Isle of Wight Heritage

On this day in 1866, Ventnor lad William H Whitewood waded out to sea to retrieve a bottle he had seen floating on the waves, which contained a tragic and mysterious message... The cap and neck of the bottle were...

As part of the Secret Isle of Wight series, Island Echo looks at King's Quay - one of the most remote and inaccessible locations on the Isle of Wight - and the legends surrounding it. King's Quay, on the Barton...

Location of Ventnor Railway Station The Ryde to Ventnor railway line was opened on 10th September 1866 at a cost of upwards of £300,000: over £25 million in today's money. After several failed attempts to build a railway to Ventnor,...

On this day in 1807, Henry Sewell - the first ever Prime Minister of New Zealand - was born in Newport. Henry Sewell was the 4th son of Thomas Sewell - a solicitor - and his wife Jane. He was...

A skull once believed to be that of Michal Morey In the first of our series on Isle of Wight villains, Island Echo looks at the stories and myths surrounding Michal Morey - the murderous woodcutter from Arreton who was...

The Gnomon A vertical sundial that has stood on Ventnor Esplanade for 171 years - known as the gnomon - remains mysterious to many, with its connection to the Australian city of Brisbane somewhat unknown. A gnomon (from Ancient Greek γνώμων 'one that knows or...

Location of Brickfields Cottage Do you know the location of the Isle of Wight’s most isolated house, Brickfields Cottage? Brickfields Cottage lies on Elmsworth peninsula, 2 miles from the nearest dwellings on Elmsworth Lane, and was last occupied in 1954....

A pair of unassuming semi-detached houses located on York Avenue in East Cowes have been revealed as 2 of the Isle of Wight's most revolutionary properties.  The Grade II listed buildings - 201 and 203 York Avenue - were one...

Sophie Dawes (Waxworks museum) Impoverished St Helens fisherman's daughter Sophie Dawes - who became the mistress of wealthy French aristocrat Duc de Bourbon and inherited a considerable fortune - passed away on this day in 1840. The life of this...

Jabez Balfour Island Echo examines the colourful career of Jabez Spencer Balfour, whose Liberator company enclosed Brading Haven before he fled to Argentina and was imprisoned in Parkhurst for a multi-million pound fraud. Did you know that the man who...