Isle of Wight Heritage

Large crowds gathered on Birmingham Road on 30th May 1901 - 125 years ago today - as Cowes celebrated the arrival of an impressive new Methodist church.

One of the Isle of Wight’s grandest homes became an inferno on 1st June 1951 - 75 years ago today - when flames ripped through St Lawrence Hall near Ventnor.

While many of the Isle of Wight’s great seaside hotels have fallen into decline, Ventnor’sThe Royal Hotel still overlooks the bay much as it did in Victorian times.

For generations of Islanders, no trip into Newport felt complete without a visit to Dabell's – the department store at the heart of the High Street for decades.

King Edward VII’s reign almost ended before it had properly begun when he narrowly escaped disaster aboard a yacht off Cowes on 22nd May 1901.

A notorious Ryde pub once branded the “grottiest in Britain” was given the green light for demolition 20 years ago today, on 19th May 2006.

From hosting a fleeing Empress in 1870 to staging rock bands in the 1960s, the Royal York in Ryde has moved from high drama to slow dereliction.

The pioneering Enfield 8000 electric car project came to an abrupt halt when its Cowes-based manufacturer announced closure – on 13th May 1976.

The Isle of Wight remained largely calm as the 9-day General Strike came to an end across Britain on 12th May 1926.

Still trading in Freshwater today, Orchard Bros has served locals and visitors since 1865...