Invicta Park

This isn't another Remembrance Day blip but is about the town I live near. 

Maidstone has a long history as a garrison town. The first troops were based here in 1798 as a response to the perceived threat posed by the French Revolution. The barracks have gone through plenty of changes over the last couple of hundred years and has been the base of 36 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers since 1959. The Queen's Gurkha Engineers are also based there and there is a small but thriving Nepalese community in the town. 

Last week it was announced that Invicta Park barracks will close in 2027 and the land will be sold off - probably for a considerable sum as housing is at a premium in this area.

This statue was unveiled in 2011 and shows a soldier of 36 Engineer Regiment (Search) returning from a mission in Helmand Province. The sculptor was Mary Cox and it stands in Brenchley Gardens, behind Maidstone Museum and a short walk from the barracks. Loss of the barracks will have a big impact on the area.