2021
SLHS MEETING
The first meeting of the Sheppey Local History Society was held on Wednesday 23rd June 2021 at the Minster Abbey Gatehouse Museum outside under the arch and the subject was the history of Minster Abbey Gatehouse itself. Martin Hawkins led a presentation of copies of historic photographs and etchings of the Gatehouse through the different eras and the changes to the Gatehouse building. As well as this, members heard the story of the latest incarnation of the building being transformed into the museum it has become, extensive remodelling inside of the building and the challenges the history society faced.
Round the Island bus trip
On the 3rd July 2021 we were fortunate enough to be able to run a covid-secure vintage bus trip. A 1956 AEC Regent 5, resplendent in the cream and green of Maidstone and District Buses and driven by Paul; took a small group of passengers on a drive to Leysdown, before a break at Eastchurch Aviation Museum. Peter West at Eastchurch Aviation Museum kindly gave a talk on Sheppey and its part in the history of flight. It was then all-aboard for the drive back to the Gatehouse Museum for a cream tea under the ancient archway. The trip raised funds towards the upkeep of the Museum, with special thanks to Paul for his lovely bus and his time. It was his first trip in 18 months given the restrictions caused by the pandemic and he has always been a supporter of the Museum. See our Facebook page for pictures.
We hope to be able to run another trip in 2022, so watch this space!
WW2 event 11th September 2021
On the 11th September, in association with Minster Abbey we held a WW2 themed event. A local WW2 re-enactment group, who displayed their equipment and parachute on the green behind Minster Abbey Church hall. Stalls, crafts, tombola, bric-a-brac gave visitors the opportunity to browse and socialise, fortunately the weather was on our side. A selection of WW2 vehicles visited us, and gave us an up close look at how troops and equipment would have been carried.
The event drew a lot of visitors, a record of over 100 people toured Minster Gatehouse Museums rooms and friends were able to chat and catch-up. We hope they enjoyed it as much as we did.
Plans for a repeat of this event are in the early stages for next year.
Eastchurch Aviation Museum visit 22nd September 2021 (members only)
Members visited Eastchurch Aviation Museum for a tour of the facility. We toured the museum and saw the surrounding buildings. Special thanks to Peter and the team for their time and knowledge.
Puppet Shows 27th and 31st October 2021
Our puppet show “The Sheppey Witches and the Evil Doctor” was well attended. The show featured the Witches: Wartnose and Hairychin, with an appearance by Vlad the Vampire and the dastardly Coronavirus, who was defeated in their attempt to spoil everything (again!). A big thank you to the puppeteers for a great show!
Father Christmas and Puppet Show 4th and 11th December 2021
Father Christmas visited Minster Gatehouse Museum on the 4th and 11th of December. Alongside his visit, was a puppet show and nativity, complete with audience participation, fun and laughter for all. We rounded off our 2021 season in style, thank you for your support for this event, it proved very popular.