Ventnor Heritage Centre

"To Collect, Record and preserve the rich heritage and history of Ventnor and surrounding villages, and share it with local and wider communities"

Contact Ventnor Heritage Centre |

Contact Ventnor Heritage Centre

Ventnor Heritage Centre is in the centre of Ventnor, opposite the Central Car Park. Our address is: 11 Spring Hill, Ventnor PO38 1PE.

Contacting us: If you want to get in touch you can send an email to info@ventnorheritage.org.uk or use the the contact form below.
Our telephone number is 01983 855407 (but please be aware that the phone is only answered when we are open – see opening times below.)

Opening times: Current Ventnor Heritage Centre opening times are shown on the front page of our website.

Visiting us: Information about visiting the Heritage Centre


    Exhibitions, stories, images . . .

    Olivia: Portrait of a Life

    Olivia Parkes (1881-1962) was born in Walsall in the Midlands, but for many years lived a solitary life in a wooden hut in Myrtle Bay in Ventnor, where local people referred to her as ‘Britannia’, and her life has been a constant source of fascination to local people and visitors. This new exhibition for 2024, inspired in part by the ‘Olivia’ art installation by Teresa Grimaldi and Sarah Vardy shown at Ventnor Fringe Festival in 2023, features a model of Olivia’s home (Britannia’s Hut) and is accompanied by an extensive board display. A new book, 'Britannia, The Extraordinary Life of Olivia Parkes' is available to buy in the Ventnor Heritage Centre, or by post from our Online Shop.  

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