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© The Wight Book Ltd 2019<br />
First published in the UK by The Wight Book Ltd 2019<br />
ISBN 978-1-9160603-0-2<br />
Published and Distributed by The Wight Book Ltd<br />
East Quay, Kite Hill, Wootton Bridge, Isle of Wight, PO33 4LA<br />
www.thewightbook.co.uk<br />
Designed by Brian Marriott<br />
Creative Design Production by Crossprint, Isle of Wight<br />
Photo Editor Ben Wood<br />
Copy Writing by Anmarie Bowler, Nicola Kearton and Roz Whistance<br />
Print and Binding Consultant, Timothy J Sell<br />
Printed in the UK by Holbrooks Printers Ltd<br />
Norway Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO3 5HX<br />
Case binding in the UK by Latimer Trend and Company Ltd<br />
Slip case produced in the UK by Pollard Boxes Ltd<br />
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form<br />
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by<br />
any information retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher.<br />
The authors and photographers represented in this book have asserted their<br />
moral rights under the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.<br />
Every precaution has been taken by the publisher to verify the information in this book<br />
at the time of publication. However, the publisher takes no responsibility for errors or<br />
omissions. Nor does the publisher accept any liability for damages claimed to<br />
have resulted from use of the information contained in this book.<br />
The designers, photographers and writers of The Wight Book have made a balanced<br />
judgement on the content that is selective and cannot hope to represent all the talent,<br />
inventiveness and dedication within the business and community sectors of the Island.<br />
We started this project on the understanding that there would be no advertising or politics,<br />
and that everyone should be proud to be involved. A big thank you to all our sponsors<br />
without whom this independent publication would not have been possible.
A Celebration of the Isle of Wight
CONTENTS<br />
5<br />
6 THE VISION<br />
8 FREEDOM OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT<br />
10 THE UK’S SOUTH ISLAND<br />
12 WIGHT BOOK PHOTOGRAPHERS<br />
14 A FASCINATING HISTORY<br />
28 CULTURAL HERITAGE<br />
34 STUNNING LANDSCAPES<br />
48 ECOLOGY AND THE NATURAL WORLD<br />
54 INFRASTRUCTURE – EMBRACING CHANGE<br />
64 COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA<br />
68 THE PLAYGROUND OF THE SOUTH<br />
82 SAILING CENTRE OF THE WORLD<br />
96 GREAT WIGHT EVENTS<br />
112 SPIRIT OF INNOVATION<br />
120 PROGRESSIVE INDUSTRIES<br />
132 ISLE OF WIGHT ENTREPRENEURS<br />
142 ECOLUTION – THE GREEN SOLUTION<br />
146 CREATIVITY AT THE HEART OF THE ISLAND<br />
160 A HOLIDAY LIFESTYLE<br />
170 NATURAL ASSETS<br />
182 DINING THE WIGHT<br />
190 A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT<br />
198 A PLACE TO LIVE<br />
212 A PLACE TO DO BUSINESS<br />
220 A SENSE OF COMMUNITY<br />
228 THE ULTIMATE WELLNESS TONIC<br />
238 THE FUTURE<br />
240 CONNECT<br />
242 THE WIGHT BOOK TEAM<br />
246 PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS<br />
247 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS<br />
248 THE WIGHT BOOK SPONSORS<br />
250 INDEX
THE VISION<br />
BEHIND THE WIGHT BOOK
The Wight Book is a result of the creativity of talented, hard-working Island people, drawn together by<br />
the belief that the Isle of Wight is a remarkable place to live, work and play.<br />
Some years ago, I had an idea to make a film and to create a high-quality book to celebrate what<br />
is best about the Isle of Wight, what it excels at now, along with its aspirations for the future. Part<br />
advocacy and part artwork, The Wight Book is the realisation of that dream. Brian Marriott, my<br />
co-author, and I intended the book to be produced independently of any institution, showcasing the<br />
Island in pictures, words and opinions by people who care about its unique environment and sense<br />
of community. We wanted to present our history, innovative DNA and cultural flair – in particular<br />
our excellence in food production, opportunities for business and growing potential for quality in<br />
architecture and housing.<br />
Everyone who has contributed to this book deserves my congratulations on a job well done. Thanks<br />
go to the photographers who captured the awe-inspiring images, to the local authors who wrote the<br />
captivating forewords and the editorial staff who have helped to bring this book together. Thanks go to<br />
the sponsors who have enabled this project to take place and to all those now involved in promoting<br />
the book. Their names are included within the acknowledgment section of this book.<br />
Christopher Scott<br />
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••<br />
A labour of love …<br />
Chris Scott said to me: “Brian, can you design a book about everything that’s great about the Island?” I<br />
accepted the invitation as it appealed to me immensely – my whole working life has been engaged in<br />
the creative industries. But as I started planning the content I slowly became aware of the enormity of<br />
the task I had accepted. My conceptual layouts evolved into 22 sections covering most aspects of what<br />
makes the Island “great”. It has also become a visual journey of what we hold as precious to us. This<br />
book could not have been achieved without the support of a great team of professionals who have all<br />
embraced the challenge, volunteering their time, skills and knowledge of this unique Island.<br />
Brian Marriott<br />
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••<br />
You never know what will pop into your inbox!<br />
When I first received Chris and Brian’s formative ideas on The Wight Book, I was taken aback. It initially<br />
felt too big, too ambitious to pull off. At the same time, it was the scale of the project that appealed<br />
and I felt sure I didn’t want it to go ahead without me, so it didn’t take me long to sign up. That was<br />
two years ago and if anything, the aspiration and breadth of the book has escalated as we head off<br />
to the printers. To be fair my role as photo editor has been pretty straightforward. We are blessed on<br />
the Island with many fine photographers and once we had settled on our team of 10, the book began<br />
to take shape very quickly. Many of the photographers I’d admired from afar, so it’s been a great<br />
experience to get to know them better and to go through their archives selecting the photography to<br />
illustrate Brian’s 22 chapters. This book is a one-off, a never-to-be-repeated snapshot of life on the<br />
Island in 2019. I hope you enjoy reading and re-reading The Wight Book. There are so many things that<br />
make the Isle of Wight “great”.<br />
Ben Wood
FREEDOM<br />
OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT<br />
As a tribute to certain outstanding individuals for their dedicated<br />
services to the Island, the Isle of Wight Council bestows the title of<br />
“Honorary Freeman of the Isle of Wight”.<br />
The Isle of Wight Rifles was granted honorary Freedom in 2018, for<br />
its “distinguished record” and acknowledged “bond of friendship”<br />
between the soldiers and the people of the Island for over 100 years.<br />
Members of the troop took part in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915.<br />
In 2019 Dr Desmond Murphy was also bestowed with the honour<br />
because of his vital role in the establishment and development of<br />
the Mountbatten Hospice through his clinical leadership.
9<br />
Dame Ellen MacArthur<br />
made a Freeman in 2008<br />
Christopher Bland<br />
made a Freeman in 2008<br />
Anthony Minghella<br />
made a Freeman in 2008<br />
Mary Ellis<br />
made a Freeman in 2017<br />
In landlocked Derbyshire at age four,<br />
Ellen MacArthur dreamed of being a<br />
sailor. Aged 28 she broke the record<br />
for the fastest solo circumnavigation<br />
of the globe in 2005. She was the<br />
youngest woman in history ever to<br />
make the voyage.<br />
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust was<br />
launched in 2003, offering sailing trips<br />
that support young people in their<br />
recovery from cancer, helping them to<br />
rebuild confidence and engage with<br />
life after treatment.<br />
Sailing made Ellen acutely aware of<br />
the finite nature of the resources that<br />
she had on her boat, and she later<br />
took her hardest decision: to use<br />
her current fame to retire from<br />
sailing in order to influence the way<br />
the world thinks about reuse and<br />
recycling. From Cowes she set up<br />
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation<br />
and works globally to promote<br />
“the circular economy”, minimising<br />
waste and making the most<br />
of resources.<br />
Describing himself as an inveterate<br />
tinkerer with things mechanical,<br />
Christopher Bland was chairman of<br />
Hovertravel, working for the firm for<br />
45 years. After National Service he<br />
served an apprenticeship for Rolls-<br />
Royce in Crewe and was sent to the<br />
Isle of Wight to persuade engineering<br />
firm Britten-Norman to buy RR<br />
engines for the CC2 Hovercraft. He<br />
then worked for Britten-Norman<br />
and founded Hovertravel, which<br />
offered a cross-Solent service from<br />
Ryde to Southsea. He also founded<br />
Hoverwork and ensured that both<br />
companies became world leaders in<br />
manufacturing.<br />
He “crossed the floor” to become a<br />
director of Red Funnel; was on the<br />
Prisons Board and was Chairman<br />
of the Health Authority. He became<br />
High Sheriff of the Island in 1988, and<br />
in 1995 was asked to become Lord<br />
Lieutenant. He is known for driving<br />
a Bond-style Aston Martin DB and<br />
flying his Tiger Moth above his<br />
West Wight home.<br />
Brought up over his parents’ café in<br />
Ryde, Anthony Minghella became<br />
a playwright and acclaimed film<br />
director. Perhaps his destiny was<br />
shaped by the nightly soundtracks<br />
of films booming into his bedroom<br />
from the adjacent cinema. Certainly,<br />
he always retained a great affection<br />
for the Isle of Wight. The stamp he<br />
put on his films was gentle and<br />
intense, and he ultimately won nine<br />
Oscars, including Best Picture and<br />
Best Director, as well as the Academy<br />
Award for Best Director for his film The<br />
English Patient. He oversaw the music<br />
of all his films, which included the<br />
glorious Truly, Madly, Deeply, starring<br />
Alan Rickman.<br />
He was appointed a CBE in 2001 – a<br />
step just below knighthood – in the<br />
Queen’s Birthday Honours List.<br />
He died following an operation in<br />
2008, at the age of just 54.<br />
As one of the few woman members of<br />
the Air Transport Auxiliary, Mary Ellis<br />
delivered around 1,000 Spitfires and<br />
Wellington bombers to RAF airfields<br />
during the Second World War. Flying<br />
solo, and equipped only with a<br />
compass, stopwatch and map, she<br />
was often asked on her arrival: “Where<br />
is the pilot?” Her work, risky and often<br />
dangerous, meant that squadrons<br />
always had aircraft to fight against<br />
Nazi Germany.<br />
As well as blazing the trail for<br />
women RAF pilots, Mary went on<br />
to become Europe’s first woman<br />
air commandant. She managed<br />
Sandown Airport for 20 years,<br />
founding the Isle of Wight Aero Club<br />
and inspiring other women to learn to<br />
fly. She was granted Freedom of the<br />
Isle of Wight in 2017, aged 100, and<br />
died the same year.
PEAKE VIEWING: BRITISH ASTRONAUT TIM<br />
PEAKE CAPTURED THIS PHOTOGRAPH OF THE<br />
ISLE OF WIGHT FROM SPACE, ONE OF THE FIRST<br />
BRITISH ASTRONAUT TIM PEAKE SNAPPED THIS<br />
PICTURES HE TOOK DURING HIS OPERATION ON<br />
INCREDIBLE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT FROM<br />
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE. THIS WAS ONE SPACE OF THE STATION FIRST PICTURES IN 2016. THE<br />
IT CLEARLY ASTRONAUT SHOWS TOOK THE DURING ISLAND’S HIS OPERATION ENVIABLE ON THE<br />
RATIO INTERNATIONAL OF COUNTRYSIDE SPACE TO STATION TOWN. IN 2016.
THE UK’S SOUTH ISLAND<br />
11<br />
The largest island in England has been popular with holidaymakers since Victorian times, but<br />
while its tourist credentials are long established, in other matters it was rather late coming<br />
to the party. Vectis, as the Island was known, was one of the last places in the British Isles for<br />
Christianity to take hold, and it was a pagan place of fear and dread when priest Eoppa arrived at<br />
St Helens to enlighten the population in 661 AD.<br />
The Island measures 37km east to<br />
west and 21km north to south<br />
It has an area of 380 km 2<br />
Half of the Island is designated as an<br />
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty<br />
It had a population in 2017<br />
of approximately 141,000<br />
The actual formation of the Isle of Wight is comparatively recent. It separated from the mainland<br />
less than 10,000 years ago, and is the second largest English island by population, with 141,000<br />
residents. It is one of the smallest ceremonial counties – though some claim it is larger than<br />
Rutland when the tide is out.<br />
There’s a certain sense of “so near but yet so far” about the Island that is both a blessing and<br />
a curse to Islanders. Forget “as the crow flies”, modern-day “crow” Google Maps can be just as<br />
insensitive to the implications of water when finding your nearest garage or Sainsbury’s. At its<br />
narrowest point it is approximately 4km from “the North Island”; Ryde is 9km from Portsmouth<br />
and Cowes 17km from Southampton. Newport in the centre is 120km from London. At least the<br />
distancing by water and ferry has helped to preserve a uniquely attractive Island lifestyle,<br />
which doesn’t require a passport. (You heard it here first.)<br />
As one of its most famous 19th-century visitors wrote, “this Island is a little<br />
paradise” – and that’s something we can all agree with Karl Marx about.<br />
45km of the Island’s 110km of<br />
coastline is designated as<br />
Heritage Coast<br />
The highest point on the Island is<br />
St Boniface Down – approximately<br />
241m in height<br />
The Island has a single MP making<br />
it one of the largest constituencies<br />
in the UK<br />
The Island has three principal rivers,<br />
two of which have the<br />
same name … Yar!<br />
Yarmouth is the smallest<br />
town in England<br />
Bembridge is the largest “village”<br />
in the UK
WIGHT BOOK PHOTOGRAPHERS<br />
Thanks to our ten photographers and the many people who contributed their photographs<br />
to this book. Without their generous help The Wight Book would just be white!<br />
12<br />
Stephanie Mackrill<br />
Nick Edwards<br />
Peter Mumford<br />
Holly Jolliffe<br />
Christian Beasley<br />
I feel privileged to have a<br />
job I love here. I moved<br />
away from my press<br />
photography roots to<br />
concentrate on image<br />
quality and build a career<br />
at home. I continue to be<br />
amazed at big business<br />
on the Island, which has<br />
enabled me to work hard<br />
commercially. The Island<br />
is the perfect backdrop<br />
for me to specialise in<br />
commercial lifestyle<br />
and portraiture.<br />
Since moving to the<br />
Island in the 1980s, I<br />
have mixed commercial<br />
photography with a<br />
career as a professional<br />
engineer and ex-naval<br />
officer. Now semi-retired,<br />
I provide Cowes RNLI with<br />
general PR photography.<br />
I am currently working<br />
on long-term projects<br />
with commercial clients,<br />
involving wildlife, marine<br />
and coastal subjects.<br />
I am one of 13 Brits to<br />
be shortlisted in the<br />
2019 Sony World<br />
Photography Awards.<br />
The sea has dominated<br />
my entire professional<br />
life. I was a commercial<br />
diver then became a<br />
shipbroker on the Baltic<br />
International Shipping<br />
Exchange. I returned to<br />
the Island 25 years ago<br />
to pursue my interests in<br />
photography and sailing,<br />
working as a marine<br />
photographer. Operating<br />
afloat from Cowes, I have<br />
photographed thousands<br />
of yachts and other craft<br />
at the many regattas and<br />
rallies. My work is featured<br />
in the chapter: Sailing<br />
Centre of the World.<br />
After a decade of living<br />
and working in London,<br />
I returned in 2011 to<br />
my home town, Ryde.<br />
It’s been fantastic to<br />
reconnect, to continue<br />
the job I love but in a<br />
greener, more beautiful<br />
environment. My work for<br />
Island clients consists of<br />
interiors, still life, products<br />
and food for editorial, PR<br />
and web content. I work<br />
on location and in my<br />
garden studio.<br />
I started taking<br />
photography seriously<br />
in 2012 when I joined<br />
a camera club. It was<br />
the weekly critiquing of<br />
pictures that taught me<br />
the visual language of<br />
images. Photography<br />
is now my passion and<br />
my living, with much of<br />
my work focusing on the<br />
natural beauty of the<br />
Island and its wildlife,<br />
including its red squirrels,<br />
for my pictures and<br />
greetings cards.<br />
www.stephaniemackrill.com<br />
www.wightseen.co.uk<br />
www.mumfordimages.com<br />
www.hollyjolliffe.co.uk<br />
www.beautifulwight.co.uk
For specific page credits for each<br />
photographer see page 246.<br />
13<br />
Jason Swain<br />
Gary Wallis<br />
Julian Winslow<br />
Neil Williams<br />
Ben Wood<br />
I feel very fortunate<br />
to work as a full-time<br />
photographer on this<br />
fantastic island. It’s the<br />
meeting of land and<br />
sea along the beautiful<br />
coastlines, and all the<br />
activity that flourishes<br />
between them that<br />
provides my daily<br />
inspiration. My work is<br />
all about capturing the<br />
ever-changing weather<br />
and light, as well as<br />
documenting the homes,<br />
businesses and lifestyles<br />
of the people who<br />
live here.<br />
I first learnt photography<br />
at Sandown High School,<br />
before Art College in<br />
London where I stayed.<br />
I’ve used many Island<br />
locations for commercial<br />
fashion assignments<br />
for The Independent<br />
Magazine, The Evening<br />
Standard and various<br />
clothing brands. I moved<br />
back in 2011: I still work<br />
in London but also on the<br />
Island for Liz Earle, West<br />
Bay Spa and Style of Wight<br />
amongst others.<br />
I’m an Islander born and<br />
raised. Photography has<br />
been my profession for<br />
the last 13 years and has<br />
taken me around the<br />
world, but I never tire<br />
of exploring the Island’s<br />
places and people. My<br />
latest personal work<br />
explores this through<br />
photographing places<br />
where I played and<br />
frequented as a child, and<br />
the way the landscape has<br />
shaped my experience<br />
and become part of<br />
who I am.<br />
I never studied<br />
photography formally<br />
but was given a decent<br />
camera for my 21st<br />
birthday and went from<br />
there. I had a portrait<br />
studio in London, but<br />
landscape photography<br />
is my passion and once<br />
I’d discovered the Island<br />
there was no going back.<br />
I show my eclectic work<br />
in my seafront gallery in<br />
Ventnor, where I happily<br />
tell the story of the<br />
photographs to visitors.<br />
Anna and I first came<br />
to the Isle of Wight in<br />
1999 for part of our<br />
honeymoon and decided<br />
to relocate from London<br />
there and then. As a<br />
location photographer<br />
specialising in<br />
architecture, landscapes<br />
and marine work the<br />
Island has given me an<br />
endless supply of subject<br />
matter, dramatic lighting<br />
and creative inspiration.<br />
I can’t think of a better<br />
place to be a professional<br />
photographer.<br />
www.jasonswain.co.uk<br />
www.wallispictures.com<br />
www.julianwinslow.com<br />
www.neilwilliams.co.uk<br />
www.islandimages.co.uk
PROFESSOR PAUL RICHARDSON<br />
I studied history at Cambridge, and wrote<br />
my first book, Britain, Europe and the<br />
Modern World, in 1968. Subsequently<br />
I worked as a publisher and academic<br />
and have written on many subjects from<br />
Chinese symbolism to the early history of<br />
erotic photography. Moving to the Island<br />
in 2002, I developed a keen interest in its<br />
traditions and history. In 2017 my wife<br />
Jo and I established Foreland Books, with<br />
our first publication being her The Isle<br />
of Wight Feast of Food and Drink.<br />
Trail Blazers: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s<br />
attachment to Osborne House led the great, the good<br />
and the ordinary to discover the Island for themselves
A FASCINATING HISTORY<br />
Every new arrival has left their mark, says Professor Paul Richardson as he<br />
surveys the Island’s past – from when Wight wasn’t yet an Island to its<br />
hostile invaders, Victorian celebrities and today’s festival-goers<br />
15<br />
The Isle of Wight has<br />
played a greater part<br />
in the nation’s history<br />
than might be expected from<br />
a scrap of land of less than<br />
400km square. The evidence<br />
is there in rocks, churches,<br />
houses – you just need to<br />
know where to look.<br />
Before it was an island …<br />
“Dinosaur Island” is a misnomer<br />
since its rich finds of dinosaur<br />
remains date back over 100<br />
million years, while the Wight<br />
emerged as an island less than<br />
10,000 years ago. Humans had<br />
arrived before that and excavated<br />
artefacts, suggesting continuous<br />
habitation from the Stone Age to<br />
the arrival of the Romans.<br />
The Age of Invasions …<br />
The Roman invasion of 43 AD<br />
was the start of four centuries<br />
of peaceful occupation and<br />
agricultural development,<br />
evidenced by sites of Roman<br />
villas, unearthed across the<br />
Island. The Roman withdrawal<br />
was followed by waves of<br />
Norse invaders, with the pagan<br />
Jutes in the sixth century being<br />
conquered in the seventh by the<br />
Anglo-Saxons from Wessex, who<br />
massacred many Islanders and<br />
converted the rest to Christianity<br />
at sword point. The 10th and 11th<br />
centuries saw numerous raids by<br />
the Vikings, who left evidence of<br />
their presence in archaeological<br />
remains and in some place<br />
names. The final successful<br />
“invasion”, the Norman Conquest,<br />
is more visible historically, in<br />
churches, fortifications and<br />
settlements.<br />
Defence of the Realm …<br />
From Norman times to the 20th<br />
century the Island was critically<br />
positioned to prevent invasion<br />
from the Continent. The great<br />
castle at Carisbrooke developed<br />
as the power base for the Island’s<br />
Governors. The Island suffered<br />
attacks by the French during the<br />
Middle Ages and Tudor times,<br />
and Henry VIII undertook a major<br />
programme of coastal fortification.<br />
The Spanish Armada sailed by<br />
and a major French attack in 1777<br />
was aborted. But in the mid-19th<br />
century Palmerston undertook<br />
his massive defence programme<br />
of fortifications around the South<br />
Coast, including the Solent Forts.<br />
In the Second World War the<br />
Island was a radar base. It was<br />
key to the Normandy landings for<br />
invasion training, and with the<br />
PLUTO (Pipeline Under The<br />
Ocean: the oil supply line under<br />
the Channel) submerging at<br />
Shanklin. A brief incursion by a<br />
German raiding party was hushed<br />
up, but the Island did suffer<br />
numerous air raids.<br />
The Age of the Visitors …<br />
The Island also attracted many<br />
peaceful visitors over the same<br />
centuries, but it really became<br />
popular when Queen Victoria<br />
and Prince Albert built their<br />
favourite home, Osborne House.<br />
The mild climate and charming<br />
environment brought the great<br />
and good, such as Tennyson and<br />
Dickens, while Ventnor became<br />
something of a safe haven for<br />
continental revolutionaries: the<br />
Italian liberator Garibaldi was<br />
welcomed to the Island with<br />
more enthusiasm than was the<br />
Queen, much to her chagrin. Into<br />
the 21st century the Island has<br />
gradually transformed from an<br />
old-style seaside destination to a<br />
place of boutique hotels, celebrity<br />
weddings and festivals.<br />
Anglo-Saxons from<br />
Wessex massacred<br />
many Islanders and<br />
converted the rest to<br />
Christianity at<br />
sword point<br />
The Local <strong>History</strong> …<br />
Alongside the national history of<br />
warfare, monarchs and famous<br />
visitors, the Island has had a local<br />
history that has preserved so<br />
much of its charm to the present<br />
day. Its varied geology along with<br />
the benign climate explains its<br />
agricultural success, which has<br />
produced farming dynasties,<br />
delightful manor houses and<br />
churches. Then there is the sea.<br />
The Island’s seafaring heritage<br />
has led to its marine, aviation and<br />
modern high-tech industries. On<br />
the darker side is a long tradition<br />
of piracy, wreckers and smuggling<br />
everything from brandy to<br />
narcotics!<br />
The Future <strong>History</strong> …<br />
The Island has its own very<br />
particular character. There has<br />
periodically been suspicion<br />
of “change”, dating from the<br />
adoption of Christianity (allegedly<br />
the last place in England to do so)<br />
or the growing of turnips to feed<br />
sheep (100 years after Norfolk).<br />
Many common Island surnames,<br />
Attrill, Squibb and Woodford, date<br />
back centuries. The distinction<br />
between caulkheads (at least<br />
third-generation Islanders),<br />
overners (permanent migrants<br />
from “the North Island”) and<br />
grockles (holiday visitors and<br />
festival goers) remains, but the<br />
Island culture is extraordinarily<br />
open to outsiders.<br />
It has also proved to be<br />
exceptionally successful in<br />
embracing innovation, whilst<br />
retaining the characteristics that<br />
define its special lifestyle. It is<br />
no accident that the Island has<br />
featured in fiction and film as<br />
the location for post-apocalyptic<br />
regeneration – remember The Day<br />
of the Triffids? Hopefully it will not<br />
come to that, but the Island could<br />
be a model for a greener, gentler<br />
yet thoroughly modern society.<br />
A FASCINATING HISTORY
A FASCINATING HISTORIC TIMELINE<br />
16<br />
100m+ years ago<br />
50,000+ years ago<br />
The age of the dinosaurs<br />
Old Stone Age - first hominids arrive<br />
c10,000 - 4,500 BC<br />
Permanent human occupation<br />
- hunter-gatherers<br />
c7 - 6,000 BC<br />
The Island created<br />
c3,000 BC<br />
c1,500 BC<br />
New Stone Age<br />
- farming and trade<br />
Bronze Age burial mounds<br />
c750 BC<br />
Iron Age remains<br />
85 BC<br />
43 AD<br />
Invasion of the Belgae;<br />
wine comes to the Island!<br />
Roman general Vespasian<br />
conquers the Island<br />
410<br />
c530<br />
Romans withdraw from Britain<br />
Jutes occupy the Island<br />
9th century<br />
Viking raids<br />
686<br />
Saxons take the Island<br />
and impose Christianity<br />
c1000<br />
Saxon fort at Carisbrooke<br />
1066<br />
c1100<br />
Norman castle built in Carisbrooke<br />
Norman Conquest; Wight a<br />
semi-autonomous fiefdom<br />
1132<br />
1293<br />
The original Quarr Abbey built<br />
Wight sold back to King Edward I<br />
1377<br />
Newtown, Newport and Yarmouth pillaged by the French<br />
1536<br />
Dissolution of the monasteries including Quarr<br />
1545<br />
Sinking of the Marie Rose; last attempted French invasion
17<br />
1647-8<br />
Charles I imprisoned in Carisbrooke Castle<br />
1809<br />
A prison hulk in the Medina;<br />
the prisons came a bit later<br />
1833<br />
The Yacht Club (1815) becomes the Royal Yacht Squadron<br />
1851<br />
The first America’s Cup<br />
1890<br />
The Island becomes an administrative county<br />
1897<br />
Marconi’s first commercial wireless<br />
message from Alum Bay<br />
1912<br />
The new Quarr Abbey constructed<br />
1952-60<br />
Closure of most of the railways<br />
1965-71<br />
Rocket tests at the Needles<br />
1968-70<br />
The first Festivals;<br />
Jimi Hendrix appears<br />
August 1970<br />
2016<br />
Isle of Wight Day established<br />
1777-8<br />
Aborted major French invasion<br />
1814<br />
Ryde Pier constructed;<br />
other piers came 1870s onwards<br />
1820<br />
Isle of Wight Steam Packet service<br />
to Portsmouth<br />
1832<br />
Great Reform Bill;<br />
Island MPs reduced from six to two<br />
(then one)<br />
1843<br />
Blackgang Chine becomes a tourist attraction<br />
1845<br />
Victoria and Albert buy the Osborne estate<br />
1850s/60s<br />
Solent Forts and Palmerston fortifications; Needles Battery<br />
1862<br />
Cowes to Newport railway, the first in the Island network<br />
1886<br />
Solent tunnel proposed<br />
1901<br />
Queen Victoria dies at Osborne House<br />
1940/42<br />
Major air raids on Ventnor and Cowes<br />
1944<br />
Key role for the Island in the D-Day invasion<br />
1965-79<br />
Lord Mountbatten Governor and<br />
Lord Lieutenant of the Island<br />
1974<br />
The Island becomes a ceremonial county<br />
2002<br />
The Festival revived
Northcourt House
IF WALLS COULD TALK ...<br />
19<br />
Carisbrooke Castle<br />
In 1262, upon the death of her brother<br />
the 7th Earl of Devon, Isabella de<br />
Fortibus inherited the Lordship of the<br />
Isle of Wight. She became the richest<br />
woman in England, living most of her<br />
days in Carisbrooke Castle. The Castle<br />
served as a prison to Charles I before<br />
he was tried and executed in 1649.<br />
It was also the home to many of the<br />
Island’s Governors.<br />
Appuldurcombe House<br />
Considered an English Baroque<br />
architectural gem, Appuldurcombe<br />
House began its life as home to the<br />
Worsley Family and was once the<br />
grandest house on the Isle of Wight.<br />
In time, it came to be owned by Sir<br />
Richard Worsley, 7th baronet, who<br />
found a kind of fame when, in a<br />
1782 court case, his wife admitted to<br />
having 27 lovers.<br />
Osborne House<br />
Prince Albert and architect Thomas<br />
Cubitt designed Osborne House, near<br />
Cowes. Queen Victoria affectionately<br />
referred to her husband as “Albert the<br />
Creator”, but his vision would become<br />
known as the “Osborne style”, and<br />
influenced architecture throughout<br />
the British Empire.<br />
Newtown Town Hall<br />
Newtown, once a major port,<br />
was a prime example of a “rotten<br />
borough” with 23 voters returning<br />
two MPs until the Great Reform Act.<br />
Dating from 1699, Newtown Old Town<br />
Hall was saved in 1933 by the allfemale<br />
Ferguson’s Gang who grabbed<br />
headlines with the bizarre stunts they<br />
employed when delivering muchneeded<br />
funds to The National Trust.
Quarr Abbey<br />
A Benedictine monastery outside<br />
Ryde built in 1911-12. Architect<br />
and monk Dom Paul Bellot chose<br />
inexpensive Belgian bricks but he<br />
recessed and castellated the humble<br />
brick, recalling Moorish influences<br />
and creating highly-faceted, lightreflecting<br />
spaces ideal for prayer<br />
and contemplation. It stands next<br />
to the ruins of the original abbey<br />
destroyed during the dissolution of<br />
the monasteries in 1536.<br />
The Roman Villa<br />
Brading’s Roman Villa is located at the<br />
foot of a chalk scarp. The archaeology<br />
of the site shows that prehistoric<br />
people were active here from at least<br />
3000 BC. An award-winning Visitor<br />
Centre and Museum offer unique<br />
insights; the magnificently-preserved<br />
mosaic floors, in particular, lay a<br />
compelling civilisation at visitors’ feet.<br />
DURING THE ROMAN<br />
OCCUPATION, THE ISLE<br />
OF WIGHT WAS KNOWN<br />
AS VECTIS. MANY<br />
ORGANISATIONS STILL<br />
USE THE NAME TODAY
Nunwell House<br />
This historic country house in Brading was occupied by the same family from<br />
Norman times until the 1980s. Most famous in the family is Sir John Oglander,<br />
a member of the House of Commons from 1625 to 1629, best remembered as a<br />
diarist. His household accounts at Nunwell evolved into a personal diary that at<br />
times of great private angst was written in Sir John’s own blood.<br />
21
22<br />
Palmerston’s Follies<br />
Commissioned in the 1860s by Prime Minister Lord Palmerston, this group of<br />
sea forts was built to defend against invasion by Napoleon III. Fifteen years in<br />
the making, the threat subsided by the time the forts were complete and they<br />
became known as Palmerston’s Follies. Today two of these monuments to<br />
Victorian engineering have been transformed into unique luxury hotels.
Peerless<br />
The oldest and second longest of its kind, Ryde Pier celebrated its 200th birthday<br />
in 2014. This gateway to the Island is brought to life in author Philip Norman’s<br />
memoir Babycham Night. With longing and melancholy he recalls growing up on<br />
the end of Ryde Pier, where his family owned a pub and attractions in the 1950s.<br />
23
Sea and Society<br />
While the Edwardians introduced yachting as sport for the elite classes, it was the<br />
Victorians who made sport of seeing and being seen – often on the Isle of Wight.<br />
Ferries allowed people to become seaside holidaymakers, while an enviable<br />
rail network that crisscrossed the Island encouraged exploration. There was<br />
even a ferry service from Ryde to Bembridge. In 1826 the Royal Yacht Squadron<br />
introduced yacht racing to its annual regatta and soon it would become not just<br />
a competitive sport but a definitive social scene. Known today as Cowes Week,<br />
it remains one of the foremost events on the international yachting calendar<br />
welcoming 100,000 people to its festivities each year. Today the RYS is honoured<br />
to call Queen Elizabeth its Patron and Prince Philip its Admiral.<br />
24
25
THE ISLAND’S HIDDEN HEROES<br />
It’s no surprise to those of us who live here that the Isle of Wight is a very special place.<br />
What may give us pause is the number of people who have achieved innovative,<br />
life-changing or awe-inspiring feats whilst on the Island<br />
The Isle of Wight Hidden<br />
Heroes Project shines a light<br />
on these remarkable people,<br />
telling the story of the Island<br />
from the Dinosaur Age<br />
through to the Facebook Era.<br />
They might not be “heroes”<br />
in the life-saving sense of the<br />
word, but rather people who<br />
have innovated, held seats of<br />
power during difficult times,<br />
inspired those around them<br />
or they were just someone<br />
who did things differently.<br />
The project delves into the<br />
past to bring them to life.<br />
The campaign was designed<br />
to reintroduce residents to<br />
the incredible collection of<br />
museums and galleries on the<br />
Isle of Wight and strengthen a<br />
sense of pride in the place we<br />
live. The audience-engagement<br />
programme was funded by Arts<br />
Council England as part of the<br />
larger Resilience Project.<br />
The Hidden Heroes website<br />
gives more details about the<br />
seven headline heroes, others<br />
nominated by experts from the<br />
museums and galleries across<br />
the Island, as well as those<br />
nominated by members of<br />
the public.<br />
iwhiddenheroes.org.uk<br />
Reverend William Fox<br />
It all starts with dinosaurs<br />
When Reverend William D Fox wasn’t<br />
helping the local vicar, he spent<br />
much of his days hunting for what he<br />
referred to as “old dragons” on the Isle<br />
of Wight’s beaches.<br />
He discovered more species of<br />
dinosaur than anybody else in the UK<br />
and has more dinosaurs named after<br />
him than any other Englishman. His<br />
legacy – his fossil collection of over<br />
500 specimens – was donated to the<br />
Natural <strong>History</strong> Museum and is still<br />
used today for study and reference.<br />
Not a professional scientist, Fox could<br />
well be history’s best example of a<br />
very knowledgeable amateur fossil<br />
collector. Over the years, his daily<br />
excursions along the cliff paths and<br />
beaches of West Wight yielded many<br />
significant new fossil finds, including<br />
Polacanthus foxii, Aristosuchus and<br />
Hypsilophodon foxii.<br />
Fox showed the importance of<br />
amateur fossil hunting and collecting,<br />
which is still accessible to all –<br />
amazing new fossil discoveries are<br />
being found every day on the Isle of<br />
Wight. He is buried in the graveyard at<br />
St Mary’s Church, Brighstone.<br />
King Arwald<br />
Last Jutish King<br />
The Isle of Wight is known for<br />
being fiercely independent and has<br />
developed a sense of identity that<br />
sets it apart from mainland thinking.<br />
It’s probably not a surprise to find out<br />
that in the early Middle Ages, while<br />
the rest of England’s inhabitants had<br />
been converted to Christianity at<br />
sword-point, the Wightwarians, as<br />
they were known at the time, were<br />
still independently pagan. Arwald was<br />
the last Jutish king to rule the Isle of<br />
Wight.<br />
The Romans had abandoned the<br />
Island long ago, and from around<br />
530AD, the Jutes, a people who had<br />
migrated from Northern Denmark,<br />
lived and ruled on the Isle of Wight.<br />
King after king was toppled, until a<br />
man called Arwald found himself in<br />
control around the late 600s. King<br />
Arwald presided over 300 families,<br />
thought to be around 1,200 people.<br />
In 686AD, Arwald died defending the<br />
Island from merciless Anglo-Saxon<br />
barbarians. His loss led to the Island’s<br />
conversion to Christianity – the last<br />
place in the England to convert.<br />
Isabella de Fortibus<br />
Our “Lady of the Isle”<br />
Not many people can claim to have<br />
owned an island and lived in a castle.<br />
But in the 13th century a feisty, young,<br />
single noblewoman suddenly found<br />
herself with wealth and power thrust<br />
upon her after she inherited the Isle of<br />
Wight and moved into her new home,<br />
Carisbrooke Castle.<br />
Her name was Isabella de Fortibus and<br />
she was known as the “Lady of the<br />
Isle”. She was the Business Dragon of<br />
her day, a strong-minded leader who,<br />
together with her team of influential<br />
legal and financial advisers, managed<br />
the towns, forests and manor houses<br />
on the Island.<br />
In 1293, on her deathbed Isabella was<br />
forced to sell the Island to Edward I,<br />
but she’ll be remembered as an<br />
amazing example of a powerful and<br />
passionate woman who truly loved<br />
the Isle of Wight. Isabella was the last<br />
independent person with the title of<br />
“Lord of the Isle of Wight” and she<br />
held onto a strategically important<br />
place at a time when England was<br />
worried about a French invasion.
Julia Margaret Cameron<br />
Pioneering photographer<br />
Only receiving her first camera at<br />
the age of 48 – a present from her<br />
daughter after moving to the Isle of<br />
Wight from London – who could have<br />
known that this mother of five would<br />
have such an impact on photography<br />
and still be revered 150 years later?<br />
In a scene then dominated by<br />
men, Julia Margaret Cameron was<br />
responsible for turning photography<br />
into an art form, experimenting with<br />
soft focus and pioneering the first<br />
photographic close-up portraits.<br />
She went on to inspire generations<br />
of photographers, and to this day,<br />
exhibitions of her work attract<br />
photography disciples from around<br />
the world.<br />
Long before the introduction of<br />
Instagram filters to add effects<br />
to photos, Julia would include<br />
imperfections such as fingerprints and<br />
streaks. Those who chose to criticise<br />
her work claimed this was due to her<br />
technical inadequacies, but many<br />
artists saw her work for what it was …<br />
pure beauty.<br />
Her home in Freshwater now houses<br />
Dimbola Museum and Galleries, with<br />
permanent displays and visiting<br />
exhibitions.<br />
Marion ‘Joe’ Carstairs<br />
“The fastest woman on the water”<br />
Female power-boat racer, Marion<br />
“Joe” Carstairs was once dubbed “the<br />
fastest woman on the water”. Openly<br />
gay, she lived on the Isle of Wight in<br />
the 1920s.<br />
Her love of the water (and of<br />
speed) led “Joe” here when she<br />
commissioned powerboats from<br />
celebrated boatbuilder, Sammy<br />
Saunders. She later went on to set up<br />
her own boat-building yard.<br />
Her right-hand-man was an Isle of<br />
Wight marine mechanic named Joe<br />
Harris. It was said they were devoted<br />
to each other, with the mechanic<br />
sitting alongside “Joe” in every race,<br />
ready to be flung from the boat when<br />
it hit a crashing wave.<br />
During the First World War she had<br />
served with the American Red Cross<br />
driving ambulances across France and<br />
did the same later in Dublin with the<br />
Women’s Legion.<br />
The millionaire heiress (her<br />
grandfather owned Standard Oil) led<br />
an unconventional and eccentric life,<br />
but had an enormous passion and<br />
drive to succeed at any challenge she<br />
set herself, inspiring and touching the<br />
lives of others as she went.<br />
John Ackroyd<br />
Prolific innovator<br />
During his working life, Ryde resident<br />
John Ackroyd has been involved with<br />
some world-leading achievements,<br />
including building the first practical<br />
electric city car (in 1970); designing<br />
and building Thrust2 – the world’s<br />
fastest vehicle at the time – and being<br />
part of the team that created worldbeating<br />
balloons.<br />
John started his working life at<br />
Saunders-Roe as an apprentice,<br />
supplementing his meagre wages<br />
where he could. All the time he was<br />
eagerly gobbling up the skills the<br />
renowned engineering company had<br />
to offer. He was quickly noticed as<br />
a man of strong talents, becoming<br />
involved in ground-breaking projects<br />
of the 1950s such as the earliest mixed<br />
jet and rocket propulsion fighter jets<br />
before working on the Enfield electric<br />
car and Thrust2, both designed and<br />
built on the Island.<br />
John – and the many who worked<br />
with him – are the embodiment of the<br />
truth that anything can be achieved<br />
on the Isle of Wight – and that the<br />
Island is bursting with capability and<br />
creativity.<br />
Andy Stanford Clark<br />
Internet superstar<br />
Andy Stanford-Clark, or Andy SC to his<br />
friends, currently works at the dizzy<br />
height of Chief Technology Officer at<br />
IBM UK – while calling the Back of the<br />
Wight his home.<br />
He’s been innovating since the age<br />
of eight, and is responsible for cocreating<br />
the messaging protocol<br />
(MQTT) that underlies Facebook<br />
Messenger, currently used by over 1.3<br />
billion people a month worldwide.<br />
These days he specialises in the<br />
Internet of Things (IoT) – putting<br />
sensors and tiny computers in pretty<br />
much everything, and having them<br />
chat away to the wider world about<br />
what they’re up to. This might be<br />
a mousetrap to announce that it’s<br />
caught a mouse, or sensors in a car<br />
that send information about wearand-tear<br />
back to the manufacturer,<br />
so they can help make sure it doesn’t<br />
break down. The potential is huge.<br />
Andy is a modern example of one of<br />
the consistent threads that weaves<br />
through Isle of Wight Hidden Heroes –<br />
achieving remarkable things from the<br />
Island by taking a unique, pioneering<br />
approach to solving a problem. In<br />
short, Thinking Differently.