Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Isle of Sheppey

The Isle of Sheppey is a large island off the North coast of Kent, looking across the estuary of the River Thames to Essex.

It is separated from the mainland by the Swale and the estuary of the River Medway. The South East part of the island is known as the Isle of Harty. The marshes here are internationally important for wildlife.

Sheppey (the name means "sheep island") is 9 miles long and 5 miles wide. The nearest town on the mainland is Sittingbourne, to which it is connected by road and rail bridges.

The main town on Sheppey is Sheerness, a seaside resort and former dockyard town.

Other settlements include Queenborough, Minster-in-Sheppey and Leysdown.

St. Augustine baptised ten thousand people in the Swale in 597.