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At the heart of Sittingbourne's long shop-lined, attractively paved high street is a jolly bronze bargeman. That's because Sittingbourne, and the older adjacent Milton Regis, were barge making towns Sea-borne TradeUntil the coming of the railway to North Kent in the 1850’s, the easiest way of transporting corn, fish, wood and other local products to the London markets was by sea. The Swale provided safe and easily navigable access to Milton Creek and Milton flourished as a port for several centuries.
The faster and more convenient railway led to the decline of sea-borne trade but in the 1840s there began a huge expansion of the brick and cement making industries along and around the creek. Over the next 80 years or so over 400 sailing barges were built at yards along the creek to carry bricks and cement to London and bring back the household ash needed for the production of stock bricks.
The last barge was launched in l922 and by the outbreak of war in l939 this trade too had almost disappeared. |
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| Jolly bargeman |
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| Barges transporting goods to London |
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Today there is little activity along the creek but small vessels still regularly use Ridham Dock on the Swale. The last links with the sailing barge era are the Dolphin Sailing Barge Museum, located off Crown Quay Lane and the The Bargeman statue which stands a few metres from this board. |
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| For more information contact: |
Tourism Section
Swale Borough Council
Swale House
East Street
Sittingbourne
Kent
ME10 3HT
United Kingdom |
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| Telephone: |
+44 (0) 1795 417478 |
| Facsimile: |
+44 (0)1795 417 275 |
| Email: |
tourism@swale.gov.uk |
| Website: |
http://www.swaletourism.co.uk |
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