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10 ways you know you grew up on Sheppey in the ‘90s
The Island is a strange and wonderful place to spend your adolescence and while some might reminisce about climbing Sheerness clocktower on New Year’s Eve or having their first drink at Woody’s Nightclub, ‘90s kids can get nostalgic too.
1) Snow meant sledding at The Glen.
On every snow day at school – if you were lucky enough to get snow that is thanks to Sheppey’s weird microclimate - you could guarantee The Glen would be full of children on sleds, bin lids or scraps of tarpaulin, making the most of the park’s natural slopes. Apart from the Bunny Bank – have you got a death wish?
2) You lived in constant fear of the Monty blowing up.
It wasn’t exactly taught at school but somehow everyone knew that if the bombs on the SS Richard Montgomery ever went off it would take the Island with it. Children revelled in telling each other this fact with a weird mixture of pride and terror and there was always that one kid who said his uncle had swam out there.
3) You weren't anybody unless you had your birthday party at Mr B’s.
No longer in operation, Mr B’s was one of the most exciting places in the world. It was a play area in Leysdown with a seemingly endless number of obstacles and things to climb or jump on and – if you were brave – a rope slide. If you needed a break you could always try to win big on the 2p machines.
4) This sight filled you with dread.
Before the Sheppey Crossing opened in 2006, seeing the Kingsferry Bridge was up when you were nearly home was like a slap in the face. It meant ages of being stuck in traffic with nothing to do but look out the window and wonder what on Earth they do at that Knauf building.
5) Skipping stones at the beach.
Probably the biggest thing preventing long shore drift on Sheppey is people throwing stones back into the water. There was always a show-off who managed a triple or quadruple stone skip but despite some who claim to have done it, the quintuple skip is a myth. It can’t be done.
6) You still have no idea why Swale ‘Halt’ is a station.
Has anyone ever actually seen someone get on or off at this strange nowhere stop? And yet the train has to stop there every time. But why? Perhaps the reason will always be a mystery.
7) You had to put up with stupid questions when you told people you come from an Island.
“Is there a ferry?” No, but there used to be apparently. “Is it in Scotland?” No, pretty far away from Scotland actually. “Won’t it float away?” I don’t think so but that would actually be brilliant.
8) People on the mainland look at you with a blank expression when you say you went to middle school.
Trying to explain a three-tier education system to someone is like trying to explain the ending of Inception.
9) You had a photo taken with this guy at school.
This probably isn’t a memory exclusive to the Island but for a brief period in the ‘90s Kriss Akabusi, the sprinter who was quite good for a bit, seemed to be on a mission to have his photo taken with every school child on Sheppey. Awoooga!
10) You’d heard there was a nudist beach but you were always too scared to see for yourself.
Yes, rumours of a nudist beach in Shellness are true. Somehow word of this mythical place was common knowledge despite the fact no one had actually been there.
