Ventnor Heritage Centre
Heritage Centre Opening times
Please note that when the Heritage Centre is closed to visitors our Online Shop is still working as normal, and you can also contact us as usual by email.
November 2024 – April 2025
- 4 November – 14 December 2024:
The Heritage Centre is open on Saturday mornings, 10 am – 1 pm - January 2025:
The Heritage Centre will be closed to visitors throughout January for major reorganisation of the archive room, but you can contact us by email – and our online shop is open as usual. - 1 February – 5 April 2025:
The Heritage Centre is open Saturday mornings, 10 am – 1 pm - 7 April 2025:
Summer opening resumes (days and times to be announced).
Location and information for visitors
Monthly Meeting:
The next meeting is on 29 November, when Paul Thomson will give a talk about the recent archaeological ground investigation into the emerging story of the possible WW2 raid on RAF St Lawrence in 1943. For full details see our News page. Forthcoming Society meetings are listed here: Monthly Meetings
New exhibitions and publications for 2024:
Olivia: portrait of a life is our new exhibition on Olivia Parkes, who for many years lived in a wooden hut on the shore, and was better known in Ventnor as ‘Britannia’; a new book about her life Britannia, The Extraordinary Life of Olivia Parkes is available in the Heritage Centre (£9.95) or through our online shop (£12.80 including UK post and packing).
D-Day and Ventnor: this exhibition was created to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings and the accompanying book Oh Day of Days! Ventnor The Isle of Wight and Operation Overlord, is available in the Heritage Centre or in our online shop.
Bonchurch in 99 Old Postcards: published in July, this new book features (as you will guess!) 99 historic postcards of Bonchurch, and is available in the Heritage Centre shop (price £6.50) or through our online shop (price £9.95 including postage and packing).
News
Click here for our News page with information about Society events, publications and exhibitions, and to read our weekly local history article.
Ventnor Heritage Newsletter
If you are interested in the history of our area and would like news of new publications, talks, and events – click here to sign up for our newsletter.
About the Local History Society:
Ventnor & District Local History Society was established in 1980 to record and preserve the history of our area. In 1987 the Society bought 11 Spring Hill and established the Ventnor Heritage Centre, with space for a museum as well as room to store our collection of photographs, documents and artefacts. We undertake research, publish books on the local history of our area, and hold popular monthly meetings. Click here to see more about the Society, or use the menu on the left of the page to find out more about what we do. If you are interested in joining the Society please get in touch – we welcome new members.
[The Society is a Registered Charity No 286848]
Donations:
Ventnor and District Local History Society and the Heritage Centre are entirely managed and run by volunteers. We welcome gifts of objects, photographs and documents of local interest which can be added to our collection (please contact us if you have items to donate). We are always grateful for financial donations.
If you are a UK taxpayer you can boost your donation by 25p of Gift Aid for every £1 you donate by completing this form Charity Gift Aid Declaration.
