A landmark feature of Ryde Esplanade has returned to its rightful place after undergoing a major restoration to safeguard its future for generations to come.
The iconic Eastern Gardens arch was reinstated on the seafront this week (Thursday), more than 2 months after it was carefully removed to allow for extensive repair and conservation work.
The restoration project was delivered through a partnership between the Isle of Wight Council and Ryde Town Council, with the aim of protecting one of the town’s best-known historic features from further weather damage while preserving its original appearance.
Having been dismantled towards the end of April, the arch underwent a painstaking restoration process, with sections stripped back and cleaned before being reattached.
Parts that had suffered significant corrosion were carefully recreated to match the original design, ensuring the structure retained its historic character.
The work was carried out by local firm, ISM Solutions, with the majority of the restoration completed on the Isle of Wight. The metalwork was galvanised on the mainland due to the lack of suitable facilities locally before being repainted using a specialist epoxy coating designed to improve its durability against the elements.
Isle of Wight Council’s Service Director for Waste, Environment and Planning, Natasha Dix, said:
“We are proud to see the Eastern Gardens arch restored to its former glory and to make sure that this much-loved landmark continues to be enjoyed by residents and visitors for years to come. We have preserved an important piece of Ryde’s history with this work.
“A project like this shows what we can do when working with town councils like Ryde Town Council, and we have shown once again our shared commitment to protecting the Island’s unique heritage.”
Mayor of Ryde and chair of Ryde Town Council’s Environment and Community Protection Committee, Councillor Karen Lucioni, added:
“This project is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when local partners come together with a shared vision.
“The restoration of the Eastern Gardens arch reflects the strong collaboration between the Isle of Wight Council, Ryde Town Council and local contractors, and the pride our community has in protecting its heritage.”
Will Thomas, Managing Director of ISM Solutions, said the company was honoured to be involved in the project.“It’s a privilege to help restore such an important historic feature to Ryde’s seafront and bring it back to its former glory.
“As a business, we are committed to continual investment to remain at the forefront of our industry.
“For this project, we’re employing modern innovation, using technologies such as 3D scanning and advanced laser cutting.
“This allows us not only to faithfully recreate the original, but also to deliver it in a far more efficient and cost-effective way than would be possible using purely traditional methods.”
Community Planning Officer at Ryde Town Council, Chris Turvey, said the collaboration between the local authority and the town council had been vital.
“Without the partnership between Ryde Town Council and the Isle of Wight Council, this valuable heritage item could have been lost.”
At what cost I wonder.
Well you old fogies always moan to much of the “old Island”is vanishing….to keep something like that in good and safe condition costs money as craftsmen are hard to find!you can’t have it both ways !.
Personally I would have rather the money spent
on a speed camera to stop young numpty fogies
speeding unlike old fogies who respect the law and
stick to the speed limit.
I’m petty certain that this is a story where the same people would complain if the arch was restored and replaced or if it wasn’t. In any case, spending it on speed cameras would only improve road safety on the Island, if they clocked cars driven at 10 miles below the speed limit: as dangerous as driving above the limit, but ‘driving safely’ in the minds of “old fogies”. They need reminding that you can fail your test for speeding, but also for diving too slowly for the conditions.
Living costs money. Spending money is what economies grow on. Low spending generally stagnates the economy.
Burnham will fix that
Lol
Well done….nice to see the welcoming arch back in place
This is really lovely they have done a marvellous job Thankyou
Oh yes, one only has to look around to see how important the look of the Island is to IOW Council. They can’t even cut the grass, so we have vast public green spaces that children can’t play on and are full of dog poo and ticks. Looks an absolute state everywhere and I can’t wait to go back to the mainland because of this terrible council. Never paid so much council tax to live in such a shabby, neglected scummy location. The grass verges at Sandown near The Grand are impassable and Dinosaur Isle flower beds are an overgrown embarrassment, to name but a few. Can’t wait to get out.
On you jog then…
It’s getting to the stage I will be taking my hedgecutter
with me when I walk the dog.
Now get the Rose Garden further along sorted. More weeds, ivy and paving slabs there than roses.