The newly-formed Newport & Carisbrooke Heritage Society now has a permanent exhibition space at the front of the Newport & Carisbrooke Community Council building (NCCC) at 64 High Street, Newport.
The first exhibition is on the Enfield Electric car, designed and built on the Isle of Wight in the early 1970s and possibly the first production electric car in the world.
This exhibition, which went live at the same time as the Constable Painting, will be on display until late in August. Entry is free and open between 09:00-16:30 Mon-Fri.
Matthew Price and Steve Berden said:
“We are delighted to put on our first exhibition and look forward to future exhibitions including Newport brickworks and mills, Newport through the decades, local sports and also one linked to the Island’s D-Day efforts”.
Matthew and Steve also said:
“We owe this great task of finally forming a Heritage Society for Newport and Carisbrooke to the great late Brian Greening who first brought the idea to us. Brian was a well-loved and well-known historian who not only wanted to bring all the masters of local history and storytelling together, but also create an area local people to display their treasured artifacts, collections, photographs and stories.
“We really hope to be able to use the relationship with NCCC and use of their building as the first of many steps in the sharing and preservation of the heritage and history of not only Newport & Carisbrooke but of the whole Island. A huge thank you to NCCC and to all involved for helping to get this started.”
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It is hoped that strong links and collaborations can take place with Carisbrooke Castle Museum, the Museum of Island History, Isle of Wight Council’s Heritage Service, Isle of Wight Postal Museum and many other groups, museums and individuals who have so carefully kept local history alive.
If you are interested in contributing to the group or even putting on a future display, please email [email protected], telephone 559119 or visit 64 High St.
Local historian and ex Newport Harbour Master Wayne Pritchett will be hosting a slide show on Newport Quay at 19:00 on 29th September at 64 High Street and you can book your place using the above details.
In case anyone was wondering, the Enfield factory was at Somerton Works, Cowes.
Have Cowes Heritage Society been informed of this misappropriation?
Fantastic achievement …. Brian would be VERY pleased with this …… Good luck with perhaps getting some of the Island’s ‘archived’ artifacts out on view. That was his dream.
As a long-time member of the former Cowes Heritage, and now trustee of the new-formed Cowes Heritage and Community Group, I have been pushing for something similar at Newport/Carisbrooke for many years. So pleased that the Island’s capital town and historic Carisbrooke will now be properly celebrated. Hopefully there will be regular exhibitions, mounted by an army of volunteers, as has been the case with other heritage groups around the Island.