Buona Vista Road rubbish tip. By Michael Freeman. In December 1903 19 year old Wallace Lowe and his horse had an incredible escape when they fell down the cliff at the end of Buona Vista Road while tipping a load of rubbish into the sea. The article describes the history of the road, and the… read more »
Holy Trinity Church Ventnor, by Michael Freeman. The article includes a picture of the Church taken shortly after completion in 1862, showing its unusually narrow tower and steeple. The site of the Church had earlier been considered for the terminus of the planned railway line to Ventnor; at that time the intended route was via… read more »
Carfax Pension, by Michael Freeman. The Carfax in St Lawrence, next door to the St Lawrence Inn in this photograph, seems to have been built in the 1860s, probably as a hotel – the Inn was once described as the hotel tap. The French word ‘Pension’ means a boarding house, and may have been chosen… read more »
Updated: Ventnor Church of England Junior School Pupils 1961 or 1962 This article, by Michael Freeman, includes two photos showing boys and girls posed outside the school in 1961 or 1962 when Rene Howe and Dorothy Atkins were teachers there. Several of the children were unidentified when this article was published in August this year,… read more »
Ventnor Longshoremen, By Michael Freeman. The article includes a photograph of Ventnor beach in June 1985 and a description of how things have changed over the years, and the talents and work of longshoremen like including Jim and Fred Blake and the Spencer family. PDF of article available here: Ventnor Longshoremen
Avro Seaplane on Ventnor beach, By Michael Freeman. The article describes the short local pleasure flights popular in the years after the First World War, and includes a photograph of an Avro 504L seaplane, a WW1 wooden trainer aircraft, beached at Ventnor on 17 Oct 1919. PDF of article available here: Avro Seaplane on Ventnor… read more »
Thomas Gibbs and Rock Cottage, by Michael Freeman. A description of Rock Cottage in Belgrave Road, described as a lodging house run by Thomas Gibbs and his wife, Jane, for almost 30 years following their marriage in 1867. The article includes photographs of Rock Cottage and of Thomas Gibbs and also mentions the Royal Marine… read more »
High Street, Ventnor, in the early 1900s. Article by Michael Freeman,
Flowers Brook Camping Site, by Michael Freeman. A photo showing the camping site and Woody Bay in the 1950s introduces the article which describes the site and accommodation, and a visit there by a family from Tyrone in Northern Ireland. PDF of article available to read here: Flowers Brook Camping Site
The Hann twins, Ethelreda and Sheila, were born in 1908, grandchildren of Henry Brown who ran the well-known Posting and Riding establishment in Pier Street, Ventnor. The article includes information about the Brown family and their Pier Street business with a photograph of the twins in their pram, a few weeks old, and a second… read more »