Written on 19 April 2019
Being an island, Sheppey is no stranger to folk stories.
In fact, until 653 AD the residents of Sheppey thought they were alone in the wilderness, even though they could see mainland Britain quite comfortably from their own shoreline.
The legend goes that they believed the nearby coastline to be a reflection, and that Sheppey was situated in a sort of mirror box. It wasn't until a young chap named Philius fashioned a canoe and made the not so treacherous journey to the mainland that they realised.
Honestly, they all felt a little foolish.
Philius became a local hero. He went on many more expeditions in and around the Thames estuary area. However, one day he declared he was going east. No one on the island knew what east was, but they expected him to come back with trinkets, treasures and news of brave new worlds.
Philius never returned.
He is now a sort of deity on Sheppey, with widow's walks built right the way along the east coast to allow local residents to look out to sea, hoping and praying for Philius's return.
And on the anniversary of Philius's voyage, local boys and girls would take their canoes out to look for any sign of their hero.
This tradition was halted in 1987 after a rip tide carried 28 children out into the English Channel shipping lanes, where they were mown down by a ferry.
As upset as the parents were, they at least took solace in the belief that their children had found Philius, and they were looking after each other.