Isle of Wight Heritage

30 years ago today Isle of Wight hippies refused to leave their homes on the edge of a precipice at Blackgang, despite Police warnings they were in 'grave danger'. The new age travellers had been lodging in the former nudist...

Did you ever walk back along Mill Lane from the Ryde or Medway Queens in a state of inebriation? If so, you must be at least 50 years old! The 2 paddle steamers were moored at Island Harbour and served...

The straggling, rural village of Merstone played a surprisingly significant role in Isle of Wight railway history despite the minuscule number of inhabitants living nearby. For just over half a century - between 1897 and 1952 - Merstone was the...

In a brand new Isle of Wight heritage series at the very start of a new year, Island Echo examines the famous Isle of Wight nightclubs that were once a well known feature of our Island. It is now 3...

Ventnor, Ryde, Cowes and Sandown are not only to be found here on the original Isle of Wight, but across all 4 corners of the globe. Here are some of the Isle of Wight place names in other continents... The...

Island Echo dives into the many churches on the Isle of Wight that are dedicated to some rather obscure saints... Most churches are dedicated to saints we have heard of, for example, the 4 evangelists: Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Otherwise,...

Island Echo takes a look at Isle of Wight Christmas traditions, some of which have survived to the present day... The 'Wold Hark': the Isle of Wight Christmas Carol What would Christmas be without Christ? The Isle of Wight was...

For 4 decades - from 1861 to 1901 - Queen Victoria spent her Christmases at Osborne House here on the Isle of Wight - and they were luxurious and elaborate, to say the least. Christmases at Osborne were on another...

In this week's edition of Isle of Wight Railways, Island Echo examines the 7 railway tunnels of the Isle of Wight. Did you know that a total of 7 railway tunnels were built on the Isle of Wight between 1862...

Gloom fell over the Christmas festivities at Fort Victoria near Yarmouth following a tragic accident on 23rd December 1889. 24-year-old sapper Andrew Templar of the 22nd Company Royal Engineers - stationed at Fort Vic - fell to his death while...