Sheerness (/ʃɪərˈnɛs/) is a port town and civil parish[2][3] beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England.

[4] After the raid on the Medway in 1667, the older fortification was strengthened; in 1669 a Royal Navy dockyard was established in the town, where warships were stocked and repaired until its closure in 1960.

Beginning with the construction of a pier and a promenade in the 19th century, Sheerness acquired the added attractions of a seaside resort.

The first structure in what is now Sheerness was a fort built by order of Henry VIII to prevent enemy ships from entering the River Medway and attacking the naval dockyard at Chatham.

However, before its completion, this second fort was destroyed in 1667 by the Dutch Naval Fleet in their capture of the town, as part of what would be known as the raid on the Medway.

This was eventually corrupted to Blue Town (which is now the name of the north-west area of Sheerness lying just beyond the current dockyard perimeter).

The Sheerness Economical Society began as a co-operative bakery but expanded to produce and sell a range of goods.

A high brick wall and a moat were constructed around the yard to serve as a defence measure and remained in place until the end of the 19th century.

As the settlement expanded eastwards, away from the dockyard and the Blue Houses, the wider area became known as Sheerness,[5] taking its new name from the brightness or clearness of the water at the mouth of the River Medway.

From the completion of the dockyard until 1960 Sheerness was one of the bases of the Nore Command of the Royal Navy, which was responsible for protecting British waters in the North Sea.

Towards the end of the 19th century, Sheerness achieved official town status and formed its own civil parish, separate from Minster-in-Sheppey.

[15] The town's low rainfall and ample sunshine made it popular as a seaside resort, with tourists arriving by steamboat and train.

[17] In 1944 the United States cargo ship SS Richard Montgomery ran aground and sank 1 mile (1.6 km) off the coast of Sheerness, with large quantities of explosives on board.

[18] Due to the inherent danger and projected expense, the ship and its cargo have never been salvaged; if the wreck were to explode, it would be one of the largest non-nuclear explosions of all time.

[21] In March 1960 the Royal Navy ceased operating the Sheerness dockyard and the Medway Port Authority took over the site for commercial use.

The dockyard closure led to thousands of job losses, and most of the nearby houses and shops in the Bluetown area were eventually abandoned and demolished.

[12] The German writer Uwe Johnson lived in Sheerness for the last decade of his life, from 1974 to 1984, having left East Germany.

Students of Cheyne Middle School and Minster College, with assistance from local organisations, researched the funfair, bandstands, Prisoner of the War hut, boating lake and bowling green.

As part of the project, students wrote a book, Tales of Beachfields Park, which won the Historical Association Young Historian Primary School Award for Local History.

[5] Prior to the closure of the Dockyard, twenty-five of its historic buildings were listed in recognition of their "architectural distinction and value";[26] regardless of this, the majority were subsequently demolished (including Admiralty House and the quadrangular Great Store) and others were left to decay.

The town is covered by the local government wards of Sheerness, which has three of the forty-seven seats on the Swale Borough Council.

[35] Over much of the past century, the Labour Party has received the most support in Sheerness, mainly due to the town's industrial nature.

[38] Along with most of the Kent coast, the uninhabited coastal areas of the island have been designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest, due to their wildlife and geological features.

The main commercial and leisure areas of the town dominate the north coast, where there is easy access to the pleasure beach.

Covering more than 1.5 million square metres,[44] it is one of the largest foreign car importers in the UK, and it handles thousands of tonnes of fruits and meat products from all over the world.

[51] According to Office for National Statistics estimates, the average gross weekly income of households in Sheerness from April 2001 to March 2002 was £385 (£20,075 per year).

The Sheppey Leisure Complex located near the beach contains a swimming pool and badminton, squash and tennis courts.

[55] The annual arts and heritage Sheerness Promenade Festival opened in September 2011 with appearances by Michael Palin and Dan Cruickshank.

It takes place in late July at the Sheppey Little Theatre, the Heritage Centre in Blue Town and various other venues in Sheerness.

The youth club in Meyrick Road, in East Sheerness has been operational for over 50 years and has played a vital role in the development of many young people.