Isle of Wight Heritage

Before the lights, the discos and the live music, the Ponda Rosa was no more than a pig farm in the quiet countryside of Ashey. But by the 60s, 70s and 80s, the Ponda Rosa had become one of the...

120 pupils of Bembridge Primary School were sent home after their classrooms were invaded by dozens of venomous false widow spiders on 4th October 1995. The Church of England school was forced to close after one of the tropical spiders...

St Nicholas Chapel at Carisbrooke Castle was reconsecrated as a memorial to King Charles I on 3rd October 1905. The ceremony was led by the Bishop of Winchester and attended by Princess Beatrice, youngest daughter of Queen Victoria and then...

The Shell House in East Cowes was once a popular tourist attraction, famous for its detailed seashell decorations and a remarkable local legend. A childhood encounter with royalty may have sparked one of the Isle of Wight’s most unusual artistic...

The Castle Inn in Newport was licensed to host cockfighting - a brutal pastime now long vanished - on 25th September 1705. The Castle Inn, a central feature of Newport High Street, is today a traditional pub. In 1705, it...

Isle of Wight-born rower Louis Attrill brought Olympic gold home on 24th September 2000. Exactly 25 years ago, Attrill stood atop the Olympic podium in Sydney, clutching gold as part of Great Britain’s men’s eight crew. The victory remains one...

Wight Dolphins 807, the Isle of Wight’s only British Sub Aqua Club, is celebrating its 50th anniversary today (Wednesday). Formed on 24th September 1975 with just 12 members, the club has grown steadily to around 50 active members, perfectly matching...

Shanklin's Dotto road train first started operations on 22nd September 1995 - 30 years ago today! Unfortunately, it took to the road 3 months late, with just 3 weeks of the holiday season remaining. The road train had been bought...

The sedate village of Seaview on the Isle of Wight once played host to a vibrant nightlife hotspot - the Beehive Disco. Located beneath the Halland Hotel, formerly known as the Pier Hotel, the Beehive drew in crowds of young...

A tiger famously made it into Prime Minister’s Questions on 16th September 2015. Isle of Wight MP Andrew Turner took the floor, and instead of housing, education, or the economy, he brought up Simi - a rescued circus tiger stuck...