St Mary's Island, Kent
St Mary's Island | |
---|---|
Chatham Maritime Marina with St Mary's Island | |
Location within Kent | |
OS grid reference | TQ766706 |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CHATHAM |
Postcode district | ME4 |
Dialling code | 01634 |
Police | Kent |
Fire | Kent |
Ambulance | South East Coast |
Rochester and Strood | |
St Mary's Island, is part of the Chatham Maritime development area in
St.Mary's Island is divided from mainland Chatham by three basins used by the dockyard.
History
The Romans were the first people to use the Island. They constructed a road through the marshy swamp criss-crossed by tidal channels land, and established a ferry route from the Island to the Hoo Peninsula. The ferry was named 'Prince's Bridge' on early maps, it was used until the final years of the last century.[2]
The 3 dockyard basins are sited on St Mary's Creek, which passed from the River Medway, near Gillingham to the River Medway (again) near Chatham. In 1575, the creek was blocked with stakes, as a defensive method against the Spanish forces. In 1585, a chain was placed across the River Medway, secured on the island and linked with a Wheelhouse at Upnor Castle. It would have been raised in times of danger. In the 1600s, a fort was built at the mouth of the creek, since the creek was now a passageway to the thriving dockyard. The fort had 54 guns of various calibres, but it has since been demolished. It was called Gillingham Fort. In 1663, Samuel Pepys mentions St.Mary's Creek, twice in his famous diaries, while travelling towards the dockyards.[3]
A map of the dockyard in 1746, shows the marshland of the island, but it also shows a small mast pond, a reed house and timber storage land had been constructed on the north banks of the stream.
During the
In 1847, 19 Acres was purchased by the Crown to enlarge the dockyard. Then in 1854, another 185 acres were purchased. This meant the whole of the island was now in the hands of the Crown and the dockyard.
Between 1854 and 1856, St Mary's Prison was built on the island. It had approximately 1,700 prisoners and staff of 232 (including 117 armed wardens). The prison was demolished in 1898.[5]
In 1862, the dockyard was again re-modernised by engineer
A timber landing jetty was constructed beside the seawall, so that materials could be off loaded from ships. Blue Gault clay came from Burham and yellow sand from Aylesford.[5] A 21-acre brickfield was also built on the northern end of the island for the docks. The brick earth came from the digging out of the basins. This was mixed with imported material. More than 23,000 bricks were made each week, and about 110 million bricks were manufactured overall.[5]
Sixty-foot timber piles were driven into the marsh ground, to form the stable foundations of the basins. The excavated earth was then transported by tramways and spread over the island marshes. This subsequently raised the ground level, to approx. 6 ft above the high water mark at spring tide of the river Medway. Portland stone was shipped in and used to face the sides of the drydock.[5]
While excavating, the remains of HMS Charles V ship were found, as well as several cannons. Two were restored and placed in the new dockyard.[7] In 1871, the 1st phase of work was completed, but it took until 1885 for all the work to be completed. An official opening took place on 26 September 1885.[5]
In 1940, during the Second World War, the island was used as a training ground for mock battles, which were staged against the dockyards. More than 2,000
In 1944, an abandoned German submarine was towed by Royal Navy vessels and repaired in No.3 Basin.[5]
Re-development phase
In 1984, the dockyard was closed. Its huge site was then broken up into three large zones. The largest zone was for the historic section of the dockyard, now the Chatham Historic Dockyard. The next zone (including St Mary's Island, and No 1 and No 2 Basins) was to be re-developed as residential and commercial accommodation. The final zone, of No.3 Basin and the lock gates, was taken over by the Medway Ports authority and is now a commercial port. It includes Papersafe UK[8] and Nordic Recycling Ltd.[9]
In the late 1990s, government agency English Partnerships and housing developer Countryside, came together to build homes on the island, under the development name Countryside Maritime.[10] In due course, some parcels of land were allowed to be developed by other builders, including Redrow.
The first people to live on the Island following the redevelopment were Alan, Deborah and Michael Searles, who moved there in 1996. There is a plaque dedicated to them on the Island-side of the bridge with a Time Capsule buried underneath.
As well as several hundred new homes, there is a primary school and community church,[11] a community centre, a doctor's surgery and a late-night pharmacy. There is extensive open space between housing parcels, as well as sports fields and play areas.
There are riverside walks and cycle paths on the island, and many of the paths in the middle of the island give views of the surrounding area.
There are no retail facilities on the island: those, and cafes and restaurants, are off the island. The Dockside Outlet Centre shopping precinct is within a twenty-minute walk. This includes a Co-Operative supermarket and The Ship and Trades
Since 2008, with the growth of island community, Youth Club "The Island's Castaways" has been established, providing many activities for children. Also, for retired members of the community, there is St Mary's Island Active Retirement Association (SAINTARA) that is also successfully running since 2008. There is a thriving and influential residents' association (SMIRA)[12] lobbying local authorities to ensure that the island remains an extraordinary place to live, work, study and play.
Recent developments include two large apartment blocks situated on the Marina. These will also house a gym and bar/restaurant.[13]
The island is served Monday-Saturday by the
Wildlife
Many species of birds have been recorded on St Mary's Island, including
References
- SEEDAwebsite. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
- ^ a b http://www.stmarysisland.uk.com/island-living/the-concept/history
- ^ "Sunday 2 August 1663". 2 August 2006.
- ^ a b "St Mary's Island". www.historicmedway.co.uk. 27 December 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
- ^ "Early 19th Century to Victorian".
- ISBN 0-86023-089-9.
- ^ http://www.yell.com/b/Papersafe+UK,+Berth+6,+Basin+3-Storage-Chatham-ME44SR-901204962/index.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Countryside Maritime launches Axis on St Mary's Island - Countryside Properties Corporate website". Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ "Home". st-marys-island.medway.sch.uk.
- ^ "Home - St Mary's Island Residents Association Ltd". Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
- ^ "Byrne Estates: London and international property developers".
- ^ Arriva route 100: Chatham Rail Station to St Mary's Island Arriva Southern Counties 2020
- ^ "Route 151 Timetable: Medway Valley Links" (PDF). Nu Venture, June 2020.