Isle of Sheppey

Isle of Sheppey
Sheppey as seen by the Operational Land Imager on the satellite Landsat 8
Isle of Sheppey is located in Kent
Isle of Sheppey
Isle of Sheppey
Location within Kent
Area93 km2 (36 sq mi)
Population40,300 (2011 Census)
• Density433/km2 (1,120/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTQ970695
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townQueenborough
Postcode districtME11
Post townSheerness
Postcode districtME12
Dialling code01795
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Kent

51°23′28″N 0°49′52″E / 51.391°N 0.831°E / 51.391; 0.831

Map

The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred 42 miles (68 km) from central London. It has an area of 36 square miles (93 km2). The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. Sheppey is derived from Old English Sceapig,[1] meaning "Sheep Island".

Today's island was historically known as the "Isles of Sheppey" which were Sheppey itself, the Isle of Harty to the south east and the Isle of Elmley to the south west. Over time the channels between the islands have silted up to make one contiguous island, which is now linked by two bridges to the Kentish mainland. Sheppey, like much of north Kent, is largely formed from London Clay and is a plentiful source of fossils. The Mount near Minster rises to 250 feet (76 metres) above sea level and is the highest point on the island. The rest of Sheppey is low-lying and the southern part of the island is marshy land criss-crossed by inlets and drains, largely used for grazing. The economy is driven by a dockyard and port, the presence of three prisons, and various caravan sites.

  1. ^ Anglo Saxon Chronicle (A-Prime)  (in Old English). 855 – via Wikisource. Her hæþne men ærest on Sceapige ofer winter sætun.