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St Marys Island
St Marys Island maps
Historic maps of St Marys Island and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all St Marys Island maps
St Marys Island photos
We have no photos of St Marys Island, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Brompton| Hoo| Frindsbury| Strood| Gillingham| Rochester| Chatham| Cooling| Higham| Gads Hill| Cliffe| Rainham| Cuxton| Shorne| Upchurch| Lower Stoke| Bredhurst| Halling| Burham| Allhallows| Snodland
St Marys Island area books
Displaying 1 of 23 books about St Marys Island and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of St Marys Island
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Kent memories
The River at Hoo
In the late 1950s my parents had a small boat on the river here. My dad built it in the side garden of our house on the outskirts of the village. He painted it blue and named it 'Jeannie', after my mother. It had a small outboard motor, and our family of four spent many happy days both 'messing about in boats' down at the marina, and actually boating on the river, taking picnics on the river islands and admiring the Napoleonic fort. Funny how the sun always seemed to be shining in those days. Well, not always - one memorable trip to the Isle of Sheppy, undertaken in the face of small craft warnings, is particularly etched into my memory! I've often thought of those days on the river, partly because with the perspective of age I've realised that all the young men like my father who were so interested in making happy memories with their families had so recently fought in a terrible war and had other memories... Read more
Childhood in Hoo
This view is instantly familiar! There was a sweet shop right there which was a favourite destination on walks into the village. I lived with my family in Hoo for two or three years in the late 1950s. My father was Eric Cox; my mother, Mary Jane ('Jean') Cox, and my sister, Penelope. My name is Susan. I believe we left in late 1959. We were the first family to live in a small row of newly-built houses on the main road into the village, a short walk and on the opposite side of the road to what we called the 'Rec', or playing field. There were swings and a self-propelled round-about where we often played. Cricketers used the grassy space as well - perhaps they still do. Our next-door neighbour was a doctor, Dr Tilley, who seemed to have a thriving village practice and who, in the fashion of the day, had his surgery at the front of his home. The village proper had two sweet shops, a newspaper... Read more
The Flood
Our barge, Hambrook, was moored at Hoo in the early 1950s. There were quite a number of fully rigged barges there at the time, but ours had had the rigging removed and converted into a houseboad. Most of the barges were used as residence, and there were quite a lot of children living on them. My mother, brother and I were on board the night of the 1953 flood. I was woken up by the sound of things crashing, and realised the the barge was listing, but didn't register that anything was amiss until my mother came rushing into my cabin and ordered me to get out of bed and get dressed immediately. The barge was in the process of capsizing!
Many of the barges at Hoo were moored alongside lareg wooden piles, and the flood water had lifted Hambrook above the tops of them. The onshore wind had then blown the barge sideways, aided by the onshore mooring lines, and so when... Read more
Name Search
I am looking for details of Florence Gammon, formally Dunk from Rye, Sussex. She was married to Herbert Gammon, also from Rye. The children were Arthur Eaton Gammon, 9 and Alice Gammon, 12. Her father was my great great grand uncle, Leaf Temple Dunk, 1834, from Rye.
The Day Family
Does anyone remember the Day family who lived opposite the Bell pub overlooking the River Medway? The late Fred Day, my uncle, was the skipper of the 'Arethusa' training ship. Yours truly, Clive Jeffrey, Mission City, Canada.
Sharps Green
We had some great times in the summer hollidays. A crowd of us would get on our bikes go along to the Strand and then along the sea wall to sharps Green. We passed a boat yard, but I don't remember the name. We were gone all day. We played "bike scrambling" up and down the mounds, the boys were always better at it than us girls. There were always loads of damsons and blackberries that we could pick and eat. We came home at six tired out. I first got my love of the countryside then and since then have always respected it. I also remember going to the war memorial on Mill Road with my dad and all the men removing their hats in respect. We went to fairs on the lines, Navy Days. I remember the Dockyard hooter morning, lunch time and evening, no excuse then for being late for school. Time off for the Queen's visit to Gillingham, she wore green I remember. "Happy highways where I... Read more
Embassy
I believe that this cinema was called the Odeon before the Embassy. As a boy growing up I had the choice of going to Saturday morning pictures at the Grand in Skinner Street for sixpence (2.5 pence ) or the Odeon for ninepence (4 pence). At the Odeon you got in free on your birthday. Oh, such innocent times.
