Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island. Sheerness began as a fort built in the 16th century to protect the River Medway from naval invasion. Because of the raid on the Medway in 1667, the Secretary to the Admiralty Samuel Pepys established a Royal Navy dockyard in the town in 1669, where warships were built and repaired until its closure in 1960. Beginning with the construction of a pier and a promenade in the 19th Century, Sheerness acquired the added attractions of a seaside resort. Industry retains its important place in the town and the port of Sheerness is one of the United Kingdom's leading car and fresh produce importers. The town is the site of one of the UK's first co-operative societies and also of the world's first multi-storey building with a rigid metal frame. Sheerness' sand and shingle beach was awarded a European Blue Flag for cleanliness and safety. Flower gardens decorate the seafront, and a sea wall forms a promenade along the coast. The Sheppey Leisure Complex located near the beach contains a swimming pool and badminton, squash and tennis courts.[32] Other sports clubs include Sheerness Town Bowls Club, Sheerness East Cricket Club, Beachfields Skatepark, Sheerness East Table Tennis Club, Catamaran Yacht Club, and Sheerness Swimming Club and Lifeguard Corps. Sheerness Golf Club was founded in 1906, and has an 18-hole course just to the southeast of town. Sheerness East Football Club, established in 1932, play in the Kent County League Premier Division. Sports can be played for free at the town's recreation grounds at Beachfields Park, Festival Playing Field, and Seager Road Sports Ground. Sheerness has a library and clubs for photography, music, singing, dancing and writing. There are two local newspapers: the Sheerness Times Guardian, which provides news related only to the town, and the Sheppey Gazette, which provides news on the wider Sheppey area. Kent Messenger Group owns the Sheerness Times Guardian and Northcliffe Media owns the Sheppey Gazette. BRFM 95.6 FM provides radio coverage for the island. Sheerness' town centre is home to the largest freestanding cast iron clock tower in Kent. It is 36 feet (11 m) tall and was built in 1902 at a cost of around £360 to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII. In 2002, the clock tower was restored to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. More on Sheerness 

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