A pair of Newport attractions will each have a ‘free entry day’ to mark the Isle of Wight Council’s participation in the Heritage Open Days held across England in September.
Isle of Wight Council’s Museum of Island History in Newport’s High Street will be free entry on Thursday 14th September and will be open 10:00 – 13:00
The museum provides an introduction to the history of the Isle of Wight from fossils to festivals and also has a number of changing exhibitions. At the moment these include newly available images by Sandown photographer James Dore, depicting rural life on the Island. Visitors are also invited to come and find out more about the Wight Rodeo Riders, a horseback display team that was based on the Island but toured Great Britain from the 1920s to 1939.
The following day, Friday 14th September, free entry will be on offer at Newport Roman Villa in Cypress Road and will be open from 10:30 – 14:30.
Newport Roman Villa is a fine example of a 3rd century farmhouse with one of the best examples of a Roman bath suite in Southern Britain. The Villa has well preserved remains, a small museum and a recreated Roman garden.
Newport Roman Villa is tucked away amongst a modern housing estate on the outskirts of Newport. These well preserved remains provide a snapshot into life on the Island in Roman times. The well-preserved bath suite has underfloor heating, hot and cold baths and a sweating room. The activity room allows you to; try on Roman clothes, discover more about food and cooking with our replica Roman kitchen and try your hand at rebuilding a pot. There is a small garden with plants and herbs which would have been used at the time for cooking and medicine. The museum area provides the opportunity to find out more about the Island before and after the Romans and discover some of the latest archaeological finds on the Island.
Thousands of sites across England participate in Heritage Open Days between from 8th – 17th September.
2 other Island sites are involved – The Vecta Lodge of Oddfellows, St. Thomas’ Square, Newport will open its doors (14th – 15th September) and there will be guided history walks at Ryde Cemetery (12th – 16th September). Full details at www.heritageopendays.org.uk
Museum of Island History, Guildhall, 136 High Street, Newport, PO30 1TY. Opens Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00-13:00. Normal entry: Adults, Children 50p.
Newport Roman Villa, Cypress Road, Newport, PO30 1HA. Opens until the end of September on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays 10:30 – 14:30 (last entry). The Villa will also be open for Clay Days during the October half term. Normal entry Adults £4.50 Concessions £4, Children £3.
History should be free all the time. They were 40 years ago, then Thatcherism took hold and now we have to pay thro the nose for everything so the Tories can give our tax money to their mates instead of using it for the people. Just like it was 100’s of years ago when we had kings sat in castles using their ‘enforcers’ to extract money from the people.
But, there has also been 13 years of Labour governments and 5 years of a coalition during that time too.
That seems like plenty of time for Labour or the LibDems to have made changes to any ‘Thatcherism’ they didn’t agree with?
Not saying I agree or disagree with museum charges, just offering a balance. It’s all too easy to blame just the current government for things which have actually been going on for decades and that all parties could have changed if they had wanted.
Wight aviation museum at sandown airport.FREE admission to see island rich heritage.