From A CHRONICLE OF THE CENTURY, VOLUME 3 (1950-1974) by BOB OGLEY.

GOODBYE WESTMINSTER -- A VILLAGE OF HAPPY MEMORIES.

NOVEMBER. The tiny village of WESTMINSTER, midway between QUEENBOROUGH and SHEERNESS, has finally been abandoned by the inhabitants. Bulldozers will soon move in and all that will remain of the once- thriving community will be memories.

Westminster has never recovered from the devastating floods of two years ago. On that unforgettable night every home was inundated to a depth of five feet and the village became marooned, cut off from the rest of the island, surrounded by the fast-flowing, icy waters of the North Sea.

There were no human casualties. Apart from one young man sleeping downstairs on what became a floating mattress, all the inhabitants were in the upper storeys. The unfortunate man was rescued.

It took weeks for the water to subside but it left behind a deposit of slimy mud that was almost impossible to clean. Gradually the residents moved away to be rehoused in other areas of Sheppey but everywhere on the island they still talk about the village that "was washed away."

Westminster comprised of two main streets, Montague Road and Cromwell Road. There were two pubs, the "Globe Inn" and "Medway Tavern," a post office and general store and a small hall known as the Bethel Chapel which doubled as a Sunday School. The gas works, still prominent, dominated the village. Most of the men worked at the dockyard.