Chronology of important dates for                                         

                                       Sheerness during the lifetime of

                                      this cottage                                       

        1810 THIS COTTAGE WAS BUILT

     SOCIETY FORMED  FORERUNNER    OF COOPS)     

 1820 ADMIRALTY HOUSE BUILT FOR DUKE OF

  CLARENCE

     1823 OPENING OF NEW SHEERNESS DOCKYARD 

      1825 EDWARD BANKS BUILT THE CRESCENT, BANK’S TERRACE AND 
     THE ROYAL HOTEL

     1828 DOCKYARD CHURCH BUILT

        1832 SYNOGOGUE CONSTRUCTED SHEPPEY ST

         BLUETOWN  

        1836 HOLY TRINITY CHURCH BUILT  

        1850 SHEERNESS COOPERATIVE SOCIETY FORMED

           AND FIRST SHOP OPENED 

        1860 KINGSFERRY BRIDGE AND RAILWAY TO

        SHEERNESS   BUILT

       1863 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ST HENRY AND ST

       ELIZABETH DESIGNED AND BUILT BY E.W. PUGIN     

       1866 GREAT EASTERN REFITTED LEFT   SHEERNESS  

       FOR HER ROLE AS ACABLE LAYER

      1869 SHEERNESSFORTCOMPLETED   

      1872 ST PAUL’S CHURCH BUILT

      1872 HIPPODROME THEATRE OPENED       

      1882 VICTORIA WORKING MENS CLUB

      1883 FERRY SERVICE TO VLISSINGEN (FLUSHING)

      1888 SHEERNESS URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL FORMED

       1895 MAJOR JAMES MCCUDDEN BORN  .

        LIVED IN ALMA RD  FOR SOME TIME

         1901 SHEPPEY LIGHT RAILWAY OPENED

         1903 SHEERNESS TRAMWAY
         STARTED ONLY

         LASTED TO 1917 

        1905  MASONIC CLUB

        COMMENCED   

       1907 STANLEY HOOKER BORN.

       HE BECAME FAMOUS  

       ROLLS  ROYCE  ENGINEER

       1910 TECHNICAL SCHOOL BUILT (BECAME A HOSPITAL

    DURING 1^st WW)   

   1911 FIRST CINEMA, THE ELECTRIC, OPENED IN  

      SHEERNESS- LATER CALLED TOWER’S HALL AFTER

      THE THEN OWNER, THEN THE CAMBRIDGE 

      1913 THE ARCADIA CINEMA WAS OPENED OVER THE      

      WELLINGTON PUB NEXT TO THE COOP BUILDING   IT

      WAS   LATER NAMED THE ARCADIA

     1914 SHEERNESS AND SHEPPEY DECLARED CLOSED  

      AREA  WITH “PASSPORT” REQUIRED     

     1914 HMS BULWARK BLEW UP WITH LOSS OF

      800 LIVES

       1915  SIX MONTHS LATER

       HMS IRENE EXPLODED 

I      WITH LOSS OF 278 LIVES

          1917 TRAMWAY

           SYSTEM  CLOSED   

           1918 END OF

            1ST WORLD WAR

         1919 ECONOMICAL AND

        COPPERATIVE

        SOCIETIES  MERGED

        TO BECOME SHEERNESS

        COOPERATIVE AND ECONOMICAL SOCIETY

        1922 FERRY SERVICE TO FLUSHING STOPPED    

        1920 REFURBISHED HIPPODROME REOPENED

        1923 THE ARCADIA/CASINO CINEMA WAS CLOSED AND

        REOPENED AS THE WELLINGTON HALL

       1923 PAVILION THEATRE OPENED

      1924 SHEERNESSUDC BOUGHT A NEW MOTOR

      FIRE APPLIANCE  SHOWN HERE IN

      CARNIVAL OF THAT YEAR

       1925 THIS COTTAGE

        BECAME  A FISH

       AND CHIP SHOP 

       1925 OXFORD CINEMA IN RUSSELL

       STREET OPENED  

       1929 TOLLS ON KINGSFERRY

      ABOLISHED AFTER 525  YEARS  

     1936 ROD HULL

       BORN

     1936 ARGOSY CINEMA OPENED

      (NOW A BINGO HALL)

     1937 RITZ CINEMA OPENED  

       1937 OXFORD CINEMA CLOSED.

       IS STILL THEREAS OXFORD

       SHOPPING ARCADE

   1938 RIO CINEMA OPENED

   1939 2^nd WORLD WAR STARTS SHEERNESS AND  

      SHEPPEY    DECLARED A CLOSED AREA AGAIN

      1940 LITTLE SHIPS FOR DUNKIRK COLLECTED AT

       SHEERNESS DOCKYARD

      1942 MICHAEL CRAWFORD BORN   

        1944 THE LIBERTY SHIP

        USS RICHARD MONTGOMERY

        RAN AGROUND CARRYING

         HIGH EXPLOSIVE BOMBS

        FOR D DAY. MUCH OF HER CARGO

        IS STILL ON BOARD

       AND SOME SAY IT IS STILL

       DANGEROUS

      1950 HM SUBMARINE

       TRUCULENT  COLLIDED

       WITH MERCHANT VESSEL

       AND SANK WITH HEAVY

         LOSS OF LIFE

     1953 EAST COAST     

     FLOODS HIT     SHEERNESS BUT

 NO LOSS OF LIFE 

  HERE

     1953 PAVILION THEATRE  DEMOLISHED

     1954 HIPPODROME CLOSED  

     1958   RIO CINEMA CLOSED

     1958 RAILWAY LINE FROM SITTINGBOURNE

     TO SHEERNESS  ELECTRIFIED

     1960 NEW KINGSFERRY BRIDGE OPENED BY PRINCESS

     MARINA

     1960 DOCKYARD CLOSED AFTER 290 YEARS 

      1963VERY HARSH WINTER MAKING SEA FREEZE

      1968 ARGOSY CINEMA CLOSED IS NOW BINGO HALL

       1969 SHEPPEYRDC, SHEERNESS UDC,

       QUEENBOROUGH BC MERGED INTO

       QUENBOROUGH IN SHEPPEY COUNCIL

     1970 SHEPPEY COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL OPENED.THREE TIER EDUCATION SYSTEM   STARTED 

     1970 HIPPODROME DEMOLISHED    

      1971 TRAIN FAILED TO STOP AT SHEERNESS STATION

      KILLING ONE   AND INJURING SEVEN OTHERS

      1971 TECHNICAL SCHOOL CLOSED 

      1972 STEELWORKS OPENED BY THE DUKE OF

       EDINBURGH

      1974 QUEENBOROUGH IN SHEPPEY COUNCIL MERGED

       INTO TO SWALE COUNCIL 

       1974 GERMAN WRITER UWE JOHNSON SETTLED

         IN SHEERNESS AT MARINE PARADE

     1975 TECHNICAL SCHOOL DEMOLISHED

     1975 OLAU FERRY SERVICE TO VLISSINGEN STARTED 

    1975 SHEPPEY LITTLE THEATRE OPENED BY     

     HUGH JENKINS MP MINISTER FOR THE ARTS    

      (LATER LORD JENKINS   OF PUTNEY)

  1978 SHEERNESS AGAIN CUT OFF BY FLOODS

     1979 FLOODING AGAIN

     1980 RIO CINEMNA DEMOLISHED

     1980  MISS CURD

     THE LAST RESIDENT OF THE COTTAGE THAT

     BECAME THE HERITAGE CENTRE

    1983 BAPTIST CHURCH STRODE CRESCENT DEMOLISHED
    1984 UWE JOHNSON DIED. HIS BODY NOT FOUND FOR THREE WEEKS!

   1987 THE “HURRICANE” THAT NEVER WAS STRUCK AND 

   CAUSED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE  BUT NOT AS BAD AS THE REST OF  KENT

    1989 PADDLESTEAMER KINGSWEAR CASTLE CAME TO SHEERNESS JETTY

 1990 THIS COTTAGE OPENED AS MUSEUM / HERITAGE CENTRE

  1994 OLAU FERRY SERVICE CEASED OPERATING

  1995 THE BUILDING THAT WAS THE FIRST CINEMA-THE ELECTRIC NEAR THE CROWN PUB WAS    DEMOLISHED  

 2004 WORK COMMENCED ON NEW FIXED BRIDGE OVER THE SWALE TO BE COMPLETED IN 2006

2006 THE BEGINNING OF THE END OR THE END OF THE BEGINNING

7th May 2009 011037