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"

Local History Walks |

Local History Walks

Guided walks:

We provide occasional guided walks; details are given here when we have one planned.

Ventnor, Cradle of the Russian Revolution

During Ventnor Fringe in 2023 the Society once again collaborated with Stephan Roman, author of Isle and Empires, on this intriguingly titled local history walk, which was also provided during the Isle of Wight Walking Festival. We will probably be providing this walk again (we enjoy doing it and it is always sold out!)  For information about this and future events please subscribe to our Ventnor Heritage Newsletter.

Walks to do on your own:

 

Time Travel Ventnor: a series of trail boards exploring the history of Ventnor, starting outside the Heritage Centre.  For details of the trail and to download a copy of the leaflet click here: Time Travel Ventnor

 

 

St Lawrence Trails: The St Lawrence Village Trail and the St Lawrence Coastal Trail are specially written local history trails that visitors can follow by themselves, and are available to download here:
St Lawrence: The Coastal TrailSt Lawrence: The Village Trail

 

 

Ventnor Historic (Beer) Walk: This is an historic stroll through the social history of Ventnor in the early 19th Century (click image on left to download walk):

 

National Trust: Ventnor Downs

The National Trust page on Ventnor Downs details several walks including what is described as ‘a short but challenging walk, taking you from Bronze Age barrows to secretive cold war underground nuclear operations’. Click here for more information: Ventnor Downs: Pre-history to Cold War 


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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