The Heritage Centre in Freshwater was opened by the Lord Lieutenant Susie Sheldon on 1st September 2020 and the last 3 years have been both exciting and challenging.
It is the official home of the Freshwater & Totland Archive Group, made up of volunteers, formed in 2010 and originally based at the Freshwater Library. Besides collecting and safely storing local images and documents, it has created many attractive and informative displays.
Our most recent display showed the evolution of the Yar Bridge from the use of a small ferry to the current bridge. It was enjoyed by many, with considerable positive comments, including a visit by local school children.
The latest display has a nautical theme. This is to tie in with the annual arrival of PS Waverley to the South Coast and Isle of Wight during September.
The “Piers and Steamships” display covers information and wonderful images of the piers in the West Wight and the steamships that used (or still use) them. 4 piers are featured – Alum Bay, Totland Bay, Fort Victoria and Yarmouth.
The Heritage Centre continues to move forward with new projects for the next 3 years including a new book about the history of Totland covering the glory days of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
To continue this good work, the centre needs more volunteers in a variety of roles to help move into digital age by developing their web presence and digitising their 12000+ documents and pictures. Those interested can visit the centre and speak with the team about helping this interesting and much appreciated community facility.
The Heritage Centre is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 to 12:00 and Wednesdays from 13:00 to 15:00.
