Dorothy Cruickshank

Do you know why you were given this name?

After my grandparents. My mother was Dorothy and my two grandparents were Matilda and Annie.

Could you tell me a little bit about your family please?

I was married in 1962, I’ve got four grown up children. I think I’ve got, how many, six great-grandchildren, yeah it is now, that’s enough. Three sons and a daughter. What else would you like to know?

What was your job?

In the port? Well after I brought up the children I went back to work, in the Port and I did secretarial work and then I did credit control. So, you know, getting all of the money in.

Where did you grow up?

In Queenborough. I was born in Scotland but I was only there for three months and then my parents moved to Queenborough where my grandparents lived.

Did you like it in Scotland?

Well, I do love Scotland, I love going back there but because although I didn’t live there as such, I still feel like that’s, it sort of pulls you back. But yeah, it’s a lovely place.

Did you visit the Church and how often did you go?

What, in Sheerness?

Yeah

Well, I went there to one of the last wedding’s that I know of, in 1962, that was with a young lady that I worked with in the Port. But other than that, it wasn’t used all the time, it wasn’t open as a Church the whole time. No, it didn’t have a resident vicar.

What did you like about the Church?

Well, it was beautiful and the stained glass windows and everything, it was just lovely.

Did you have any siblings? Like brother or sister?

One, sister.

What did you use the Church for?

What did I? Well, it wasn’t used a lot after 1962, when it, sort of officially closed and all of the pews and everything were taken out and I think a lot of it went to Chatham, I’m not sure. But other than that, the boxing club used it and they had a badminton club that used to use it and the sports and social club were going to restore it, as the sports and social club, but because it was going to be such a huge expense, they changed their mind and they renovated the old stable block in the Port.

Was it closed before or after the fire?

Before, 1962, yeah the fire was only in 2001. But there was a previous fire in the 1800s.

Do you know why it was shut down, in 1962?

I just think they hadn’t got a vicar or anything and it belonged to the Port anyway so at that time they weren’t really interested. They’d have rather bulldozed it down, the same as all our houses, they’d have rather bulldozed it down.

Can we ask you about the fire?

Did you want to see the photographs? They’re not excellent but, that was in May 2001. This is when, I think, the Nigerian guy already had the scaffolding up there, so he was going to do some work. I think there was a big crack down the back of it, so it was lopsided.

And it’s still there?

Yes, it is, because they’ve removed the tree now, but the stump’s still there. That’s virtually, just after it started and I can see where it’s just getting going. It only took a little while and it was gone. The heat in my front porch, it was horrendous. You just couldn’t bear it and I was really scared, I’ve never been so frightened in my life, as with that fire. I mean, it could have spread.

But did they put water on your house as well?

All the time, yes they were just supplying our house with it. We had a huge amount of damage, water damage inside, in the airing cupboard and all the bedding and everything, it was horrendous and then, my insurance company, when I tried to claim, they said you should’ve been in touch with the fire brigade, it’s their duty to pay out. I said, they’ve saved my house, how can you say that? Everything in the garden was getting burnt, we had a lawn mower, it was sort of, all mangled up.

The fire spread to your garden?

Yes, and the front. The trees were all singed, and our plants were all mangled. Because you can see, look how far the flames go up the tower

So that’s taken from a distance, were you told to move away?

Yeah, we had to move out. We were in number 3 I think, for most of the, virtually all of the day and it was about 7 o’clock at night before we went back in there. It was really, not a nice experience. Let me think, am I going the wrong way now? I don’t know whose house, that must have been Will’s, no, that’s not, that was before Paula and Ian lived there, but you can see how close we are. These are just the front where, the heat was. I was going to Holland on holiday the next morning.

Did you end up going?

 I did because my son said to me, don’t worry mum, you go, we’ll sort it out, we’ll clear up the mess. So we went, but it was like, what do you get out of the house, because you don’t know if it’s, if we had gone up, the whole terrace could have gone, frightening. That little tree there, was a really little pretty tree, I used to love it and it always reminded me of my boss in the docks, we used to call it Mr Shaw, some funny weeds and something to do with him. It was like an almond blossom, an almond tree. It’s not there now. Then we got the newspaper people, and there they are hosing it down. Hosing my house, actually.

Do you know how the fire started?

Yes, it was a bonfire around the back and there they were stood. He had a huge great big bonfire, and my husband said to him, if you’re going to light that bonfire, let me know and I’ll bring out the hose, and some buckets, in case it caught fire, but he didn’t, it was half past five in the morning, he was out there lighting the fire, and well, I was doing sandwiches for my son’s packing up, and the next thing, there’s security and police knocking on the door, saying, you know, you’re going to have to move out. Awful, really, really tragic, frightening. You know, at that time of the morning as well, you’re still sort of, not awake, are you?

Did you end up finishing the sandwiches?

Yes, I did because he had to get off to work. But this silly bloke, he’d got a load of African art and people’s, well I think they were worth a lot of money, stored in the Church but he wasn’t insured. So, everything in there was burnt and mangled and we had these beautiful coaches from the German Bundesbank in London, they were all just, well just a mangle of nothing. Beautiful cabinets. He was careless, well, he was in a way, he was a really nice guy but very careless.

Did you know him well?

Well, no, he hadn’t been there long and they were quite strange, they used to move everything in at night. Overnight we’d hear you know, a truck or something, down the front and he had all these Rastafarian guys, helping him, because obviously there’s a load of heavy gear he used to put in there. But I did go in, he did take me in to have a look at one time, because we had a family of owls that had had babies and were flying around in there.

Inside?

Yeah, inside.

Did they get caught in the fire?

Well, we never saw them after that, so presumably they either moved on or they got caught up in it.

Nice to imagine that they flew away.

Yeah, you would like to think so. Barn owls they were, beautiful.

What did you think of the art in there?

Well, it wasn’t my taste of things, but you know, obviously whoever collected it, a lot of all that African Art now is worth a lot of money. You see it on all the antique fairs and all that.

What do you think the Church should be used for in the future?

Well, I’m really not sure, I don’t mind as long as its restored and it’s looking nice.

Do you still live next to it?

Yes, I do, been there 32 and a half years.

Just as long as it’s used for something?

I just keep saying, yeah, hurry up and get that restored before I’m, in my box, so to speak. It would be lovely to see it, because I think it’ll start soon, won’t it? I talked to Will yesterday on the phone, well actually I phoned him by accident because I never phone him, I always text him. I don’t like bothering him, you know, when he’s working and he always says, oh I don’t mind, you can text me anytime, but I had a chat with him yeah, about being down today.

… my husband said to him, if you’re going to light that bonfire, let me know and I’ll bring out the hose, and some buckets, in case it caught fire …

If you have your own memories of the dockyard church – as a church, a social club or as it is now, we’d love to hear from you. We're also keen to build an image archive by making copies of photographs and memorabilia of the church.

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