us it’s always been a case of when, not if.
“We had a shortlist of 25 and this time Maidstone fought off the rest and it was chosen. We are really excited to be finally rolling the dice on Maidstone.”
The process for taking the new game from concept to hitting the shops in October 2021 sees the team at Winning Moves - who are producing the new edition under license from games firm Hasbro - sift through all the suggestions submitted by the public to select the ones that best represent the town.
Then the artwork for the board is designed, including imagery of the town’s most famous landmarks chosen to represent each property, before the physical product is manufactured in Ireland ready for purchase in time for Christmas.
Mr Shrimpton said: “Maidstone is Kent’s most populous place and is blessed with very many stunning landmarks and buildings, and hidden gems like Leeds Castle and the Archbishop’s Palace.
“It may well be more a case of which landmarks to leave off than the ones to put on. We expect to be wonderfully spoilt for choice.”
It is not the first time a place in Kent has been granted the honour of featuring in its very own edition of the iconic trading game.
Canterbury was the first in 2014, with Margate following in 2019 and Folkestone a year later.
However the launch of the game for the cathedral city in 2014 was not without incident, with a picture of Rochester Castle accidentally included on Canterbury’s edition.
Reacting to news of the new game, Mayor of Maidstone Marion Ring said: "As there are only two weeks to vote and so many beautiful, historical and memorable places in Maidstone that could be featured in the new game, have a go now for your own favourites.
"This is our opportunity as residents to shape how it will look and what it will be like to play. It's great that Maidstone has been chosen and I will look forward to playing it when it comes out later in the year."
What about our vanquished rivals?
Maidstone eventually emerged victorious after seeing off Antwerp in Belgium and Chartres in France for the right to be honoured with its own version of Monopoly.
Antwerp is the second city of Belgium and is located on the River Scheldt. It is believed the location was inhabited as long ago as the Roman era.
Although it may not be getting its own Monopoly money this time around, it is still a wealthy trading centre in its own right and is known as a major hub for the trade in diamonds.
Chartres is situated around 50 miles to the south west of the French capital Paris.
It is perhaps best known for its cathedral, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, which is considered one of the best-preserved Gothic cathedrals in Europe, recognised by its inclusion on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
Send your suggestions by email to: maidstone@winningmoves.co.uk; via the official Maidstone Monopoly Facebook Page or by post to: Maidstone Monopoly, Winning Moves, 7 Praed Street, London W2 1NJ
