Isle of Wight Heritage

Christopher William Smith - the man who named the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) - died at Blackgang, aged 75, on 1st December 1892. Christopher was 1 of 12 people who founded the YMCA in London on 6th June 1844....

The German vessel 'Ernst' - carrying salt from Liverpool to Danzig (now known as Gdansk) - was driven ashore by terrible storms on the night of 23rd November 1898. Captain William Wallace and 2 sailors attempted to swim ashore when...

Queen and Princess Victoria Mrs Ratsey - wife of Restall Ratsey, the sailmaker - was appointed wet nurse to Princess Victoria on 21st November 1840. Queen Victoria gave birth to her 1st child - also called Victoria - in Buckingham...

Francis Ward Monck The Isle of Wight Times reported a famed 'spirit medium' had been caught deceiving his disciples in an article published on 6th November 1879. In that week, the infamous 'Doctor' Monck had been demonstrating his psychic 'powers' in...

All the headlines from 30, 60, 70, 90, 100, 110 and 120 years ago, including a dog that apparently changed sex. 30 years ago (1993) PARKHURST PRISONER TOO HOT TO HANDLE Bosses at Parkhurst Prison refused to allow a coroner...

In the last in a trilogy of ghost stories for Halloween, Island Echo recalls the tale of the Blue Lady, who is said to haunt Nettlestone and its environs. The Blue Lady is possibly the Isle of Wight's most well-known apparition....

The former Partlands Hotel may be no more, but the spirit of its 19th-century barmaid Lilly Deacon could live on in the foundations of the building that has replaced the former watering hole. Lilly is 1 of the Isle of...

Brading Wax Museum closed on 3rd January 2010 but its resident ghost - the unfortunate Frenchman Louis de Rochefort - may still remain ... The building in which Osborn-Smith's Wax Museum was located is said to be the oldest house...

Map of Fort Redoubt Photo: Rik Smith In this weeks edition of Isle of Wight Forts, Island Echo examines arguably the most spectacular and iconic of our forts: Fort Redoubt overlooking Freshwater Bay. To the best of our knowledge, Fort...

All the headlines from 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 100 and 110 years ago, including a proposal for a new floating bridge a century ago. 30 years ago (1993) ISLE OF WIGHT MAN CONS HIS WAY INTO TOP HOSPITAL JOB...