I used to think I knew the South Coast of England pretty well, until I went to the Isle of Wight. Then I discovered that I'd missed a whole chunk.
Although technically an island, in that it is surrounded by water, in geological terms it is a bit of the South Coast that has become detached. It feels more like that as well; detached both from the mainland and from the present day, but without the remoteness of a real island.
Alum Chine was once horribly over commercialised but on my last visit (2017) things seemed to be a little less in your face. The chairlift is fun, as is the boat trip round the bay and past the Needles Lighthouse.
The current Bembridge Lifeboat Station and walkway was completed in October 2010 at a cost of £7,850,000.
The Tamar Class lifeboat ON1297 Alfred Albert Williams arrived on station on 26th September, and after crew training and familiarisation became operational on 20th October.
External Links and References
External Links
Bembridge Lifeboat
The official site with details of opening times and much more. http://www.bembridgelifeboat.org.uk/
Blackgang Chine is one for the kids really. However it still manages to retain some of its Victorian atmosphere, and the views are superb.
This whole stretch of coast is notoriously unstable, and the suspicion that the bit your standing on is about to slip into the sea adds a certain amount of tension to the visit.
The Sawmill attraction, set in a reconstructed water mill is worth visiting. And, since we visited, they've built a reconstruction of a 19th Century quayside, which I wouldn't mind going back to see.
These days Old St Helens Church is a strange sight, an old church tower bricked up on one side and painted white, standing on the shore at the top end of the sand dunes known as the 'Duver'.
The church was built by NormanBenedictine monks who founded the Priory of St Helens here on the site of an earlier Saxon church. The tower was added in the 13th century.
In 1414 the priory was disbanded due to financial problems, and the church gradually fell into disrepair.
Its sea defences were undermined, and the church stones were sold off. Then in 1719 all that was left of the tower was bricked up and painted white as a seamark for Navy ships.
External Links and References
External Links
St Helens Duver
National Trust Handbook entry https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/st-helens-duver
There are plaques on each of the four sides, one of which reads:
This stone marks the site of the Needles Wireless Telegraphy Station where Guglielmo Marconi and his British collaborators carried out from 6th December 1897 the 26th May 1900 a series of experiments which constituted some of the more important phases of their earlier pioneer work in the development of wireless communication of all kinds.
Marconi built a huge 168 feet (51 m) tall mast in the grounds of what was then the Royal Needles Hotel, one of many sites he used for his experiments around that time.
External Links and References
External Links
The Marconi Monument at The Needles Landmark Attraction
More on the monument from the official Visit Isle of Wight web site https://www.visitisleofwight.co.uk/things-to-do/the-marconi-monument-at-the-needles-landmark-attraction-p1067191
Guglielmo Marconi
Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guglielmo_Marconi
For a once proud vessel like the PS Ryde to end up a rotting hulk on the banks of the Medina at Island Harbour Marina seems shameful.
Launched in 1937 by the Southern Railway for the ferry service between Portsmouth and Ryde, during the Second World War she served initially as a minesweeper, before being converted into an anti-aircraft vessel in 1942 and taking part in the Normandy Landings.
After the war she returned to her former route until she was withdrawn in 1969. She was bought by two entrepreneurs, moored in her current position and turned into a nightclub. This closed in the 1980s, and since then she has been slowly deteriorating.
There was a failed attempt to raise funds to restore her in 2009, and the current owners of the Island Harbour Marina have been tying to find ways to save her. However, it seems highly likely that she is now beyond repair and will shortly be cut up for scrap.
External Links and References
External Links
PS Ryde
Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS_Ryde
This clock tower was paid by subscription from the Lord of the Manor and the inhabitants of Shanklin to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria 1897
I'm guessing that this is a replacement cut into the original stone which had become illegible as it is suspiciously similar to the second plaque which reads:
This plaque was unveiled by the Mayor of Shanklin to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2012
External Links and References
External Links
Clock Tower and Drinking Fountain, Shanklin
Listing text from the British Listed Buildings site. https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101034301-clock-tower-and-drinking-fountain-shanklin
The present tower of St Catherine's Lighthouse was constructed in 1838 following the loss of the sailing ship Clarendon on nearby rocks.
It was reduced in height by 13 metres in 1875 as the lantern frequently became covered in mist. They did this by taking about six metres out of the uppermost section and about seven metres out of the middle tier, which has left it looking a bit odd.
It is one of the few lighthouses in the UK still open to the public. Tours are operated by Andrew Booth, under licence from The Corporation of Trinity House.
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