Isle of Wight Heritage

Charlie Kray - the elder brother of gangland twins Ronnie and Reggie - passed away at St Mary's hospital at 20:50 on 4th April 2000. The 73-year-old had been seriously ill after suffering a heart attack the previous month in...

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - the Minister of State for Transport with responsibility for the railway system - has visited the Isle of Wight Bus & Coach Museum in Ryde. Peter Hendy is a well-known transport professional, who has...

The Polynesian-themed Beachcomber nightclub - located in Shanklin Hotel - was one of the Isle of Wight's more unusual nightspots. Beachcomber did not cut corners in its attempt to recreate a desert island in The Bay - it came complete...

The Daily Express reported a likely boom in domestic UK tourism on 25th March 1985, including a possible million tourists crossing the Solent to holiday on the Isle of Wight. The newspaper proclaimed: "The British have rediscovered the delights of...

Lee Bradbury made over 572 senior appearances and scored a century of goals in his professional career, which began at Isle of Wight club Plessey. When Lee signed for Manchester City for £3.5million in 1997, he was the club's record...

An escaped Irish prisoner was caught in the loft of the Camp Hill Governor's residence - Holly Grange Mansion - on 17th March 1955. 23-year-old Patrick Joesph Callaghan, from Dublin, was said to have escaped the prison for a wager...

Golden Hill Fort in Freshwater had a very chequered reputation for raves in the 90s - both legal and illegal. The fort was originally built between 1863 and 1868 to provide accommodation for soldiers serving in local West Wight batteries,...

Plessey bought Decca Radar for £4.5million (£75million in today's values) on 10th March 1965. At that time, Decca Radar supplied approximately half the world's shipping with its equipment. Its technology was also used at airports, by the military, and the...

Former Medina High School student Jon Goldsmith is planning a 50th anniversary celebration of the opening of the school in 1976. An anniversary celebration evening will take place at GGs Bar and Restaurant on the outskirts of Newport on 11th...

Roy Shiner is recognised as the Isle of Wight's greatest ever footballer. He scored 107 goals in 196 Football League appearances at an average of 0.55 goals per game - a comparable strike rate to that of Gary Lineker. By...