It is hard to imagine the Royal Navy figuring in a carnival procession in the 21st Century, but in 1911 or 1912, Carnival float no. 23 was photographed in Clarence Road, Ventnor in front of Violet Cottage which occupied a position near to the junction with East Street. What the float reveals is the scale… read more »
Visiting circuses were a common feature of Ventnor through the 1920s and 1930s. They were typically held in a field off of York Road, or else in a field near the top of Down Lane. Keepers would daily take the elephants down to the slipway on the east side of the Pier. Here they would… read more »
For some ninety years, the name Digweed became synonymous with beach photography in Ventnor. George Digweed came to Ventnor from Southsea in 1887 and at one time had a kiosk on the pier. When George died in 1929, he was succeeded in the business by his son Bernard (1900-1971), aided for a time by George’s… read more »
The Salvation Army Hall in Victoria Street had been badly blitzed in a German air raid of 26 April 1944 and, at one stage, the expectation was that it would end up being demolished. However, in January 1947 the Rev W Sinclair turned the key in the lock and members and guests in attendance were… read more »
In June 1925 the delivery van belonging to the Cascade Dairy of 26 Pier Street somehow half somersaulted over the esplanade wall on to Ventnor beach. The van had been left at the foot of Alma Road, but probably owing to brake failure, it began to roll across the Esplanade roadway, mounted the pavement there,… read more »
In days gone by, the railway porter was viewed largely as a member of the station staff who carried your luggage. But in reality this was a very minor part of their regular duties, as confirmed by Percy Primmer who joined the railway in 1929 and was employed at Ventnor’s main station on Mitchell Avenue… read more »
Daniel Day was the son of Stephen Day, the stone mason who built Cove Cottage in 1828, located on what is now Belgrave Road and, a few years later, Steephill Castle. Following a tragic accident there in 1832, Stephen was accidentally killed and Daniel inherited the family business at the age of just 18. Eventually… read more »
Sometime in the later 1950s, a young family happened upon the old St Lawrence Station to find it displaying a “For Sale” sign. After some vigorous negotiation with the vendor (British Rail), the family acquired it for £750, at the time the equivalent price of a decent family car, but well below the price of… read more »
Bonchurch Women’s Institute was formed in 1922 and lasted for 70 years, finally winding up its affairs in November 1992, the outcome of rising costs and a falling membership. By that time, it had been reduced to just 19 members, most of whom were pensioners with the oldest member aged 94. They had tried and… read more »
Through the first half of the 20th Century, there were fruther efforts to construct a cliff railway in Ventnor, beginning with Fritz Bernard Behr’s scheme in 1908. His plan once more linked Esplanade, Church Street, Station and the top of the Downs with an electrically operated solution. The cost was estimated at about £25,000, which included… read more »