ISLE OF WIGHT CHINES: BLACKGANG CHINE – MORE THAN JUST BRITAIN’S OLDEST THEME PARK

In the second of our series on Isle of Wight Chines, Island Echo examines Blackgang Chine – once a deep gaunt ravine but now little more than a shadow of its former self. 20th and 21st-century coastal erosion have now all but obliterated the majestic gorge that once graced Blackgang. However, the chine’s fame is now no longer dependent on natural beauty but rather on its hosting possibly the oldest theme park in the United Kingdom. The name Blackgang is thought to derive from a combination of ‘black’ (the colour of the sides of the original ravine due to mineral deposits) and ‘gang’ (an old word for path). Blackgang’s history as a tourist attraction is believed to have begun in 1808, when mineral water was found in Sandrock Spring under Gore Cliff, which became a magnet for visitors, including the future Queen Victoria. Houses were built around it, and the Shakespeare Memorial was constructed – now rebuilt at Haseley Manor near Arreton. The hamlet developed further in 1836 with the construction of Blackgang Hotel. The same year saw the tragic sinking of the Clarendon, which drew morbid onlookers to the chine from afar. In 1839, Alexander Dabell  – a businessman with shops in Shanklin and Newport – became the licensee of the Blackgang Hotel. Seeing the potential of its environs, he knew he could create the type of gardens that would appeal to Victorian romantics. At the start of the 1840s, he landscaped the rugged terrain creating paths, steps and gardens.

The actual beginning of Blackgang Chine as a theme park is dated to 1843, when Alexander Dabell acquired a fin whale that had beached off the Needles, bleached its bones and displayed them in the chine’s bazaar – its first tourist attraction. The theme park has remained in the hands of the Dabell family to this day. The initial entrance fee was 2 1/2d (£7.50 in today’s values). The chine was now attracting royalty, with Queen Victoria paying a visit as reigning monarch in 1853. In 1920, Queen Mary – wife of King George V – had her hat knocked off by the whale’s jawbone in the bazaar. The offending bone was promptly sawn off.

Blackgang suffered its first massive landslide in 1928, severing the Chale to Niton road, with a new road built at the top of Gore Cliff. However, despite the catastrophic landslide, Blackgang Chine flourished as a theme park, with an ever-greater number of attractions being added. In 1932, the gnome garden made its appearance. In 1933, the hall of mirrors was built, with the 10 original mirrors transported from Paris. In 1936, the evening illuminations were turned on for the very first time.

The Chine shut its doors between 1939 and 1947 due to the outbreak of war. The area was put to use as a training ground for Marine Commandoes. There were further improvements in the post-war years. The Model Village was constructed in 1953; the Smuggler’s Cave was built in 1954 and comedic stocks came in 1955. The swinging 60s were exciting times for Blackgang Chine: the maze was planted in 1963 and the Crooked House was put up in 1968.

As Blackgang Chine theme park expanded, the chine itself became inaccessible. By 1970, the remaining path down the chine had fallen away. In 1994, a massive landslide hit the area which destroyed the homes the Dabells were living in and forced many of the theme park’s attractions to be moved inland. 30 years on, the theme park continues to flourish with new attractions being added. But the coastal erosion continues to nibble away at the cliffs…