St Henry and Elizabeth

A hidden gem between the road and the sea

The Catholic Church of Saints Henry and Elizabeth has long been a major land mark in Sheerness. Built in 1863 it was one of Edward Welby Pugin’s many projects in Kent.

Edward Pugin was first and foremost a Catholic, working within a close network of friends and connections. Both as an architect and a man, Edward Pugin was an original. He was highly industrious, able, and at times capable of daring and imaginative work.

Much of the construction was undertaken by migrant workers, many of whom worked in dockyard related jobs. Their eagerness to have an established place of worship helped hasten construction. The new church replaced, a smaller wooden church in Rose Street.The Catholic Church opened its doors for formal worship on 14th September 1864. For much of the time it remained the tallest building in the town, and was clearly visible way out to sea. It is claimed that the Sheerness Mission is one of the oldest in the Southwark Diocese.


It is without doubt an attractive church built in the Transitional style, 57 feet high,112 feet long and 48 feet wide, big enough to seat 400 people it has a beautiful rose widow and magnificent Caen stone altar.

In the church there is a tablet to three Sheerness brothers who lost their lives in the 1914-1918 war, known as the "Flying McCuddens" Also there is a tablet commemorating the life of Arthur Scott Spears who was killed in the explosion aboard HMS Irene in 1915.