1.
Undercliff (Isle of Wight)
–
For other locations of the same name, see The Undercliff. The Undercliff, Isle of Wight, England is a tract of land, around 5 miles long by 0. 25–0.5 miles wide. Its sheltered south-facing location gives rise to a microclimate considerably warmer than elsewhere on the island, although inhabited, the Undercliff is an area prone to landslips and subsidence, with accompanying loss of property over time. Settlements along the Undercliff, from west to east, are, lower Niton, Puckaster, St Lawrence, Steephill, the town of Ventnor, and Bonchurch. The Undercliff is a complex in Cretaceous soft rocks, a bench of slipped clays and sands above a low sea-cliff, backed by higher Upper Greensand. The largest urban landslide complex in northern Europe, it dates from two phases of landslides after the last Ice age, 8000–4500 years and 2500–1800 years ago. It is flanked by highly active landslip zones that have seen major slides over the past two centuries, the Blackgang landslip at the west, and the Bonchurch Landslips at the east. The main section is more stable, though there are ongoing concerns over coastal erosion, further slippage, interactions between the heavy chalk-based rocks of St. Ventnors microclimate is also created by the shelter of St. Boniface Down. The stable section of the Undercliff has evidence of human occupation, with ancient churches at Bonchurch and St Lawrence. The Undercliff was a development site in the mid-19th century. Bonchurch was a focus of development, a number of elite Victorians renting or owning homes there. These properties, however, have largely been obliterated by landslides, the growth of Ventnor in particular was driven by its popularity as a health and holiday resort from 1830. The physician Arthur Hill Hassall, a sufferer, moved to the Isle of Wight in 1869. On the basis of his experience of the climate of the Undercliff, he established a sanatorium east of Ventnor, later Undercliff residents included the writers Alfred Noyes and Aubrey de Sélincourt, and the yachtsman Uffa Fox. The Undercliff is accessed by the A3055 road running its length from Niton to Bonchurch, west of Ventnor, the Southern Vectis 3 bus follows the section called Undercliff Drive as far as St Lawrence, the Southern Vectis 6 runs north-east from Ventnor to Bonchurch and beyond. The roads low-level continuation between Niton and Blackgang was broken by landslips in the 20th century, there is currently no vehicular access between St Lawrence and Niton along the former road. Vehicular traffic must go via Whitwell, pedestrian and cycle access was restored by late 2016. Bus routes are diverted and no longer serve St Lawrence, a few steep roads connect the clifftop to the lower Undercliff level, Niton Shute, St Lawrence Shute, and Bonchurch Shute
Undercliff (Isle of Wight)
–
Upper Greensand crags backing the Undercliff, Isle of Wight, above Steephill.
Undercliff (Isle of Wight)
–
The Undercliff, Isle of Wight, looking westward at Woody Bay.
Undercliff (Isle of Wight)
–
Isle of Wight Undercliff at
St Lawrence, looking down from the
Isle of Wight Coastal Path.
2.
Isle of Wight
–
The Isle of Wight /ˈaɪl əv ˈwaɪt/ is a county and the largest and second-most populous island in England. It is located in the English Channel, about 4 miles off the coast of Hampshire, the island has resorts that have been holiday destinations since Victorian times, and is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and verdant landscape of fields, downland and chines. The island has been home to the poets Swinburne and Tennyson and to Queen Victoria and it has a maritime and industrial tradition including boat building, sail making, the manufacture of flying boats, the hovercraft, and Britains space rockets. The island hosts annual festivals including the Isle of Wight Festival. It has well-conserved wildlife and some of the richest cliffs and quarries for dinosaur fossils in Europe, the Isle was owned by a Norman family until 1293 and was earlier a kingdom in its own right. Rural for most of its history, its Victorian fashionability and the affordability of holidays led to significant urban development during the late 19th. The island was part of Hampshire until 1890 when it became its own administrative county, apart from a shared police force, there is now no administrative link with Hampshire, although a combined local authority with Portsmouth and Southampton is being considered. Until 1995 the island had a governor, the quickest public transport link to the mainland is the hovercraft from Ryde to Southsea, while three ferry and two catamaran services cross the Solent to Southampton, Lymington and Portsmouth. During the Ice Age, sea levels were lower and the Solent was part of a river flowing south east from current day Poole Harbour towards mid-Channel. As sea levels rose, the valley became flooded. The first inhabitants are assumed to have been hunter-gatherers migrating by land during the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age period, as the ice age began to recede. From the Neolithic era onwards, there are indications that the island had wide trading links, with a port at Bouldnor, evidence of Bronze Age tin trading, caesar reported that the Belgae took the Isle of Wight in about 85 BC and gave its name as Vectis. The Roman historian Suetonius mentions that the island was captured by the commander Vespasian, the Romans built no towns or roads on the island, but the remains of at least seven Roman villas have been found, indicating the prosperity of local agriculture. During the Dark Ages the island was settled by Jutes as the kingdom of Wihtwara under King Arwald. In 685 it was invaded by Caedwalla, who tried to replace the inhabitants with his own followers and it suffered especially from Viking raids, and was often used as a winter base by Viking raiders when they were unable to reach Normandy. Later, both Earl Tostig and his brother Harold Godwinson held manors on the island, the Norman Conquest of 1066 created the position of Lord of the Isle of Wight, the island being given by William the Conqueror to his kinsman William FitzOsbern. Carisbrooke Priory and the fort of Carisbrooke Castle were then founded, allegiance was sworn to FitzOsbern rather than the king, the Lordship was subsequently granted to the de Redvers family by Henry I, after his succession in 1100. For nearly 200 years the island was a semi-independent feudal fiefdom, the final private owner was the Countess Isabella de Fortibus, who, on her deathbed in 1293, was persuaded to sell it to Edward I
Isle of Wight
–
An image of the Isle of Wight from the
ISS
Isle of Wight
–
Carisbrooke Castle just outside of Carisbrooke
Isle of Wight
–
Osborne House and its grounds are now open to the public
Isle of Wight
–
Eugene Manet on the Isle of Wight, 1875 painting by
Berthe Morisot.
3.
England
–
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
England
–
Stonehenge, a
Neolithic monument
England
–
Flag
England
–
Boudica led an uprising against the
Roman Empire
England
–
Replica of a 7th-century ceremonial
helmet from the
Kingdom of East Anglia, found at
Sutton Hoo
4.
Ventnor
–
Ventnor is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It is situated south of St Boniface Down, and is built on slopes leading down to the sea. The higher part is referred to as Upper Ventnor, the lower part, Ventnor is sometimes taken to include the neighbouring settlements of St. Lawrence and Bonchurch. Its relatively sheltered location beneath the downs produces a microclimate with more sunny days and this allows many species of subtropical plant to flourish, Ventnor Botanic Garden is particularly notable. The local geomorphology defines the town, a significant area is built on clay, which suffers from serious landslip, the ground is notoriously unstable and many buildings and amenities have been lost to subsidence or cliff-falls. There is an expression, We live near the sea and are getting nearer every day. A nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest is known as the Landslip, interactions between the chalk downs and softer undercliff rocks drive the geological changes affecting Ventnor. A Graben runs above the town and this marks the top of the series of landslips upon which Ventnor is built. The fault moves regularly, which has destroyed buildings over the years, led to cracking of local roads. The latest evidence can be seen at the bus stop in Ocean View Road. Three miles off the coast, there is a parallel ridge under the sea rising to within 15 metres of the surface, the tidal flows along the Channel, forced between it and the island, have carved out a deep channel known as St. Catherines Deep. The town grew from a fishing hamlet in the 19th century. Each of these villages was its own parish, but the now occupied by Ventnor was divided between the parishes of Godshill and Newchurch. Charles Dickens lived nearby for a time, however, it was with the coming of the Isle of Wight Railway in 1866 that the town became both a tourist and a health resort. The fresh air and warm climate were considered beneficial to sufferers of tuberculosis, the Isle of Wight Railway at one time ran a non-stop train from Ryde to Ventnor, named The Invalid Express for the consumptive patients being taken to treatment at Ventnor. One train famously completed the journey in a little over twenty minutes, the town reached its zenith in 1930s, when steam packets operated between Southsea and the towns pier. The relatively small sandy beach was ideal for bathing, and is popular today. Victorian era hotels in the suburbs and near the sea, such as Ventnor Towers Hotel
Ventnor
–
Ventnor seafront.
Ventnor
–
Ventnor Beach
Ventnor
–
Photochrom of Ventnor, 1899
Ventnor
–
Cottage Hospital, Ventnor, ca. 1899
5.
Royal Air Force
–
The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdoms aerial warfare force. Formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as, at the time, the largest air force in the world. The RAF describe its mission statement as, an agile, adaptable and capable Air Force that, person for person, is second to none, and that makes a decisive air power contribution in support of the UK Defence Mission. The mission statement is supported by the RAFs definition of air power, Air power is defined as the ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events. Today the Royal Air Force maintains a fleet of various types of aircraft. The majority of the RAFs rotary-wing aircraft form part of the tri-service Joint Helicopter Command in support of ground forces, most of the RAFs aircraft and personnel are based in the UK, with many others serving on operations or at long-established overseas bases. It was founded on 1 April 1918, with headquarters located in the former Hotel Cecil, during the First World War, by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps, at that time it was the largest air force in the world. The RAFs naval aviation branch, the Fleet Air Arm, was founded in 1924, the RAF developed the doctrine of strategic bombing which led to the construction of long-range bombers and became its main bombing strategy in the Second World War. The RAF underwent rapid expansion prior to and during the Second World War, under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan of December 1939, the air forces of British Commonwealth countries trained and formed Article XV squadrons for service with RAF formations. Many individual personnel from countries, and exiles from occupied Europe. By the end of the war the Royal Canadian Air Force had contributed more than 30 squadrons to serve in RAF formations, additionally, the Royal Australian Air Force represented around nine percent of all RAF personnel who served in the European and Mediterranean theatres. In the Battle of Britain in 1940, the RAF defended the skies over Britain against the numerically superior German Luftwaffe, the largest RAF effort during the war was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany by Bomber Command. Following victory in the Second World War, the RAF underwent significant re-organisation, during the early stages of the Cold War, one of the first major operations undertaken by the Royal Air Force was in 1948 and the Berlin Airlift, codenamed Operation Plainfire. Before Britain developed its own nuclear weapons the RAF was provided with American nuclear weapons under Project E and these were initially armed with nuclear gravity bombs, later being equipped with the Blue Steel missile. Following the development of the Royal Navys Polaris submarines, the nuclear deterrent passed to the navys submarines on 30 June 1969. With the introduction of Polaris, the RAFs strategic nuclear role was reduced to a tactical one and this tactical role was continued by the V bombers into the 1980s and until 1998 by Tornado GR1s. For much of the Cold War the primary role of the RAF was the defence of Western Europe against potential attack by the Soviet Union, with many squadrons based in West Germany. With the decline of the British Empire, global operations were scaled back, despite this, the RAF fought in many battles in the Cold War period
Royal Air Force
–
A later version of the
Spitfires which played a major part in the
Battle of Britain.
Royal Air Force
–
Royal Air Force emblem
Royal Air Force
–
The
Avro Lancaster heavy bomber was extensively used during the strategic bombing of Germany.
Royal Air Force
–
The
Handley Page Victor bomber was a
strategic bomber of the RAF's
V bomber force used to carry both conventional and
nuclear bombs.
6.
Foot (length)
–
The foot is a unit of length in the imperial and US customary systems of measurement. Since 1959, both units have been defined by international agreement as equivalent to 0.3048 meters exactly, in both systems, the foot comprises 12 inches and three feet compose a yard. Historically the foot was a part of local systems of units, including the Greek, Roman, Chinese, French. It varied in length from country to country, from city to city and its length was usually between 250 mm and 335 mm and was generally, but not always, subdivided into 12 inches or 16 digits. The United States is the industrialized nation that uses the international foot and the survey foot in preference to the meter in its commercial, engineering. The foot is legally recognized in the United Kingdom, road signs must use imperial units, the measurement of altitude in international aviation is one of the few areas where the foot is widely used outside the English-speaking world. The length of the international foot corresponds to a foot with shoe size of 13,14,15.5 or 46. Historically the human body has been used to provide the basis for units of length. The foot of a male is typically about 15. 3% of his height, giving a person of 160 cm a foot of 245 mm. These figures are less than the used in most cities over time. Archeologists believe that the Egyptians, Ancient Indians and Mesopotamians preferred the cubit while the Romans, under the Harappan linear measures, Indus cities during the Bronze Age used a foot of 13.2 inches and a cubit of 20.8 inches. The Egyptian equivalent of the measure of four palms or 16 digits—was known as the djeser and has been reconstructed as about 30 cm. The Greek foot had a length of 1⁄600 of a stadion, one stadion being about 181.2 m, the standard Roman foot was normally about 295.7 mm, but in the provinces, the pes Drusianus was used, with a length of about 334 mm. Originally both the Greeks and the Romans subdivided the foot into 16 digits, but in later years, after the fall of the Roman Empire, some Roman traditions were continued but others fell into disuse. In AD790 Charlemagne attempted to reform the units of measure in his domains and his units of length were based on the toise and in particular the toise de lÉcritoire, the distance between the fingertips of the outstretched arms of a man. The toise has 6 pieds each of 326.6 mm, at the same time, monastic buildings used the Carolingian foot of 340 mm. The procedure for verification of the foot as described in the 16th century by Jacob Koebel in his book Geometrei, the measures of Iron Age Britain are uncertain and proposed reconstructions such as the Megalithic Yard are controversial. Later Welsh legend credited Dyfnwal Moelmud with the establishment of their units, the Belgic or North German foot of 335 mm was introduced to England either by the Belgic Celts during their invasions prior to the Romans or by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th & 6th century
Foot (length)
–
The unofficial public
imperial measurement standards erected at the
Royal Observatory in
Greenwich in the 19th century
Foot (length)
–
Determination of the rod, using the length of the left foot of 16 randomly chosen people coming from church service. Woodcut published in the book Geometrei by Jakob Köbel (Frankfurt, c. 1536).
Foot (length)
–
Page from Austrian Lehrbuch des gesammten Rechnens für die vierte Classe der Hauptschulen in den k.k. Staaten – 1848
7.
Guernsey
–
Guernsey is a jurisdiction within the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency. The jurisdiction is not part of the United Kingdom, however, defence and most foreign relations are handled by the British Government. Taken together with the jurisdictions of Alderney and Sark it forms the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The two Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey together form the geographical grouping known as the Channel Islands, the name Guernsey, as well as that of neighbouring Jersey, is of Old Norse origin. The second element of word, -ey, is the Old Norse for island, while the original root, guern, is of uncertain origin. Around 6000 BC, rising seas created the English Channel and separated the Norman promontories that became the bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey from continental Europe, neolithic farmers then settled on its coast and built the dolmens and menhirs found in the islands today. During their migration to Brittany, Britons occupied the Lenur islands including Sarnia or Lisia and Angia, travelling from the Kingdom of Gwent, Saint Sampson, later the abbot of Dol in Brittany, is credited with the introduction of Christianity to Guernsey. In 933 AD, the Cotentin Peninsula including Avranchin which included the islands, were placed by the French King Ranulf under the control of William I, the island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Duchy of Normandy. During the Middle Ages, the island was a haven for pirates that would use the technique to ground ships close to her waters. This intensified during the Hundred Years War, when, starting in 1339, the Guernsey Militia was operational in 1337 and would help defend the island for a further 600 years. In 1372, the island was invaded by Aragonese mercenaries under the command of Owain Lawgoch, Owain and his dark-haired mercenaries were later absorbed into Guernsey legend as invading fairies from across the sea. In the mid-16th century, the island was influenced by Calvinist reformers from Normandy, during the Marian persecutions, three women, the Guernsey Martyrs, were burned at the stake for their Protestant beliefs. During the English Civil War, Guernsey sided with the Parliamentarians, the allegiance was not total, however, there were a few Royalist uprisings in the southwest of the island, while Castle Cornet was occupied by the Governor, Sir Peter Osborne, and Royalist troops. In December 1651, with honours of war, Castle Cornet surrendered. By the beginning of the 18th century, Guernseys residents were starting to settle in North America, the threat of invasion by Napoleon prompted many defensive structures to be built at the end of that century. The 19th century saw an increase in the prosperity of the island, due to its success in the global maritime trade. During the First World War, about 3,000 island men served in the British Expeditionary Force, of these, about 1,000 served in the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry regiment formed from the Royal Guernsey Militia in 1916. For most of the Second World War, the Channel Islands were occupied by German troops, before the occupation, 80% of Guernsey children had been evacuated to England to live with relatives or strangers during the war
Guernsey
–
Aerial view
Guernsey
–
Flag
Guernsey
–
Castle Cornet seen at night over the harbour of
St Peter Port.
Guernsey
–
The island of Guernsey seen from 33,000 feet looking North
8.
Parish
–
A parish is a church territorial unit constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the care and clerical jurisdiction of a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or more curates. Historically, a parish often covered the same area as a manor. By extension the term refers not only to the territorial unit. In England this church property was technically in ownership of the parish priest ex-officio, the eighth Archbishop of Canterbury Theodore of Tarsus appended the parish structure to the Anglo-Saxon township unit, where it existed, and where minsters catered to the surrounding district. In the wider picture of ecclesiastical polity, a parish comprises a division of a diocese or see, parishes within a diocese may be grouped into a deanery or vicariate forane, overseen by a dean or vicar forane, or in some cases by an archpriest. Some churches of the Anglican Communion have deaneries as units of an archdeaconry, in the Roman Catholic Church, each parish normally has its own parish priest, who has responsibility and canonical authority over the parish. These are called assistant priests, parochial vicars, curates, or, in the United States, associate pastors, each diocese is divided into parishes, each with their own central church called the parish church, where religious services take place. An example is that of personal parishes established in accordance with the 7 July 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum for those attached to the form of the Roman Rite. Most Catholic parishes are part of Latin Rite dioceses, which cover the whole territory of a country. There can also be overlapping parishes of eparchies of Eastern Catholic Churches, the Church of England geographical structure uses the local parish church as its basic unit. The parish system survived the Reformation with the Anglican Churchs secession from Rome remaining largely untouched, Church of England parishes nowadays all lie within one of 44 dioceses divided between the provinces of Canterbury,30 and York,14. A chapelry was a subdivision of a parish in England. It had a status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel which acted as a subsidiary place of worship to the main parish church. In England civil parishes and their parish councils evolved in the 19th century as ecclesiastical parishes began to be relieved of what became considered to be civic responsibilities. Thus their boundaries began to diverge, the word parish acquired a secular usage. Since 1895, a council elected by public vote or a parish meeting administers a civil parish and is formally recognised as the level of local government below a district council. The parish is also the level of church administration in the Church of Scotland
Parish
–
St Margarete Parish Church in Berndorf, Austria; parish churches have been at the heart of local
Christian communities for centuries.
Parish
–
A small Roman Catholic parish church in Wróblik, Poland
Parish
–
Hasfield parish church in England
9.
Baptismal font
–
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism. The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using an immersion method, the simplest of these fonts has a pedestal with a holder for a basin of water. The materials vary greatly consisting of carved and sculpted marble, wood, many are eight-sided as a reminder of the new creation and as a connection to the practice of circumcision, which traditionally occurs on the eighth day. Some are three-sided as a reminder of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, in many churches of the Middle Ages and Renaissance there was a special chapel or even a separate building for housing the baptismal fonts, called a baptistery. Both fonts and baptisterys were often octagonal, saint Ambrose wrote that fonts and baptistries were octagonal because on the eighth day, by rising, Christ loosens the bondage of death and receives the dead from their graves. Saint Augustine similarly described the day as everlasting. Hallowed by the resurrection of Christ, the quantity of water is usually small. There are some fonts where water pumps, a natural spring and this visual and audible image communicates a living waters aspect of baptism. Some church bodies use special holy water while others use water straight out of the tap to fill the font. A special silver vessel called a ewer can be used to fill the font, the mode of a baptism at a font is usually one of sprinkling, pouring, washing, or dipping in keeping with the Koine Greek verb βαπτιζω. Βαπτιζω can also mean immerse, but most fonts are too small for that application, some fonts are large enough to allow the immersion of infants, however. The earliest baptismal fonts were designed for full immersion, and were often cross-shaped with steps leading down into them, often such baptismal pools were located in a separate building, called a baptistery, near the entrance of the church. As infant baptism became common, fonts became smaller. Full-immersion baptisms may take place in a tank or pool. The entire body is immersed, dunked, submerged or otherwise placed completely under the water. This practice symbolizes the death of the old nature, as found in Romans 6, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, baptism is always by full triple immersion, even in the case of infant baptism. For this reason, Eastern baptismal fonts tend to be larger than Western, and are shaped like a large chalice. During the baptismal service, three candles will be lit on or around the font, in honor of the Holy Trinity
Baptismal font
–
A
Romanesque baptismal font from
Grötlingbo Church, Sweden, carved by
Master Sigraf, a master stone sculptor who specialised in baptismal fonts.
Baptismal font
–
The
octagonal Baptistry of Saint John, Florence, completed in 1128
Baptismal font
–
Octagonal baptismal font in
Magdeburg Cathedral, Germany.
Baptismal font
–
Ship's bell as Baptismal font at chapel, Yeo Hall,
Royal Military College of Canada.
10.
Piscina
–
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself, anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension and they are often made of stone and fitted with a drain, and are in some cases used to dispose of materials used in the sacraments and water from liturgical ablutions. They are found in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, the piscina is a Latin word originally applied to a fish-pond, and later used for natural or artificial pools for bathing, and also for a water tank or reservoir. In ecclesiastical usage it was applied to the used for ablutions. They were originally named for the baptismal font and they were rare in England until the 13th century, after which there is scarcely an altar without one. They frequently take the form of a niche, with a shaft between the arched heads, which are often filled with elaborate tracery. If there is no drain, a niche for washing is a lavabo, the purpose of the piscina or sacrarium is to dispose of water used sacramentally, by returning these particles directly to the earth. For this reason, it is connected by a pipe directly to the ground, at times the piscina has been used for disposal of other items, such as old baptismal water, holy oils, and leftover ashes from Ash Wednesday. A common myth is that wine was also poured down the piscina. What caused this confusion is that in countries with plenty of wine, if there was any unconsecrated wine left in a cruet. In the Roman Catholic Church, pouring the wine, the Blood of Christ. Extremely rarely, the Eucharistic species spoils or becomes contaminated such that it cannot be consumed. The host is then dissolved in water until it disappears, then the water is poured down into the sacrarium. ”This applies to any action that is voluntarily and gravely disrespectful of the sacred species. Anyone, therefore, who contrary to these norms, for example casting the sacred species into the sacrarium or in an unworthy place or on the ground. In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches the piscina is called a thalassidion, in Orthodoxy the Sacred Mysteries are never poured into the thalassidion, but must always be consumed by a deacon or priest. In some ancient churches, the thalassidion was placed under the Holy Table, when a monk or nun is tonsured, if the hair must be disposed of, it is thrown into the thalassidion. This article incorporates text from a now in the public domain, Chisholm, Hugh
Piscina
–
16th-century double piscina at the Franciscan friary in
Kilconnell
11.
Altar
–
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes, and by extension the Holy table of post-reformation Anglican churches. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches, today they are used particularly in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Taoism, as well as in Neopaganism and Ceremonial Magic. Judaism used such a structure until the destruction of the Second Temple, many historical faiths also made use of them, including Greek and Norse religion. Altars in the Hebrew Bible were typically made of earth or unwrought stone, altars were generally erected in conspicuous places. The first altar recorded in the Hebrew Bible is that erected by Noah, altars were erected by Abraham, by Isaac, by Jacob, and by Moses. In Catholic and Orthodox Christian theology, the Eucharist is a re-presentation, hence, the table upon which the Eucharist is consecrated is called an altar. The altar plays a role in the celebration of the Eucharist, which takes place at the altar on which the bread. The altar is often on a higher elevation than the rest of the church, in Reformed and Anabaptist churches, a table, often called a Communion table, serves an analogous function. In some colloquial usage, the altar is used to denote the altar rail also. The main altar was also referred to as the high altar, in the earliest days of the Church, the Eucharist appears to have been celebrated on portable altars set up for the purpose. Some historians hold that, during the persecutions, the Eucharist was celebrated among the tombs in the Catacombs of Rome, other historians dispute this, but it is thought to be the origin of the tradition of placing relics beneath the altar. Although in the days of the Jerusalem Temple the High Priest indeed faced east when sacrificing on Yom Kippur, the ministers, celebrated the Eucharist facing east, towards the entrance. Some hold that for the part of the celebration the congregation faced the same way. After the sixth century the contrary orientation prevailed, with the entrance to the west and the altar at the east end. Then the ministers and congregation all faced east during the whole celebration, most rubrics, even in books of the seventeenth century and later, such as the Pontificale Romanum, continued to envisage the altar as free-standing. The rite of the Dedication of the Church continued to presume that the officiating Bishop could circle the altar during the consecration of the church and its altar. Despite this, with the increase in the size and importance of the reredos, most altars were built against the wall or barely separated from it. This diversity was recognized in the rubrics of the Roman Missal from the 1604 typical edition of Pope Clement VIII to the 1962 edition of Pope John XXIII, Si altare sit ad orientem, versus populum
Altar
–
Altar in
Roskilde Cathedral dwarfed by a huge carved
triptych
Altar
–
Horned altar at
Tel Be'er Sheva,
Israel.
Altar
–
Ancient Greek kylix showing a
hoplite offering a sacrifice before an altar, around 480 BC. Ancient Agora Museum of Athens in the
Stoa of Attalus
Altar
–
The ancient
Altar of Pergamon, reconstructed at the Pergamon museum, Berlin.
12.
Glassblowing
–
Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble, with the aid of a blowpipe. A person who blows glass is called a glassblower, glassmith, a lampworker manipulates glass with the use of a torch on a smaller scale, such as in producing precision laboratory glassware out of borosilicate glass. To increase the stiffness of the glass, which in turn facilitates the process of blowing. Lower concentration of natron would have allowed the glass to be stiffer for blowing, during blowing, thinner layers of glass cool faster than thicker ones and become more viscous than the thicker layers. That allows production of glass with uniform thickness instead of causing blow-through of the thinned layers. A full range of glassblowing techniques was developed within decades of its invention, the two major methods of glassblowing are free-blowing and mold-blowing. The process of free-blowing involves the blowing of short puffs of air into a portion of glass called a gather which has been spooled at one end of the blowpipe. This has the effect of forming an elastic skin on the interior of the glass blob that matches the skin caused by the removal of heat from the furnace. The glassworker can then quickly inflate the molten glass to a coherent blob, researchers at the Toledo Museum of Art attempted to reconstruct the ancient free-blowing technique by using clay blowpipes. The result proved that short clay blowpipes of about 30–60 cm facilitate free-blowing because they are simple to handle and to manipulate, skilled workers are capable of shaping almost any vessel forms by rotating the pipe, swinging it and controlling the temperature of the piece while they blow. They can produce a variety of glass objects, ranging from drinking cups to window glass. An outstanding example of the technique is the Portland Vase. An experiment was carried out by Gudenrath and Whitehouse with the aim of re-creating the Portland Vase, a full amount of blue glass required for the body of the vase was gathered on the end of the blowpipe and was subsequently dipped into a pot of hot white glass. Inflation occurred when the glassworker blew the molten glass into a sphere which was then stretched or elongated into a vase with a layer of white glass overlying the blue body. Mold-blowing was an alternative glassblowing method that came after the invention of free-blowing, during the first part of the quarter of the 1st century AD. A glob of molten glass is placed on the end of the blowpipe, in that way, the shape and the texture of the bubble of glass is determined by the design on the interior of the mold rather than the skill of the glassworker. Two types of molds, namely single-piece mold and multi-piece mold, are used to produce mold-blown vessels. Whereas the latter is made in multi-paneled mold segments that together, thus permitting the development of more sophisticated surface modeling, texture
Glassblowing
–
Glassblower Romeo Lefebvre in his workshop in
Montreal, 1942.
Glassblowing
Glassblowing
–
Glassblower
Jean-Pierre Canlis sculpting a section of his piece "Insignificance."
Glassblowing
–
A stage in the manufacture of a
Bristol blue glass ship’s
decanter. The blowpipe is being held in the glassblower's left hand. The glass is glowing yellow.
13.
A3055 road
–
The A3055 is an A-Class Road on the Isle of Wight in Southern England. It forms the Southern portion of the circular around-the-Island A-class loop, the stretch along the south-west coast of the Island is formed by the Military Road. Because of the relatively short length, there are no confirmatory signs with distances. The final destination of the road, in common with most UK roads, is not signed along the length of the route. As well as fitting with national practice, this is also because anybody wishing to travel from Totland to Ryde by road would do so via the North coast A3054, since a landslide affecting Undercliff Drive in February 2014, the road has been severed into two distinct parts. The Military Road is the section of the A3055 regional coast road on the Isle of Wight which starts at Chale in the East and ends at Freshwater Bay in the West. The road has had to be in part relocated and repaired due to erosion at various times since it was built in the late nineteenth century. The original Military Road was constructed as part of a network in about 1860. It served as a link between forts and barracks and fluctuated between private and military use with private rights vested in the Seely family, in 1930 or thereabouts, the landowner Sir Charles Seely donated what was then a narrow track to the Isle of Wight Council for public use. The original track was vulnerable to erosion and a new road was constructed further inland, some vestiges of the original track are still visible along the coast from Shippards Chine to the north west of the slumped area. The construction of the new road took place in the early 1930 with the opening of the last section in March 1936. The road from Chale to Niton was built as an inland route following the collapse of the previous coastal road between Niton and Blackgang in 1928. It is of similar construction and mostly from the time period to the stretch to the west of Chale which was re-built. This length of road is not usually understood to be covered by the term Military Road and its name on street maps, along the rest of the route, there is no such restriction, but most motorists choose only to stop in designated car parks. In Summer 2009 the Isle of Wight Council was warned that cliff slippage was endangering the road, the harsh weather over winter 2009-10 caused a large number of landslides. By February 2010, another land slip on the section between Brook and Hanover car park, brought the top of the cliff to about 5 metres from the edge of the road. The coastal path was lost, and the council erected traffic barriers at one side of the road to alert drivers, a further landslide, on the same section, on 23 February 2010, brought the top of the cliff to virtually the edge of the road. The road was reduced to single file, with light control
A3055 road
–
Military Road at Brook. This is the end of the clearway section, as denoted by the signs near the junction. Note also that the destination on the sign is Ventnor: despite the fact the road goes to Ryde, motorists travelling there would have a shorter journey via Brook Village and Newport.
A3055 road
–
Military Road near Compton Farm (ahead). Automatically in the event of a landslide, or manually in very poor weather, the sign (to the right here) can be illuminated to close the road at this vulnerable point.
14.
Whitwell, Isle of Wight
–
Whitwell is a small village located on the south of the Isle of Wight, approximately 5 kilometres north-west of Ventnor, the villages nearest town. At the 2011 Census the appropriate civil parish was Niton and Whitwell, in addition to this, it is about five minutes away from its neighbouring small villages of Godshill and Niton, the latter of which, Whitwell forms a Civil Parish. According to 2001 census data, the population of the village was 578. There is a variety of stone and thatched housing, as well as more modern housing. A trout farm is located towards Nettlecombe, with three lakes covering 1.5 acres, the waters are well stocked with carp, roach and tench. Whitwell is named after the White Well inside the village, the well was visited by many during medieval times on pilgrimages, and now well dressing occurs annually each summer. Across Whitwell, six more old water standards can be seen and they were built in 1887 by William Spindler. Half the cost of installing the wells was covered by William Spindler himself, the water was supplied by Mr Granville Ward from a spring on his land at Bierley. White is derived from an Old English word meaning clean or pure, the original White Well, located towards the south end of the village was once a place of veneration as a holy well and a site of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. The waters of the well were believed to contain healing powers for the infirm, the tradition of Well Dressing was started and now occurs annually at the site of the well. Each year the well is dressed and blessed by the local vicar giving thanks for water, in the village, six red iron water pumps can be seen at various intervals. These were built in 1887 by William Spindler, a prominent figure in St Lawrence whose tomb now lies in Whitwell Graveyard, one is located next to the White Well in Ventnor Road, two along Kemming Road, two along the High Street, and one on Nettlecombe Road. Many of the buildings such as the White Horse pub. The Church has portions dating back to as far as the 12th century, in comparison to this and the rest of the village, new housing has been built relatively recently along Bannock Road. The latest new housing was completed in 2006, in 2009 Whitwell won the award for the best kept large village, in addition to the award for the overall islands best kept village, an award it has previously won in 2003. Judges from the competition were impressed by maintenance of bus stops, verges seats, commercial premises and gardens and the success of the new post office. Whitwell lies within the constituency of the Isle of Wight with the seat held by Conservative member Andrew Turner. Together with Niton, the forms a civil parish, chaired by Councillor John Andrew Stotesbury
Whitwell, Isle of Wight
–
One of six red iron water pumps in the village.
Whitwell, Isle of Wight
–
The River Yar's infant tributary in Whitwell
Whitwell, Isle of Wight
–
The White Horse
15.
Binnel Bay
–
Binnel Bay is a bay on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies between the villages of St. Lawrence and Niton and it faces south towards the English Channel, its shoreline is 1.2 kilometres in length. It stretches from Binnel Point in the east to Puckaster Cove in the west, the bay is remote and is best viewed from Binnel Point
Binnel Bay
–
Binnel Bay looking southwest, with
St. Catherine's Point in the distance
16.
Folly
–
18th century English gardens and French landscape gardening often featured mock Roman temples, symbolising classical virtues. Other 18th century garden follies represented Chinese temples, Egyptian pyramids, ruined abbeys, or Tatar tents, sometimes they represented rustic villages, mills, and cottages to symbolise rural virtues. Many follies, particularly during times of famine, such as the Irish potato famine, were built as a form of relief, to provide employment for peasants. The concept of the folly is subjective and it has suggested that the definition of a folly lies in the eyes of the beholder. Typical characteristics include, They have no other than as an ornament. Often they have some of the appearance of a building constructed for a purpose, such as a castle or tower. Equally, if they have a purpose, it may be disguised and they are buildings, or parts of buildings. Thus they are distinguished from other garden ornaments such as sculpture, follies are deliberately built as ornaments. They are often eccentric in design or construction and this is not strictly necessary, however, it is common for these structures to call attention to themselves through unusual details or form. There is often an element of fakery in their construction, the canonical example of this is the sham ruin, a folly which pretends to be the remains of an old building but which was in fact constructed in that state. They were built or commissioned for pleasure, follies began as decorative accents on the great estates of the late 16th century and early 17th century but they flourished especially in the two centuries which followed. Many estates had ruins of houses and Roman villas, others, lacking such buildings. However, very few follies are completely without a practical purpose, apart from their decorative aspect, many originally had a use which was lost later, such as hunting towers. Follies are misunderstood structures, according to The Folly Fellowship, a charity that exists to celebrate the history and they were usually in the form of Roman temples, ruined Gothic abbeys, or Egyptian pyramids. In France they sometimes took the form of romantic farmhouses, mills and cottages, sometimes they were copied from landscape paintings by painters such as Claude Lorrain and Hubert Robert. Often, they had symbolic importance, illustrating the virtues of ancient Rome, later in the 18th century, the follies became more exotic, representing other parts of the world, including Chinese pagodas, Japanese bridges, and Tatar tents. The Irish Potato Famine of 1845-49 led to the building of several follies, the society of the day held that reward without labour was misguided. However, to hire the needy for work on useful projects would deprive existing workers of their jobs, thus, construction projects termed famine follies came to be built
Folly
–
Broadway Tower,
Worcestershire, England
Folly
–
The
Dunmore Pineapple in Scotland
Folly
–
Hagley Castle is in
the grounds of
Hagley Hall. It was built by
Sanderson Miller for
George, Lord Lyttleton in the middle of the 18th century to look like a small ruined medieval castle.
Folly
–
Public art/folly in
Coal Harbour,
British Columbia, Canada
17.
Wightbus
–
Not to be confused with Wrightbus, the bus manufacturer Wightbus was a bus operator on the Isle of Wight, owned by the Isle of Wight Council. It operated a network of 13 local bus services running across the island, mostly services which would not have been viable for the dominant commercial operator, Southern Vectis. Wightbus also provided school buses, and transported disabled adults to various day care centres on behalf of the social services department. A dial-a-bus service was run over parts of the island to residents who would be unable to leave their homes to catch a regular service bus. The Wightbus fleet was made up of 27 vehicles with capacities ranging from 16 to 72, around 40 trained drivers and passenger-escort staff were employed. Over 1 million passengers travelled on Wightbus services annually, Wightbus was axed by the Isle of Wight Council in February 2011, with the last services operating on 2 September 2011. The services are all run by volunteer drivers, the name Wightbus was the trading name of the Isle of Wight Councils own bus fleet, to which it was known for the last 14 years of its operations. Before 1997, the fleet was in a livery, with County Bus along the sides. The name Wightbus reduced the perceived connection between the Council and the company, exactly how closely tied the two were was sometimes unclear. From the new year from September 2010, all school journeys on the island became operated by Southern Vectis under one contract. As a result, some Wightbus drivers were made redundant, with the able to transfer to Southern Vectis. Despite protests by islanders and alternatives offered by other councillors, it was voted through by Conservative councillors at the council meeting on 23 February 2011. The last Wightbus timetable ran until 2 September 2011 and was not continued from this date, all routes passed to Southern Vectis who are operating in a community partnership with the Isle of Wight Council and local town and parish councils. Initially, the main work Wightbus undertook was on school journeys, as many settlements on the Island are small, while most are large enough to support at least one primary school, there are few state-run high schools. Because of the Islands 3-tier school system whilst Wightbus operated, there were also middle schools, in March 2008 Southern Vectis revised its school bus timetable to include several journeys already operated by the Wightbus school network. The row was believed to be sparked when council bosses and managers at Southern Vectis could not agree on how to run the school service in March. As the extra services were costing the council around £400,000 a year to run and were running empty anyway they were discontinued from September 2008, eventually however, all these services were timetabled separately from any of Southern Vectis services. Some of these are operated during school journey periods and so additional buses were required beyond those purely for school purposes and this used three spare buses – not working due to Cowes Week being in the school Summer holidays – to maintain a five-minute frequency
Wightbus
Wightbus
–
UVG bodied
Dennis Javelin in Newport in June 2010
18.
Shanklin
–
Shanklin is a popular seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on Sandown Bay. Shanklin is the southernmost of three settlements which occupy the bay, and is close to Lake and Sandown, the sandy beach, its Old Village and a wooded ravine, Shanklin Chine, are its main attractions. The esplanade along the beach is occupied by hotels and restaurants for the most part, the other is the Old Village, at the top of Shanklin Chine. Together with Sandown, Shanklin forms a built up area of 21,374 inhabitants, near Regent Street are the towns two main supermarkets, the Co-op and Lidl. In Regent Street itself are many shops, including two arts and crafts shops, several clothing and sports shops, three newsagents and three bakeries. The High Street also has local shops, but is dominated by tourist shops. Shanklin railway station is the terminus of the Island Line from Ryde, the railway was extended south to Ventnor in 1866, but this section was closed in 1966. The line from Ryde to Shanklin is now operated by former London Underground tube trains, in October 2004 a direct link was revived in the form of a bus service named the Rail link. This was discontinued in 2010 but was replaced by the Southern Vectis number 3 bus, bus services to nearby towns and suburbs are run by Southern Vectis and Wightbus, mainly on routes 2,3, and 23, principally from the bus stands at The CO-OP. Destinations served include Newchurch, Newport, Ryde, Sandown, Ventnor, in the summer, an open top bus route called The Sandown Bay Tour is run, serving the main tourist areas of Shanklin and running to Sandown. Shanklin has one theatre, Shanklin Theatre, which is just off the top end of the High Street. In July 1868 the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow stayed at the Crab Inn in Shanklins Old Village during his last visit to Europe and it is not generally held to be amongst his best work. The 1980s indiepop band Trixies Big Red Motorbike were from Shanklin, victoria Cross recipient and Deputy Governor of the Isle of Wight, Colonel Henry Gore-Browne retired to Shanklin before his death in 1912. Shanklin is on the coast of Sandown Bay, and therefore is part of the beach which spans between Yaverland in the North to Luccombe in the South. The section of beach situated next to Shanklin is split into Small Hope Beach, available to be hired for a childs birthday party. There are several seafront hotels, a lift from the seafront to the top of the cliff, a putting course, several cafes and restaurants and pubs. Shanklin used to have a pier, but this was destroyed in the Great Storm of 1987, the pier formerly had a theatre at which many famous performers appeared, including Paul Robeson, Richard Tauber and Arthur Askey. The Summerland Amusement Arcade on the seafront was formerly a seaplane hangar positioned at Bembridge where it housed Fairey Campania seaplanes of the Nizam of Hyderabads Squadron, Shanklin Sailing Club is situated at the North end of the Esplanade
Shanklin
–
Shanklin Old Village
Shanklin
–
Looking along Shanklin Esplanade.
Shanklin
–
The seafront at Shanklin, 2003
Shanklin
–
Shanklin Esplanade circa 1910
19.
Ceremonial counties of England
–
The ceremonial counties, also referred to as the lieutenancy areas of England, are areas of England to which a Lord Lieutenant is appointed. The Local Government Act 1888 established county councils to assume the functions of Quarter Sessions in the counties. It created new entities called administrative counties, the Act further stipulated that areas that were part of an administrative county would be part of the county for all purposes. The greatest change was the creation of the County of London, which was both an administrative county and a county, it included parts of the historic counties of Middlesex, Kent. Other differences were small and resulted from the constraint that urban sanitary districts were not permitted to straddle county boundaries, apart from Yorkshire, counties that were subdivided nevertheless continued to exist as ceremonial counties. In 1974, administrative counties and county boroughs were abolished, at this time, Lieutenancy was redefined to use the new metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties directly. Following a further rearrangement in 1996, Avon, Cleveland, Hereford and Worcester, Cleveland was partitioned between North Yorkshire and Durham. Hereford and Worcester was divided into the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Humberside was split between Lincolnshire and a new county of East Riding of Yorkshire. Rutland was restored as a ceremonial county, many county boroughs were re-established as unitary authorities, this involved establishing the area as an administrative county, but usually not as a ceremonial county. Most ceremonial counties are therefore entities comprising local authority areas, as they were from 1889 to 1974, the Association of British Counties, a traditional counties lobbying organisation, has suggested that ceremonial counties be restored to their ancient boundaries, as nearly as practicable. In present-day England, the ceremonial counties correspond to the shrieval counties, the Lieutenancies Act 1997 defines counties for the purposes of lieutenancies in terms of metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties as well as Greater London and the Isles of Scilly. Although the term is not used in the Act, these counties are known as ceremonial counties. gov. uk
Ceremonial counties of England
–
Ceremonial counties (England)
20.
Bembridge
–
Bembridge is a village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, Bembridge is home to many of the Islands wealthiest residents. The population had reduced to 3,688 at the 2011 Census, Bembridge sits at the extreme eastern point of the Isle of Wight. Prior to land reclamation the area of Bembridge and Yaverland was almost an island unto itself, prior to the Victorian era Bembridge was a collection of wooden huts and farmhouses, which only consolidated into a true village with the building of the church in 1827. Bembridge Library serves the community and there is a museum in the same location. The Lane End district is located in the east of the village and it is largely composed of modern bungalows and a small shopping area which includes a Co-Op store. The lane comes to an end at the beach, where Bembridge Lifeboat station, formerly, many of the bungalows were on the land of a cottage where Cecily Cardew lived, after whom an Oscar Wilde character was named. Moving inland from Lane End one finds Bembridge C of E Primary School, along with the community centre. The Royal Isle of Wight Golf Club was located at St Helens Duver, the club was formed in 1882. Bembridge is a service centre, hosting Bembridge C of E Primary School. It is also the location of a fire station. Bembridge Airport is an airport with a concrete runway, and is located close to the Windmill to the south-west of the village proper heading towards Yaverland. The war memorial was designed by architect, Percy Stone. The RNLI station is significant, as it extends into the sea to the east of the village. Here lies the notorious Bembridge Ledge, a large, rocky outcrop which poses a threat to passing boats. A former Bembridge lifeboat, the RNLB Jesse Lumb, is part of the National Historic Fleet, the current offshore boathouse was completed in Autumn 2010 by BAM Nuttall and Ecochoice and houses a new Tamar class boat, the Alfred Albert Williams. A complete new concrete walkway was built, and the new station is completely of naturally durable timber. The Inshore lifeboat station was rebuilt in 2014, and the interior of the boathouse is accessible to visitors during set days when the station isnt on alert
Bembridge
–
Bembridge Lifeboat Station
Bembridge
–
Aerial view of
Ryde and Bembridge
Bembridge
–
Seawall in Bembridge.
Bembridge
–
Bembridge
Windmill
21.
Brading
–
The ancient Kynges Towne of Brading is the main town of the civil parish of the same name. The ecclesiastical parish of Brading used to cover about a tenth of the Isle of Wight, the civil parish now includes the town itself and Adgestone, Morton, Nunwell and other outlying areas between Ryde, St Helens, Bembridge, Sandown and Arreton. Alverstone was transferred to the Newchurch parish some thirty years ago, from early times, Brading ranked as an important Island port. The ancient name of Brerdynge, from which Brading is derived, probably meant the people living by the ridge of the Downs, the Roman Villa south of the town, and Roman relics discovered locally, indicate that this was an important seaport 2,000 years ago. Signs of prehistoric activity have also found on Brading Down. History records that St Wilfrid came to the island during the 680s, landed at Brading, preached there to the islanders, Wilfrid would thus have been literally preaching to the converted because everyone else was dead. This legend was illustrated by a tableau at the Waxworks, Brading was first granted a charter in 1280, unusually for the time directly from King Edward I, rather than the Lord of the Isle. This led to it being known as the Kings Town, the charter granted to Brading by Edward VI in 1548 refers to the previous charter granted by Edward I. This charter allowed the town to two annual fairs. Nowadays the fair is called Brading Day and is held over the first weekend in July, because of its status as a town, Brading has a mayor and an elected town council. In medieval times the town was governed by the Steward, Bailiffs and 13 Jurats, now the town is a part of the Isle of Wight parliamentary constituency. Until the 16th century the port was active, ships lay alongside at the quay behind the Bugle Inn in the High Street. Ships came into Brading Haven for shelter and for provisions, particularly water, the north-eastern part of the haven was closed off by an embankment completed in 1594, much of which is still present. Ships would then tie up at the far end of Quay Lane on the side of the embankment. Sir Hugh Myddleton, who had constructed the New River from Enfield to central London for James I, undertook this work, so Brading now shares with Winchelsea and Romney the distinction of being a seaport without any sea. Losing access to the sea caused Brading to decline in importance and prevented the sort of growth enjoyed by Cowes, a historic Old Town Hall stands near to the church. The New Town Hall dates from 1903, in 1730 an extra 3d was added to the rate for the Town Hall. This new building remained until 1876 when it was restored to its present state, before the building of the first school in 1823, the children were taught in the Town Hall, and it was also used for Mothers Meetings
Brading
–
Brading High Street.
Brading
–
Brading Old Town Hall
Brading
–
The Statue adjacent to the Bull Ring.
Brading
–
The former Brading Waxworks in August 2010.
22.
Cowes
–
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, the two towns are linked by the Cowes Floating Bridge, a chain ferry. The population was 9,663 in the 2001 census, which doubles during the regatta in early August, the population at the 2011 census was 10,405. Charles Godfrey Lelands 19th century verses describe the towns poetically as The two great Cowes that in loud thunder roar/This on the eastern, that the western shore, Cowes has been seen as a home for international yacht racing since the founding of the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1815. It gives its name to the worlds oldest regular regatta, Cowes Week, much of the towns architecture is still heavily influenced by the style of ornate building that Prince Albert popularised. The name Westcowe was attested in 1413 as the name of one of two sandbanks, on side of the River Medina estuary, so-called after a supposed likeness to cows. The name was transferred to fortifications built during the reign of Henry VIII on the east and west banks of the river to dispel a French invasion. They subsequently gave their names to the towns of Cowes and East Cowes, the towns name has been subject to dispute in the past, sometimes being called Cowes, and then West Cowes. For example, a milestone from the 17th century exists, calling the town Cowes, in 1895 West Cowes Urban District Council applied for permission to change the name of the town to Cowes officially, and this was granted on 21 August 1895. In earlier centuries the two settlements were much smaller and known as East and West Shamblord or Shamelhorde, the East being the more significant settlement, the Isle of Wight was a target of attempted French invasions, and there were notable incursions. Henrician Castles were built in both settlements in the sixteenth century, the west fort in Cowes still survives to this day, albeit without the original Tudor towers, as Cowes Castle. The fort built in East Cowes is believed to have similar but was abandoned c1546. However, seafaring for recreation and sport remained the exception rather than the rule until much later and it was not until the reign of keen sailor George IV that the stage was set for the heyday of Cowes as The Yachting Capital of the World. In 1826 the Royal Yacht Squadron organised a regatta for the first time. This became known as Cowes Regatta and it grew into a four-day event that always ended with a fireworks display. The opium clippers Nina, Eamont and Wild Dayrell were built in Cowes, in Cowes the 18th-century house of Westbourne was home to a collector of customs whose son, born there in 1795, lived to become Dr Thomas Arnold, headmaster of Rugby School. Northwood House was the home of the Ward family and it was donated under trust to the town in 1929, the grounds becoming Northwood Park. William George Ward was a friend of the poet Tennyson
Cowes
–
Cowes Parade
Cowes
–
Caption: Where the Royal Yacht Squadron have their headquarters, and where the famous "Cowes Week" takes place in August. - From the Beautiful Britain series, The Isle of Wight, by G. E. Mitton.
Cowes
–
Cowes marina.
Cowes
–
Cowes High Street
23.
East Cowes
–
East Cowes is a town and civil parish to the north of the Isle of Wight, on the east bank of the River Medina next to its neighbour on the west bank, Cowes. The two towns are connected by the Cowes Floating Bridge, a ferry operated by the Isle of Wight Council. East Cowes is the site of Norris Castle, and Osborne House, the name Estcowe originally comes from one of two sandbanks each side of the River Medina estuary, so called after a supposed likeness to cows. The naming of Cowes was done in a similar fashion and they replaced the earlier name of Shamblord. The settlement of Shamblord at East Cowes was first recorded in 1303 and it grew as East Shamblord, and became a much more significant settlement than the Western Shamblord. During the reign of Queen Victoria, who made her home at Osborne by acquiring and rebuilding Osborne House, East Cowes was the subject of planned estate of grand houses, groves. In East Cowes Norris Castle was designed in the Norman style by James Wyatt in the eighteenth century. The building survives and today remains a private home, in 1798, the architect John Nash, began building his home, East Cowes Castle, where he later entertained the Prince Consort and other prominent guests. East Cowes Castle was notable for its Gothic towers and turrets, Nash died in 1835 and is buried in the tower of St James Church which he also designed. East Cowes Castle was demolished during the 1960s, although the ice house remains and is visible in Sylvan Avenue, Cowes and East Cowes became a single urban district in 1933. During World War II, both Cowes and East Cowes became the targets of frequent bombing due to its industry and proximity to Southampton and the Royal Navys home at Portsmouth. The shipyard of J. Samuel White was badly damaged by air attack in early May 1942 but, the first warship completed by the renewed yard was HMS Cavalier. Later in 2004, and over to the west, an area of Cowes was named Francki Place in honour of the ships commander and it has since been re-floated, repaired, and returned to service. East Cowes is linked to the mainland by Red Funnel’s vehicle ferry service, the Cowes Floating Bridge links East Cowes with Cowes throughout the day. It is a ferry, and is one of the few remaining not to be replaced by a physical bridge. Southern Vectis operate bus route 4 linking the town with Ryde, the Isle of Wight Coastal Path runs through East Cowes. Local industry in both Cowes and East Cowes has always centred on the building and design of craft and materials associated with boatmaking, including the early flying boats. They also developed and tested the first hovercraft, the SR. N1, the former Saunders-Roe factory at Venture Quays now produces wind turbines, which can be seen laid on the quay for shipping out
East Cowes
–
East Cowes seafront, showing the Columbine Yard building with its
Union Flag doors.
East Cowes
–
Saunders Roe East Cowes works in 1954 with Princess flying-boat
East Cowes
–
The progress as of the new East Cowes Waitrose store which is now open.
24.
Freshwater, Isle of Wight
–
Freshwater is a large village and civil parish at the western end of the Isle of Wight, England. Freshwater Bay is a cove on the south coast of the Island which also gives its name to the nearby part of Freshwater. Freshwater sits at the end of the region known as the Back of the Wight or the West Wight which is a popular tourist area. Freshwater is close to steep chalk cliffs and it was the birthplace of physicist Robert Hooke and was the home of Poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson. Freshwater is famous for its geology and coastal rock formations that have resulted from centuries worth of coastal erosion, the Arch Rock was a well-known local landmark that collapsed on 25 October 1992. The neighbouring Stag Rock is so named because supposedly a stag leaped to the rock from the cliff to escape during a hunt, another huge slab fell off the cliff face in 1968, and is now known as the Mermaid Rock. Immediately behind Mermaid Rock lies a small Sea cave that cuts several metres into the new cliff and it is mostly sandy but it is also covered in chalk from the nearby cliffs, which is frequently gathered by tourists as souvenirs. Freshwater features an excellent example of a surviving Victorian Beach hotel, the Albion was built around the time Freshwater became popularised as a coastal resort, and is still popular today. The hills above Freshwater are named after Tennyson, on the nearby Tennyson Down is a Cornish granite cross erected in 1897 in tribute to Tennyson, by the people of Freshwater, and other friends in England and America. There is also a hill in the area called Hooke Hill, All Saints Church, Freshwater is one of the oldest churches on the Isle of Wight, and was listed in the Domesday survey of 1086. Mark Whatson is the pastor of All Saints, which is an Anglican church in the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth, a primary school associated with the church is nearby. There is a memorial commemorating Tennyson in All Saints Church. Tennysons wife Emily and other members are buried in the church cemetery. The church is also the site of a memorial to Tennysons son, Lionel Tennyson, Dimbola Lodge, the home of Julia Margaret Cameron and now a photographic museum, is in the village of Freshwater Bay, which is part of Freshwater. There is also a tearoom and bookstore, Tennysons son, Hallam donated land for a new church in Freshwater Bay. Hallams wife Audrey suggested that the church be named for St. Agnes, St. Agnes Church, Freshwater was consecrated on 12 August 1908. It is the only thatched church on the Isle of Wight, Freshwater was the site of the largest station on the Freshwater, Yarmouth and Newport Railway that operated from 20 July 1889 to 21 September 1953. The station location is now occupied by a supermarket and garden centre, Freshwater is near the source of the Western Yar, a river whose estuary runs north to Yarmouth
Freshwater, Isle of Wight
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Freshwater Bay, December 2013
Freshwater, Isle of Wight
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Freshwater Bay, circa 1910. The large building in the foreground is The Albion, a Victorian hotel built in response to an influx in popularity
Freshwater, Isle of Wight
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Dimbola Lodge (foreground, left), overlooking Freshwater Bay, 2006.
Freshwater, Isle of Wight
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Although being sited near a cove, Freshwater often receives high waves as a result of Atlantic storms
25.
Newport, Isle of Wight
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Newport is a civil parish and the county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England, in the United Kingdom. Newport had a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census, mousterian remains, featuring tools made by Neanderthals at least 40,000 years ago, were found at Great Pan Farm in the 1970s. There are signs of Roman settlement in the area, which was known as Medina. Information about the area resumes after the Norman Conquest, the first charter was granted in the late 12th century. In 1377 an invading French force burnt down much of the town attempting to take Carisbrooke Castle. A group of Frenchmen were captured and killed, then buried in a tumulus later nicknamed Noddies Hill and this was later corrupted to Nodehill, the present-day name for a part of central Newport – a name confusing to many as the area is flat. The Treaty was repudiated by Oliver Cromwell upon returning from defeating the Scots at the Battle of Preston, the town had been incorporated as a borough in 1608. The towns position as an area of trade accessible to the sea meant it took over from nearby Carisbrooke as the main central settlement. Newport since the 1960s has acquired new shopping facilities, a central square. Newport Quay has been redeveloped with art galleries such as the Quay Arts Centre, the Queen Victoria Memorial was designed by local architect Percy Stone. Geographically located in the centre of the Island at 50. 701°N,1. 2883°W, transport connections link all major towns to Newport, it is the main shopping centre and location for public services on the Island. The main A3020 and A3054 roads converge as Medina Way between the busy roundabouts at Coppins Bridge and St Marys Hospital. Newport railway station was the hub of the Islands rail network until the mid-20th century, but it closed in 1966, the nearest city to the town is Portsmouth, about 13 miles north-east on Portsea Island, adjoining the mainland. More locally, Ryde, the Islands largest town, is to the north-east, Sandown and Shanklin are to the east, the River Medina runs through Newport, north of its confluence with the Lukely Brook at the towns quay it becomes a navigable tidal estuary. Distance from surrounding settlements Cowes –4, parkhurst and Albany were once among the few top-security prisons in the United Kingdom. Camp Hill was another prison in the area but closed in 2013, seaclose Park in Newport, on the east bank of the River Medina, has since 2002 been the location for the revived Isle of Wight Music Festival, held annually. Newport is home to the Postal Museum, possibly the largest private collection of postal equipment. Newport bus station is the central bus terminus, with all routes in the town serving it
Newport, Isle of Wight
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St Thomas' Church, seen in July 2010.
Newport, Isle of Wight
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Newport High Street, circa 1910
Newport, Isle of Wight
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New Redevelopment of the old bus station.
Newport, Isle of Wight
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An aerial photograph, showing Newport (bottom left).
26.
Ryde
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Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, with a population of 23,999 at the 2011 Census. It lies on the north-east coast, the town grew in size as a seaside resort after the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower Ryde were merged in the 19th century. The influence of this era is still visible in the towns central. As a resort, the town is noted for its expansive sands, Ryde Pier is a listed structure, and the fourth longest pier in the United Kingdom, as well as the oldest. In 1782 numerous bodies of men, women and children from HMS Royal George, many were buried on land that is now occupied by the Esplanade. A memorial to them was erected in June 2004, the hovercraft to Southsea is operated by Hovertravel near the Esplanade close to Ryde Esplanade railway station and the bus station. A catamaran service run by Wightlink operates from Ryde Pier to Portsmouth Harbour which connects with both Island Line trains and mainland trains to London Waterloo, the Island Line Trains service runs from Ryde Pier Head via Ryde Esplanade to Shanklin, a distance of 8 1⁄2 miles. Ryde St Johns Road railway station further south in the town. A major bus interchange is situated between Ryde Pier and the Hover Terminal on the Esplanade with frequent services to many island towns, Ryde is the second busiest place in the Southern Vectis network, smaller only than Newport. The most frequent service is route 9 to Newport, running every 10 minutes in the daytime, other main routes include services 2,3,4,8 and local route 37. An open top bus tour called The Downs Tour is also run in the summer, the towns large and long esplanade area has always been an attraction for tourists, especially those day-tripping from the mainland, as the amenities are all available by walking from the pier. A swimming pool, bowls club, ice rink, bowling alley, and boating lake are among the attractions, at one time Ryde had two separate piers, the other being the Victoria Pier, no longer in existence. Ryde has its own rescue service which mostly has to deal with people becoming stranded on sandbanks as the incoming tide cuts them off from the shore. The pier is also a feature of the 67-mile Isle of Wight Coastal Path, Ryde has a small marina located to the east of Ryde Pier. It is tidal and dries out at low water hence it is suitable for smaller sailing. It has provision for up to 200 boats, either on floating pontoons or leaning against the harbour wall, the twin church spires clearly visible from the sea belong to All Saints and Holy Trinity churches. All Saints Church is located in Queens Road on a junction known as Five Ways. It was designed by George Gilbert Scott and completed in 1872, the spire is 177 feet tall
Ryde
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Ryde viewed from the
Solent
Ryde
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Hovercraft leaving Ryde
Ryde
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Ryde Pier seen from Ryde
Ryde
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All Saints' Church
27.
Sandown
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Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible golden sandy beach. It is the site of the lost Sandown Castle, whilst undergoing construction, this was attacked by a French force which had fought its way over Culver Down from Whitecliff Bay, resulting in the French being repulsed. It was built too far into the sea and constantly suffered erosion, together with Shanklin, Sandown forms a built up area of 21,374 inhabitants. The sweeping esplanade from Devonia Steps to Yaverland and the bandstand was built during the First World War, Sandown is a typical Victorian seaside town, but is surrounded by a wealth of natural features. Nearby inland are Sandown Levels, one of the few freshwater wetlands on the Isle of Wight, further inland the woodland of Borthwood provides delightful woodland walks, and bluebells aplenty in the spring. The most significant wildlife designation in the area is the Special Area of Conservation which covers the marine zone, including the reefs. At extreme low tide a petrified forest is partially revealed in the part of Sandown Bay. Originally Sandown was of military significance as its wide sandy beaches offers a landing place for invasion. At first only available to the rich, the development of railways and excursion steamers made such holidays more generally available. Sandown has been a resort town since the Victorian age thanks to its sands. Its success, along with that of other neighbouring Isle of Wight resorts led to the building of a railway connecting Sandown with Ventnor at the south and Ryde on the north coast of the island. Sandown railway station is still on the one remaining operational railway on the island, today Sandown esplanade boasts some fine Victorian and Edwardian hotels which overlook the golden sands of the beach below. Sandown Pier hosts a large amusement centre with arcade games and childrens play areas, the pier is also well used for sea fishing with designated areas especially for the angler. Further north, there is the Isle of Wight Zoo which specialises in tigers, other facilities include an 18-hole golf course, the Dinosaur Isle geological museum and Sandham Gardens, offering a skate park, childrens play park, crazy golf, bowls and putting green. In recent years, the town has started to experience urban decay as many of the hotels began to close and be replaced with Care homes, a grant given to Sandown and Ryde in 2015 has raised hopes of regeneration within the town. Sandown offers an assortment of pubs and restaurants, the pubs range from the more traditional offering a selection of local ales and ciders, to more family-friendly gastro-pubs with a wider menu. Restaurants in the offer a varied cuisine and there are a variety of traditional tea rooms on High Street. A full listing of places to eat and drink in Sandown is now available online, as well as the Island Line Railway, Sandown is served by regular buses run by Southern Vectis on routes 2,3 and 8
Sandown
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Sandown Pier
Sandown
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The Savoy Hotel, which is soon to be knocked down and mark a period of regeneration for the town.
Sandown
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Previous Sandown Road Train that used to run round town.
28.
Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
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Yarmouth is a town, port and civil parish in the west of the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England. The town is named for its location at the mouth of the small Western Yar river, the town grew near the river crossing, originally a ferry, which was replaced with a road bridge in 1863. Yarmouth has been a settlement for over a thousand years, and is one of the earliest on the island, the first account of the settlement is in King Ethelred the Unreadys record of the Danegeld tax of 991, when it was called Eremue, meaning muddy estuary. The Normans laid out the streets on a system, a plan which can still be seen today. It grew rapidly, being given its first Charter as a town in 1135, the town became a parliamentary borough in the Middle Ages, and the Yarmouth constituency was represented by two members of Parliament until 1832. Until the castle was built, raids by the French hurt the town, legend has it that the church bells were carried off to Cherbourg or Boulogne. Yarmouth Castle was built in 1547, and is now in the care of English Heritage and it is effectively a gun platform, built by Henry VIII to fortify the Solent and protect island against any attempted invasion of England. In St. Jamess Church there is a monument to the 17th-century admiral Sir Robert Holmes who was at Yarmouth. He obtained it in a raid on a French ship, when he seized an unfinished statue of Louis XIV of France and forced the sculptor to finish it with his own head rather than the kings. In 1784 most of Yarmouths ancient charters were lost, A ships captain, drunk after a dinner, stole what he thought was a case of wine. When he discovered it was a case of books, he threw it overboard, Yarmouth Pier was opened in 1876. It received Grade 2 listed status in 1975, originally 685 ft long, its now 609 ft but is still the longest timber pier in England open to the public, and also a docking point for the MV Balmoral and PS Waverley. Several Sites of Special Scientific Interest lie close to Yarmouth, including Yar Estuary SSSI & Bouldnor And Hamstead Cliffs SSSI, as a port and market town Yarmouth has had local commercial significance. The Wightlink car ferry sails from Yarmouth to Lymington in Hampshire, to reach Yarmouth, route 7 uses Pixley Hill, which has caused some controversy amongst local residents who do not believe the road is large enough for buses. The controversy was started by former route 11 being extended to serve Yarmouth. For the more athletic, Yarmouth is on the Isle of Wight Coastal Path, the parish was once served by Yarmouth railway station, with services to Newport. Passenger services ended in 1953, and the track has long since been removed, Yarmouth is one of the smallest towns in the United Kingdom. It had a 2001 population of just 791, Yarmouth hosts the popular biannual Old Gaffers festival which includes several days of entertainment and shows
Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
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Yarmouth town centre
Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
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The town hall
Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
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Sand-painting by Environmental Sand Artist Brian Pike
Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
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Yarmouth Bus Station & Ferry Terminal.
29.
River Medina
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The river is a navigable tidal estuary from Newport northwards, where it takes the form of a ria. Its current state has occurred because the Medina used to be a tributary of what was once the River Solent and had a larger catchment area. As the Solent valley flooded and the island eroded, the river received less water flow and more sediment, the river is bridged at Newport. Cowes is connected to East Cowes by a ferry known as the Cowes Floating Bridge. The name Medina comes from the Old English Meðune meaning the one. The river is used by yachtsmen as a safe harbour. Along the banks of the Medina there are many old warehouses and wharves where in the past flying boats, hovercraft and steam ships were developed, the Classic Boat Museum displays much of the rivers history alongside the history of yachting. The Island Harbour Marina, at the site of an old mill, is also on the river. As well as the ferry, the River Medina has several small ferries which cater mainly for sailors. Medina, Western Australia is a suburb in Perth named after it
River Medina
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The Medina estuary showing Newport and Cowes.
30.
Newtown River
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Newtown River is a large natural inland harbour located on the Isle of Wights northwestern coast, named after the nearby village of Newtown. It is sometimes referred to as Newtown Creek. Newtown Harbour is the name given by Natural England to the River and surrounding land, and it is owned and managed by the National Trust. Newtown River consists of a number of estuaries of small rivers, the narrow entrance to Newtown River is 3/4 of a mile east of Hamstead Point, in the centre of Newtown Bay. The entrance needs navigating with care as there is a bar across the entrance, strong cross tides, scouts from nearby Corf Camp often make use of the Estuary for expeditions from the jetty on the shore. The harbour is loved for its beauty and tranquility. It supports a number of species, but its primary importance is as a wintering ground for seabirds. The River is part of the Isle of Wight’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the area is also part of a 619.3 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The villages of Newtown and Shalfleet lie close to its shore, information on Newtown River from a poor sailor Natural England entry Isle of Wight Council entry IOW AONB map English Nature SSSI citation sheet
Newtown River
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Newtown River with yachts at anchor
31.
Solent
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The Solent is the strait that separates the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England. The Solent is a shipping lane for passenger, freight. It is an important recreational area for sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually. Spithead, an area off Gilkicker Point near Gosport, is known as the place where the Royal Navy is traditionally reviewed by the monarch of the day, the area is of great ecological and landscape importance, particularly because of the coastal and estuarine habitats along its edge. Much of its coastline is designated as a Special Area of Conservation and it is bordered by and forms a part of the character of a number of nationally important protected landscapes including the New Forest National Park, and the Isle of Wight AONB. The word first appears in the Saxon record as Solentan, a pre-Celtic and supposedly Semitoidic root meaning free standing rock has also been suggested as a possible description of the cliffs marking western approach of the strait. This Semitic origin may be a relic of the Phoenician traders who sailed to Britain from the Mediterranean as part of the ancient tin trade, another suggestion is that the name may reflect the number of Northern Gannets along the coast. Originally a river valley, the Solent has gradually widened and deepened over many thousands of years, the River Frome was the source of the River Solent, with three other rivers — the Rivers Avon, Itchen and Test — being tributaries of it. Seismic sounding has shown that, when the sea level was lower, since the retreat of the most recent glaciation the South East of England, like the Netherlands, has been steadily slowly sinking through historic time due to forebulge sinking. A new theory – that the Solent was originally a lagoon – was reported in the Southern Daily Echo by Garry Momber from the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology. The Isle of Wight was formerly contiguous with the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset — the Needles on Wight, inland behind the Chalk were less resistant sands, clays and gravels. This great estuary ran through a valley and is now referred to as the Solent River. When glaciers covering more northern latitudes melted at the end of the last ice age, firstly, a great amount of flood water ran into the Solent River and its tributaries, carving the estuary deeper. Over thousands of years, the land sank in the south to submerge many valleys creating todays characteristic rias, such as Southampton Water and Poole Harbour and this is thought to have happened about 7,500 years ago. The process of change is still continuing, with the soft cliffs on some parts of the Solent, such as Fort Victoria, constantly eroding, whilst other parts. The Solent is a shallow stretch of tidal water. It has an unusual double tide that is favourable and hazardous to maritime activities with its strong tidal movements and quickly changing sea states. Coupled with the above, the Solent is renowned for its volume of vessel usage
Solent
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Salt marsh near Lepe Country Park, with the Isle of Wight in the distance
Solent
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Satellite image showing the Solent, separating the
Isle of Wight from mainland
England
Solent
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A map of the Solent and surrounding areas from 1945
Solent
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Calshot Castle protected the mouth of
Southampton Water
32.
Wootton Creek
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Wootton Creek is a tidal estuary that flows into the Solent on the north coast of the Isle of Wight. On the west bank of the creek is the village of Wootton, the estuary is bridged by the main Ryde to Newport road, where there once was a tide mill. The estuary is not navigable south of the bridge, and tide controls means that water is retained south of the bridge most of the time, on the side of the estuary there is a Forestry Commission woodland called Firestone Copse which is about 30 acres in size. The estuary has also known in the past as Fishbourne Creek, Wootton River. At the mouth of the estuary is the Wightlink car ferry terminal for connections to Portsmouth, since 1993 Wootton Creek and the adjacent Ryde Sands have been designated as SSSIs due to their wide range of intertidal sand flats. Information on estuaries from the Isle of Wight Council View Nautical Charts of Wootton Creek and Approaches
Wootton Creek
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Wootton Creek on a clear winter day in January 2009
33.
Eastern Yar
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The River Yar on the Isle of Wight, England, rises in a chalk coomb in St. Catherines Down near Niton, close to the southern tip of the island. For most of its course, the passes through rural areas. At Alverstone, a small weir uses water from the river to power a water mill, the Yar is one of two rivers on the Isle of Wight with the same name. It is referred to as the Eastern Yar if it is necessary to distinguish between them, ordnance Survey One Inch Seventh Series sheet 180 Isle of Wight Estuaries Project
Eastern Yar
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The Eastern Yar at Brading marshes
34.
Western Yar
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The River Yar on the Isle of Wight, England, rises near the beach at Freshwater Bay, on the south coast, and flows only a few miles north to Yarmouth where it meets the Solent. Most of the river is a tidal estuary and its headwaters have been truncated by erosion of the south coast. The estuary from Freshwater to Yarmouth is part of the islands Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it contains important habitats, including saltmarsh, reedbeds, mud flats and sand dunes. These host a rich abundance of wildlife, particularly over-wintering wildfowl, the Yar estuary is also a 132.4 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. In addition the upper reaches of the river are designated an SSSI called Freshwater Marshes, the Yar is one of two rivers of that name on the Isle of Wight. It is referred to as the Western Yar if it is necessary to distinguish between them, Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Western Yar
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The Western Yar from the Yar Bridge at
Yarmouth.
35.
Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight
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Compton Bay, near Freshwater features dinosaur footprints which are visible at low tide. The Isle of Wight has layers of the Vectis and Wealden fossil-bearing beds exposed on the half of the island. These are revealed in the cliffs of Yaverland, close to Sandown, the islands dinosaurs come from the Wessex Formation, which dates from between 125 and 110 million years ago. It was a world of ponds, rivers and swamps, so it had conditions favourable for the formation of fossils, animal remains from this time include crocodiles, turtles, pterosaurs, mammals and possibly some birds. In the water were snails, fish and mussels, as this environment did not change much, over the course of 10 million years, a large number of fossils were formed, so the island today is a very rich source. Unless otherwise specified, the following is a list of dinosaurs for which almost complete skeletons have been found on the island, there are also many more species, known only from a single or very few bones. Suborder Thyreophora Polacanthus foxii, Also named after the Reverend Fox, notable as no head to the specimen has ever been found and reconstructions are based upon suppositions from similar ankylosaurians. Suborder Sauropodomorpha The Barnes High sauropod, A member of the Brachiosauridae family and this is the most complete specimen from the Wealden era. Suborder Theropoda Baryonyx walkeri, Teeth are common on the Island, hand bones have also been found. First identified in 1997 and named in 2001 from a specimen found on the island. Neovenator salerii, The holotype skeleton was found on the island, yaverlandia, The holotype partial skull was found at Yaverland. It was initially believed to have belonged to a pachycephalosaurian, deborah Cadbury, The Dinosaur Hunters ISBN 1-85702-963-1, a history of the early history of the discovery of dinosaurs in the United Kingdom. Includes brief references to collectors on the island, dinosaurs at Dinosaur Isle The website of Dinosaur Isle, an Isle of Wight palaeontological museum. New Species Of Prehistoric Creatures Discovered In Isle Of Wight Mud, ScienceDaily, dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight ISBN 0-901702-72-2, is also the title of a field guide to dinosaurs found on the island, by Darren Naish and David Martill
Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight
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Baryonyx, a large
theropod, was found with fish scales in its stomach, indicating that it may have been a
piscivore.
36.
History of the Isle of Wight
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The River Solent was the largest tributary of the Channel River that drained the Hampshire Basin from the Early Pleistocene or late Pliocene. During the Mesolithic period, sea levels in northern Europe were some 30 to 40 metres lower than today, and the land that became Britain was a peninsula of northern Europe. This flooded the river valley of the Solent to the north, and the future English Channel to the south. Once open to the sea, tidal scouring widened the Solent, the first inhabitants are assumed to have been hunter-gatherers migrating by land during the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age period, as the ice age began to recede and the climate improved. The island has no visible Paleolithic or Mesolithic sites, but flints from these periods have found and are on display at Carisbrooke Castle. The Longstone near Mottistone is one of the three surviving Neolithic sites, along with a long barrow on Afton Down and a mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down. Between the Neolithic and Roman eras, Southeastern Britain experienced significant in migration from the continent, finds of late Late Iron Age coins, such as the South Wight and Shalfleet Hoards, suggest trading links both with nearby tribes and further afield. The coins and ingots from these hoards had been defaced before burial, for reasons that are unknown, the variety of origin of the coins found locally is more marked than elsewhere in Britain and suggests that the island may have had a degree of political separation. The island has over 240 bronze age burial mounds or round barrows, one plough-damaged barrow on Gallibury Down was excavated during 1979-80 and dated to between 1600-1400 BCE. There is also evidence from aerial photographs of ring ditches on the limestone near Bembridge, the only significant Iron Age find is at Chillerton Down, where there was a hill fort. However three of the Roman villa sites have produced late Iron Age pottery, which suggests a continuity of occupation. Bronze Age Britain had large reserves of tin in Cornwall and Devon, at that time the sea level was much lower, and so tin for export could be brought across the Solent at low tide on carts, or possibly on boats such as those found at Ferriby. A shortage of tin during the Bronze Age collapse and trade disruptions in the Mediterranean around 1300 BCE may have forced metalworkers to seek an alternative to bronze. A century later, Pliny the Elder uses its Latin name Vectis, the form Vectis seems reasonably robust but Rivet and Smith were uncertain of its etymology. A gloss on an 1164 manuscript of Nennius equates Old English wiht with Latin divorcium, the word could be Brittonic, from a Celtic root akin to Irish fecht journey and Welsh gwaith work. The Romans occupied southern Britain, including the Isle of Wight, the Romans built no towns or roads on the island, but it became an agricultural centre, and at least seven Roman villas are known. The Roman villas at Newport and Brading have been excavated and are open to the public, at Brading Villa a field system can be seen near Brading Down, the remains associated with the villa can be seen as low banks. The chalk downland was cultivated in prehistoric and Roman times because the light chalk soil was not too difficult to plough
History of the Isle of Wight
–
The Clipper Ship "Flying Cloud" off the Needles, Isle of Wight, by
James E. Buttersworth, 1859-60.
History of the Isle of Wight
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Roman mosaic at Brading Roman Villa
History of the Isle of Wight
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15th century gatehouse of Carisbrooke Castle
37.
List of places on the Isle of Wight
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This is a list of towns and villages in the county of Isle of Wight, England. There are nine towns, most located along the north. Ryde is the largest, with a population of 26,152, Newport is the centrally located capital. Most settlements link to Newport by road, which is therefore the hub for island services, there are no settlements with city status, the nearest city is Portsmouth, five miles north-east, then Southampton, ten miles north of East Cowes. A self-descriptive definition of a village is adopted here
List of places on the Isle of Wight
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An aerial photograph showing the towns of Newport and Cowes
List of places on the Isle of Wight
–
Godshill
List of places on the Isle of Wight
–
Whitwell
38.
List of schools on the Isle of Wight
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This is a list of schools on the Isle of Wight, England. There are currently 41 state-maintained primary schools on the Isle of Wight, in addition, Haylands Primary School has had a brand new school built on the playing fields of the former Swanmore Middle School in Ryde. There are currently seven island secondary schools, all of which also have a sixth form, state-maintained special schools on the Isle of Wight include, Medina House School, St Georges School Isle of Wight College acts as the main provider of vocational further education on the island. Independent schools on the island include, Ryde School with Upper Chine Priory School There is also St Catherines School, previous middle schools below have now been phased out during the transition to a two-tier education system. Education on the Island has really suffered since this happened and most of the schools are now deemed unsatisfactory or have gone into special measures. There were originally 16 state-maintained middle schools on the Isle of Wight, in line with the rest of the Island, September 2009 was the last year in which a Year 5 was admitted to the Christ the King College. Instead, all Year 5 pupils, and then consequently Year 6 pupils, all middle schools on the island, other than Christ The King College, closed for pupils as of July 21,2011. Instead of the four years at school, children have been given 2 extra years in primary school. Children already in middle school transferred straight to the new schools at the start of the next academic year. Education on the Isle of Wight Education in England List of schools in the South East of England EduWight - Schools on the Isle of Wight
List of schools on the Isle of Wight
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Chillerton and Rookley Primary School.
List of schools on the Isle of Wight
–
Chale Primary School.
List of schools on the Isle of Wight
–
Medina High School, in
Newport.
List of schools on the Isle of Wight
–
Ryde School with Upper Chine.
39.
Transportation on the Isle of Wight
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The Island Line is the one railway left on the island. It runs some 8½ miles from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin, down the side of the island via Brading. It was opened by the Isle of Wight Railway in 1864, services are now provided by Island Line Trains, part of the South West Trains franchise, using electric trains which are old London Underground rolling stock. The island also has a heritage railway, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. This connects with the Island Line at Smallbrook Junction, and was part of the former Ryde to Newport line. In the 1950s and 1960s, and before the Beeching Report, lines ran from Ryde to Cowes via Newport and from Ryde to Ventnor via Brading, Sandown and Shanklin. Branch lines led from Brading to Bembridge, Sandown to Newport and west from Newport to Yarmouth, there were 2 stations at Ventnor, Ventnor, the terminus of the aforementioned Island Line from Ryde via Brading, Sandown and Shanklin. Ventnor Town – a branch of the Newport-Sandown line from Merstone, the two lines terminated at different levels above the town. Today much of the old network has been converted to cycle ways, including the Newport-Cowes, Newport-Sandown. Other sections can still be traced on the ground, including the two tunnels where the Ventnor lines ran beneath the downs. The Island has 489 miles of roadway, and does not have any motorway, a sign used to greet visitors disembarking from the car ferry at Fishbourne stating Island Roads are Different, Please Drive Carefully. It is a joke amongst local residents that the reason the roads are different is due to lack of maintenance, nevertheless, the lighter traffic, quieter roads and slower speeds are noticeable and are one of the reasons the Island remains attractive to tourists. April 1905 saw the start of bus services, with the Isle of Wight Express Syndicate operating a service running between Newport, Shanklin, Sandown and Ryde. The Vectis bus company was formed in 1922, at first it used only double decker buses, however a review found that island roads were not always suitable, and so single deckers were used instead. In 1929, the Vectis Bus Company was bought by Southern Railway, after 1968 it became part of the state-owned National Bus Company. In 1986 with privatisation, the bus company was bought by its management team, and it stayed independent until 2005, Southern Vectis had a near-monopoly of island bus transport for most of the 20th and early 21st Century, challenged only briefly after deregulation in 1986. It now runs fifteen different routes, with the most regular services between the towns such as Ryde and Cowes. From April 2006, the changed the livery on its buses to two shades of green, and also adopted a new simplified network, based on most routes radiating from Newport
Transportation on the Isle of Wight
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A map of the island from 1945
Transportation on the Isle of Wight
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Wightlink ferries Portsmouth Harbour.
Transportation on the Isle of Wight
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An Island Line train, unit 483,001 in 1989.
Transportation on the Isle of Wight
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A
Southern Vectis double decker bus.
40.
Arreton
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Arreton is a village and civil parish in the central eastern part of the Isle of Wight, England. It is about 3 miles south east of Newport, the settlement has had different names and different spellings over the years. The village has two inns with a long history, the White Lion Inn has been in business for two centuries, and was a staging inn on the A3056 road between Newport and Sandown. At one time, there was a Red Lion Inn nearby, the Arreton Barns Craft Village commercial complex contains a pub called The Dairymans Daughter, named after a best selling book about a girl from Arreton by Rev. Legh Richmond. Arreton is home to the Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum, which moved to the Arreton Barns Complex from Bembridge after 26 years and it is housed in a Grade II stone barn at Jacobs Yard in the Arreton Barns Centre. Visitors to the Shipwreck Centre can buy a variety of souvenirs and salvaged objects, St. Georges Church, Arreton is renowned. The war memorial was designed by architect, Percy Stone. On the road to the church is the 17th century Stile Cottage which was used to store ales for the church. Opposite the church is the Island Brass Rubbing Centre, Lavender Cottage and a carving of St. George. Arreton Manor, the manor house, was rebuilt between 1595 and 1612 by Sir Humphrey Barnet. Arreton Manor is mentioned in the Domesday Book and has been owned by at least 8 monarchs, King Charles I reviewed troops on the lawn in 1629, and Queen Victoria planted a tree in the garden. There are or were several ancient mills in Arreton, the mill at Horringford was apparently a papermill. To the north of the village lies Arreton Down, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, there is also a zoo south of Arreton, at Hale Common, known as Amazon World Zoo. Southern Vectis bus route 8 passes through the village on its way between Newport and Ryde via Sandown and Bembridge, the Downs Tour also serves the village during the summer. Evidence of habitation during Bronze Age Britain are the two round barrows, the larger, some 9 feet high, known locally as Michael Moreys Hump, the Arreton church of St. George was first begun in the Norman era. The monks of Quarr helped to extend the Church of St. George around 1160, a tower was added in 1299. In the fourteenth century, an effigy of Harry Hawles, Steward of the Island on behalf of Montecute. The brass effigy is missing its head and also the coat of arms, there is a note marking Hawles resting place that reads, A renowned bowling green in Arreton Parish flourished during the 16th and 17th centuries
Arreton
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Arreton Barns
Arreton
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Arreton Manor
Arreton
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Good Omen, 2008 work by the wood sculptor Paul Sivell, fashioned
in situ out of the remains of a
Leyland Cypress at Arreton Cross, commissioned by Arreton Parish Council and the Island 2000 Trust.
41.
Brighstone
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Brighstone is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight,6 miles southwest of Newport on the B3399 road. Brighstone was previously known as Brixton, the name derives from the Saxon name Ecgberts Tun. Brighstone is the largest village in the locally known as the Back of the Wight. In Roman times a villa was built to the north, to advantage of the clean waters of the Buddle Brook. Brighstone parish was formed in 1644, the civil parish comprises the main village of Brighstone together with the smaller villages of Brook, Hulverstone, Limerstone and Mottistone. The entire parish lies within an area of the Isle of Wight AONB and its coastline is designated as Heritage Coast, St. Marys Church, Brighstone is a venerable old church that has stood for more than eight centuries. Brighstone is popular with tourists for its thatched cottages and local shops, several large events are hosted in the village each year, including the Brighstone Show, Art exhibitions and the Brighstone Christmas Tree Festival. The local scout hut functions as a Youth Hostel during the summer, the village pub is called The Three Bishops, named after three rectors of Brighstone parish who went on to become famous bishops. The first was the 17th-century Bishop Ken who wrote the famous hymns Awake my soul and with the sun, Bishop Samuel Wilberforce became rector in 1830, and used to entertain his father, anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce. Wilberforce Road is named after him, and Brighstones village hall is called the Wilberforce Hall, the third bishop, Doctor George Moberly, was headmaster of Winchester College before changing career to become rector of Brighstone in 1866. Another notable person who lived in the village in the 19th century was the clergyman and amateur palaeontologist William Fox, the village is linked to other parts of the island by Southern Vectis bus route 12, serving Freshwater, Totland and Newport as well as intermediate villages. Brighstone Bay Brighstone Forest Brighstone Down Brighstone Christmas Tree Festival St. Marys Church, Brighstone Brighstone Parish official website
Brighstone
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Brighstone Village
Brighstone
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St. Mary's Church in Brighstone is a venerable old church that has stood for more than eight centuries.
42.
Calbourne
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Calbourne is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It is located eight kilometres from Newport in the west of the island, the village takes its name from the stream that passes through town, the Caul Bourne. The stream used to power five mills just north of the town, in the deed for the land produced in 826 CE, it is recorded as Cawelbourne. The village has a post office, a garage, a church, the garage is on the previous site of a blacksmith and wagonmaker. Calbourne is also the home of Westover cricket team, who play on the village green, there is a privately held manor house, Westover House, on a hill overlooking Calbourne. The Westover Estate was established during the reign of Edward the Confessor, Westover House was once owned by Colonel Moulton-Barrett. Colonel Mouton-Barrett was a relative of the poet Elizabeth Barrett, Calbourne is also close to the site of Swainston Manor, which is a mile to the east of Calbourne. Now a hotel, Swainston Manor was originally a house on a site dating back to 735 CE. Eight hundred years ago it became the location of a built by the Bishops of Winchester. It has a 12th-century chapel on its 32 acres, most of the present building was constructed in the 18th century, but an attached hall dates from the 13th century. Warwick the Kingmaker reportedly dined at Swainston Manor, the Calbourne Mill was first mentioned in print in 1299. Calbourne is the location of Winkle Street, a row of cottages which frequently appears on photographs. Winkle Street looks out on the village stream, Winkle Street was originally named Barrington Row, presumably after longtime residents of Swainston, the Barrington family. All Saints Church, in the centre of Calbourne, was established in 826 and it features a brass portrait of an armoured knight with hands folded in prayer, resting his feet on a dog. The pictured knight is thought to be William Montacure who was Earl of Salisbury, legend has it that Montacure was killed when he was jousting with his father. The heartbroken father created altar tombs in every church in village in which he owned land or houses. It is linked to parts of the Island by Southern Vectis and Community buses Yarmouth. A fictionalised Calbourne, as Malbourne, is the location of Maxwell Grays 1886 novel The Silence of Dean Maitland
Calbourne
43.
Fishbourne, Isle of Wight
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Fishbourne is a small village between Wootton and Ryde, on the Isle of Wight. The name Fishbourne might mean stream of fish or fish spring and it is positioned on the eastern bank of Wootton Creek, and includes the terminal for the Wightlink car ferry from Portsmouth. Fishbourne, together with the adjoining Kite Hill area, became a parish in 2006 and has a parish council. The parish includes the ruined Norman abbey and the Benedictine monastery including Quarr Abbey, the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and the Fishbourne Inn are located near the ferry terminal. Public transport is provided by Southern Vectis bus routes 4 and 9, which stop on the main road, Fishbourne is part of the electoral ward called Binstead and Fishbourne. This ward covers much of the Binstead district of Ryde parish, Fishbourne - The Willis Fleming Historical Trust Fishbourne Parish Council
Fishbourne, Isle of Wight
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The Fishbourne Inn, nearby the Wightlink terminal.
44.
Gatcombe
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Gatcombe is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. The Civil Parish is called Chillerton and Gatcombe and it is located four kilometres from Newport in the centre of the island. St. Olaves Church, Gatcombe was dedicated in 1292, serving as chapel to Gatcombe House, the Gatcombe parish was established in 1560. A carved wooden effigy of Edward Estur, a knight who fought in the Crusades, is in the church. In 1907, a contract was signed that ensured that properties older than 1907 in Gatcombe and nearby Chillerton would receive free water, while newer homes receive it at a reduced rate. In 2009 Southern Water proposed that everyone to pay the same rate, claiming that the reasoning behind the initial pact is now invalid, public transport is provided by Southern Vectis bus route 6, which runs between Newport and Ventnor. St Olaves Church, Gatcombe, Isle of Wight, Kent Collins, Roughwood website,4 October 2002
Gatcombe
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St Olave's Church
45.
Godshill
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Godshill is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight with a population of 1,465 according to the 2001 census, reducing slightly to 1,459 at the 2011 Census. It is located between Newport and Ventnor in the southeast of the Island, ford Farm near Godshill was the site of the first ever Isle of Wight Festival in 1968. It attracted 10,000 people to see such as Jefferson Airplane. Godshill Park House dates from about 1760 and was built as a farm to serve the Appuldurcombe Estate. In around 1860 the house was extended, adding the Regency front and it was used in the Second World War as an army hospital. Godshill has pubs called the Griffin- featuring a large griffin-shaped maze and childrens playground, public transport is provided by Southern Vectis buses on route 2 and route 3, which run between Newport, Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor. Godshill is part of the ward called Godshill and Wroxall. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 3,212, since 1952 Godshill has been the home of a model village of itself and Shanklins old village at a scale of 1,10. It is so detailed and on such a scale that it contains a scale model of the model village. Within that second model there is a third, even smaller model of the village, the parish church is All Saints Church. It is a medieval building noted for its wall painting of a Lily crucifix
Godshill
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Thatched cottages in Godshill
Godshill
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Godshill Church, circa 1910.
Godshill
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Godshill Model Village
Godshill
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Caption: Is one of the prettiest villages in the island. - From the Beautiful Britain series, The Isle of Wight, by G. E. Mitton.
46.
Gurnard, Isle of Wight
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Gurnard is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, two miles to the west of Cowes. Gurnard sits on the edge of Gurnard Bay, enjoyed by the Gurnard Sailing Club, gurnards main street features a pub, Doughty Newnham Chartered Surveyors office, a few shops and a few houses. The west end of the beach is Gurnard Marsh and a stream called The Luck which discharges into the Solent, a fortification known as Gurnard Fort was built on a headland west of Gurnard Marsh about 1600. The land was eroded, however, and all traces disappeared until an archaeological excavation of a Roman villa in 1864 uncovered traces of Gurnard Fort as well, transport is provided by the former Wightbus route 32 to and from Cowes, now run by Southern Vectis. There is no longer a direct service to Newport, all Saints Church, Gurnard Gurnard Sailing Club website Isle of Wight Council information Doughty Newnham Chartered Surveyors website Photos, accommodation guide, hotels and tourist information
Gurnard, Isle of Wight
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Gurnard village green.
47.
Newchurch, Isle of Wight
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Newchurch is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It is located between Sandown and Newport in the southeast of the island. Anthony Dillington, owner of the Knighton Gorges Manor in Newchurch wrote to his son Robert in 1574 that, This is the very Garden of England, Newchurch obtained its name from the new church built in 1087 by the Norman monks of Lyra. The present day parish includes Newchurch Village, Apse Heath, Winford, Whiteley Bank, Alverstone, Alverstone Garden Village, Queens Bower, Princelett, public transport is provided by Wightbus bus route 23, operating between Newport and Shanklin. The Sustrans route 23 cycle route runs through the village at the bottom of the Shute, allowing easy access to Cowes, Newport. Between 1875 and 1956 Newchurch had the advantage of a railway station, there is a pub called The Pointer Inn and a sub-post office. All Saints Church, Newchurch Newchurch Community Website, maintained by the Newchurch Parish Council Newchurch parish community website
Newchurch, Isle of Wight
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Newchurch All Saints Church & Pointer Inn
48.
Niton
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Niton is a village on the Isle of Wight, west of Ventnor, with a population of 1142. It has one pub, several churches, a pottery workshop/shop, a pharmacy, a volunteer run library. The post office includes a café that serves as a meeting place. The village also offers a school with a co-located pre-school. Niton village is split in half by a break in the inner cliff, upper Niton lies in a hollow and is set around a crossroads. The lower part of the village, below the cliff, is known as Niton Undercliff. This part of Niton then flourished in Victorian times due to the popularity of Ventnor as a health resort, mount Cleves House was originally constructed in the late 1700s, and substantially remodelled in the early 1800s. Its residents included a Mr Kirkpatrick who owned the Isle of Wight Bank at the time, the Undercliff at Niton includes the most southerly point of the Isle of Wight, St. Catherines Point and St. Catherines Lighthouse. That is also where the Navtex transmitting station is located, the source of the Eastern Yar is in the parish, just north of the village. Niton together with Whitwell is a civil parish, close to Niton is a natural seaport, which is believed to have been used by Greek and Phoenician Bronze Age Britain traders. St. Catherines Lighthouse was bombed in World War II, receiving a hit on the boiler house that killed three lighthouse keepers. The lighthouse itself was slightly damaged, its lens only being chipped. Marconi used Knowles Farm in Niton for radio experiments, when he was living on the island in the late 1890s, in January 1901, he transmitted radio signals a record 186 miles from there to his Lizard Radio Telegraph Station at the southern tip of Cornwall. The farm has a stone into which is cut the inscription, while in Niton, Marconi stayed at the Royal Sandrock Hotel, which no longer exists. A ship-to-shore radio station was established in 1900, and Niton Radio was maintained as a radio station known to yachtmasters. It was featured in a British Telecom International information film and it finally closed, along with the rest of the coastal radio network, in 1997. The Navtex transmitter at St. Catherines Lighthouse is still in operation as of 2013, for the purpose of extended Shipping forecasts, the Met Office uses Niton as the name of the forecast area covering the Atlantic from FitzRoy, North to Irish Sea and East to Thames. Niton has a reputation as a dangerous spot for Surfboarding
Niton
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The White Lion, the village's pub.
Niton
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Panorama over Niton.
Niton
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St Catherine's Lighthouse
