A lifetime of Islands: December 2011

Island 160 - St Mary's Island, Chatham, Kent

St Mary's Island is not mentioned in any of the many island books I own. I stumbled upon it while looking for information on St Mary's in the Isle of Scilly. It was once just a salt marsh but when the Chatham Dockyard was being created, the mud that was dug out of St Mary's Creek was deposited on the island. The island is now a new housing estate and very lovely the houses look too. However it isn't far above sea level and if I lived there I would be a bit worried about this fact. The highest point on the island is only about 4 metres above sea level. Canvey Island across the Thames Estuary and the Isle of Sheppey were both flooded extensively in the storm surge of 1953.

The Romans constructed a road to the island and operated a ferry from Finsborough Ness to the Hoo Peninsula. The ferry survived until the late 19th century.

In 1667 during the 2nd Anglo Dutch War, in order to protect against an attack by the Dutch Navy, old ships were sunk across St Mary's Creek and between the island and Upnor on the other side of the River Medway. However the Dutch Navy under Admiral de Ruyter avoided the sunken ships, broke through a chain, which had been stretched across the Medway, destroyed 13 vessels and towed 2 away.

From the Napoleonic Wars to the end of Queen Victoria's reign the River Medway alongside the island was used to accommodate hulks - decommissioned naval ships, which housed criminals and prisoners of war. Convict labour was used to dig out St Mary's Creek to create 3 basins. These were completed in the 1870s and were used by the Royal Navy until 1984.

In the mid 1990s there was a competition to create a masterplan for the regeneration of St Mary's Island. English Partnerships chose the submission made by Countryside Properties. 150 acres of the island has been developed as housing by Countryside Maritime - a partnership between the South East England Development Agency and Countryside Properties. The island had to be decontaminated before the houses were built. I think that might worry me a bit too if I lived there.

It took 3 years to remove 1.2 million cubic metres of soil from the site and replace it with uncontaminated soil. I wonder what they did with all the contaminated soil?

St Mary's Primary School and Church
There is also a Community Centre and a doctor's surgery on the island and several purpose built play areas.

Typical St Mary's housing

Looking towards Kingsnorth Power Station

Slipway and sculpture at Finsborough Ness

The Mariners Sculpture, Finsborough Ness

Lots of lovely oozy mud at low tide!

Flats on St Mary's Island

Looking towards St Mary's Island from Chatham

Island 159 - Isle of Harty, Sheppey, Kent

The Isle of Harty is located in the south east corner of the Isle of Sheppey and is bounded on the east by the North Sea, on the south by The Swale and to the north by the Capel Fleet. The highest point on the island is 27 metres above sea level. There are a couple of farms on the island, the church of St Thomas the Apostle, a couple of houses and the Ferry Inn. There used to be a ferry across The Swale from Harty to Oare.

Harty is access down a 3 mile long supposedly metalled road, which comes off the B2231 between Eastchurch and Leysdown-on-Sea. The road is very potholed, so would not be good if you are in a hurry or it is dark. I followed 5 4x4s down the road. I thought they were birdwatchers but when they parked up they all got out with shotguns in their hands, so presumably they enjoy killing birds, rather than watching them!

13 services a year are held in St Thomas's Church. The church has no electricity and so is lit by candles and paraffin lamps. I don't know if it is normally open but I visited on Christmas Eve and someone was preparing the church for a service that evening. Part of the building dates back to the Norman period.

St Thomas's Church looking north

St Thomas's Church looking south towards The Swale

Stained Glass windows in St Thomas's Church - To Everything there is a Season

There is a window representing each season.

Capel Fleet where the road crosses it - looking west

One of the best places in the UK to watch birds of prey?

The Ferry Inn

Looking south from near the Ferry Inn - salt marshes and The Swale

Peacock

I know the Isle of Harty is a good place to watch birds but I wasn't expecting to see a peacock! This chap was happy to pose for photos

Island 158 - Elmley, Isle of Sheppey, Kent

Elmley Island is one of the 3 islands that make up Sheppey. The other 2 are the main Isle of Sheppey and the Isle of Harty in the south east corner of Sheppey. Elmley is located in the south west corner of Sheppey and is bounded on the south by The Swale and to the north by the once partially tidal Dray, which meets The Swale near Ridham Dock in the west and becomes Windmill Creek, which meets The Swale near Spitend Point in the south east. The Dray and Windmill Creeks are no longer tidal since the building of seawalls at each end. Elmley Island is low lying. The highest point is 12 metres above sea level.

In 1688 King James II was captured in the Elmley Marshes by local fishermen while trying to flee to France and was held overnight at Kingshill Farmhouse.

In 1854 century the Elmley Cement Works (also known as the Turkey Cement Works) was built on the west coast of Elmley. The workers lived in a small village on the island with c35 houses. There was also a school, a pub and a church. The village was located half a mile due west of Kingshill Farm. After the cement works closed in 1901 the village died. The church was demolished in the 1960s, although one or two gravestones remain but the ruins of the school can still be seen.

The island is a National Nature Reserve. When I visited on Christmas Eve 2011 it was managed by the RSPB, but it is now managed by the private landowner. I'm not a great bird watcher but I saw a curlew and lots of lapwings. There is a public toilet at the car park, which is 2 miles down a rough track. The track comes off the B2231 near the Kingsferry Bridge. It is not accessible from the new Sheppey Crossing. Dogs (except assistance dogs) are not allowed. There is currently (11/2023) an admission charge of £8 per adult. You are asked stay in your car on the entrance track to avoid disturbing the wildlife.

Avocets, curlews, golden plovers, teals, pintails, dunlins, yellow wagtails, redshanks, starlings, oystercatchers, merlins, hen harriers, marsh harriers and short-eared owls can all be seen on the reserve.