Queenborough

Round the corner from Sheerness is situated the much older town of Queenborough. Named after Queen Philippa wife of Edward 111 who built a castle there (demolished in 1650), with a ‘decayed’ harbour, the town never flourished and was at its height of prosperity in the reign of Elizabeth 1. Pevsner in 1969 says ‘even today ... looks a little forlorn’ I knew Queenborough in the 1960’s and its got no better - probably worse!

There are a number of old buildings, including Holy Trinity church, not outstanding but with a large churchyard monument in Baroque form to the Greet family, 1829 by A T Hadlow. 

Like Blue Town the town needs funding to improve the streetscape. There is still the remains of industry around the area but the pervading smell of the glueworks has now thankfully blown over.

© M.C.Sleigh 2013

Sheerness

The Isle of Sheppey can be a strange place and Sheerness is a bit of a backwater – you don’t pass through Sheerness as it’s in a corner so you have to have a good reason to go there. I know it from childhood visits to the seaside and have occasionally returned to see what’s happened (not much).

There are a few architecturally interesting buildings in the town which date from when it had a Royal Naval Dockyard (closed in 1960). The best building probably being the Dockyard Church, 1828 rebuilt 1884 and listed Grade 11*, now in a very poor state after being gutted by fire and left for years but hopefully restoration is in sight.

By the dockyard walls lies Bluetown, once a lively place ‘servicing’ the dockyard workers needs but now run down with a few listed buildings, certainly not improved much on when I was last there, but has some potential if funding was available.

In Sheerness there is an intriguing structure, the massive base of Sheerness Water Tower, built 1840/50, the waterworks is long gone but this brick structure remains and various suggestions have been made for its reuse but nothing has happened – strangely it was delisted as Grade 11 by the DoE in 1988 (don’t know why?).

© M.C.Sleigh 2013

Church Stained Glass Course

The date has now been set for the course Church Stained Glass 1820 - 1920 to be held at the Guildford Institute - Tuesday 17th September, 10am - 2pm.

Full details to follow, the course will include a visit to a church in Guildford to look at examples of stained glass windows.

Booking will be with the Guildford Institute once their Autumn program is published.