[TQ 9122 6428] Sailing Barge Museum. (1) Of the eleven ship and barge building yards that existed on the banks of Milton Creek only one survives, the Dolphin Yard at Sittingbourne. The barge yard remained in use until 1965 and three years later, by courtesy of the present owners, Bourne Concrete Limited, the yard was preserved by the Dolphin Yard Sailing Barge Museum Trust. (2) The museum is based on barge maintenance, with old machinery still in use for sailing barge repair and restoration (3). Site photographs (4).
The Dolphin Yard was operated by Burley's who ran the nearby cement works [TQ 96 SW 236] to construct and maintain their own barge fleet. In the hands of the museum the remaining features, apart from barge blocks, were the forge and the sail loft. The sail loft was destroyed by fire in October 2008. (5)

<1> OS 1:1250 1973 (OS Card Reference). SKE48185.

<2> Kent Arch Rev 70 1982 235-6 (OS Card Reference). SKE45813.

<3> The NT Guide to Our Indust Past 1983 207 (A Burton) (OS Card Reference). SKE50446.

<4> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9622.

<5> Jim Preston Personal Communication (Verbal communication). SKE13236.