by Stephen Waite

It was sunrise when a huge blast heralded a new dawn for Sittingbourne with the demolition of its much-loved water tower.

The destruction of the landmark at the former mill took place early on Sunday.

And as the final piece of the town’s paper-making past came crashing down, it bucked the trend for the long-awaited redevelopment of Sittingbourne by happening ahead of schedule.

It was shortly after 6.30am when a siren sounded and the explosives were detonated, which meant a number of people eager to witness the moment missed out.

Among those who were present was Kevin Ralph, of Gaze Hill Avenue, Sittingbourne, who watched from the retail park.

“I nearly missed it,” he said. “I imagined it would be like a carnival with all the people watching, but there was just me and another bloke standing there.

“It was very precise and fast. The road was reopened in no time at all and traffic was coming through as the dust settled.”

Mr Ralph, 48, a born and bred Sittingbourne resident whose grandfather worked at the mill, said that as he looked on he felt it was wrong for the tower to be brought down.

“It was kind of horrible how quick it was over. It was quite a spectacle.”

Videos of the blast were posted on the internet within minutes.

The former mill site is to become a Morrisons supermarket and is being developed by RG Group, whose site construction manager Craig Rowen said: “We blew it a bit early because everything was ready and it was perfect in that moment in time.

“We didn’t want to advertise it too much. It was agreed between the police and the other authorities that it would be better to keep it a bit discreet.”

Mr Rowen said the tower had been weakened at the bottom and explosives were put in place to make sure it fell in the right direction.

He added that the demolition was overseen by an “expert explosives company” which had been responsible for projects across the world.

Among those woken by the blast was Roger Apps, 71, of Hobart Gardens, whose family has a long association with the mill.

“It’s the end of a long era,” he said. “It’s a very sad time.”

Mr Apps followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps when he, along with his brothers, took a job there.

“It was a family thing, like many others in Sittingbourne. The mill and the brickworks, that’s what kept Sittingbourne going.”

Mr Apps, who took early retirement from the mill about 10 years ago, said it had been a mistake to demolish the former office building featuring the clock, which he said could have been incorporated in any plans for the site.

“It should have been listed,” he added.

“Anyone new to the town wouldn’t know about it. We can only live on memories now.”

For the full set of pictures showing the demolition, see this week's Sittingbourne News Extra or Sittingbourne Messenger.