In 1901, George Barfoot set up as a draper in premises formerly run by Walter Hammond at 101 and 103 on the north side of the High Street, close to the junction with Victoria Street George, his wife Kate and their children Ada, George and Marguerite had come to Ventnor from Tichfield in Hampshire; they… read more »
The 48 foot long ‘Queen Mary Hedge’ at Craigie Cottage St Lawrence, was a representation of the Cunard liner, created by John ‘Brisher’ White. He began working on it in 1938, and it ultimately grew to be eleven feet high and eight feet wide. Born at Niton Undercliff, John was a player member at Ventnor… read more »
In the 1920s Ventnor Horticultural Society held its annual flower show in Ventnor Park in conjunction with a sports programme, which included high jump, hurdles and the hundred yards sprint. It was well attended by the likes of Mrs Emily Franklin, Mrs Annie Attrill and Molly Attrill whose families had a long association with the… read more »
It is remarkable just how well small villages like Niton were provided with shops over the inter-war years with an antiques and furniture shop, a hardware shop, two grocers (Baverstock’s and Noriss’s), a post office, a haberdashery, a cobbler, two bakers, a butcher (Frederick Green and his delivery boy Ken Wright) and a chemist which… read more »
The Royal Hotel Buffet once stood at the junction of Belgrave and Zig Zag Roads, and in 1912 Christopher Cooper was the Manager, living on the premises. By the 1990s, however, changing habits had resulted in its closure and, in December 1996, the building became the subject of a Demolition Order. Town Councillor ‘Buster’ Bartlett… read more »
Our next Society Monthly Meeting will be on 26 May 2023. The speaker will be Dr Jeffrey Mazo with a talk on Ventnor in Old Maps. The meeting will be at the Yarborough Masonic Hall, Grove Road, Ventnor (just round the corner from the Ventnor Heitage Centre) 7:30 – 9:00 PM, 26th May 2023 All… read more »
In the 1930s International Stores laid claim to being ‘The Greatest Grocer in the World’ and its signage was a familiar sight on British high streets. It had a presence in Ventnor for almost one hundred years, opening first at 58 High Street in 1889 (next to the Commercial Hotel) and closing in 1986, by… read more »
In 1911 a new ‘moving picture house’ The Electric Palace was opened in Ventnor High Street. Later renamed The Bijou it continued showing silent movies until 1930, despite a brand new cinema equipped with a sound system opening in 1924 in Grove Road, built by Tom Brading and named The Cinema. In 1930 Brading sold… read more »
Richard Leitch moved to Ventnor for his health in 1889, arriving with a wife and young family at a property on the corner of Albert Street and Market Street, where he set up as a boot and shoe repairer, remaining in business for the rest of his working life. He was one of several tradesmen,… read more »
Edmund Newberry ran a grocer business for 34 years at premises located at the junction of Newport and Gills Cliff Roads in Upper Ventnor, having taken over the shop from Henry Burnett in 1923. Everyone had come to know the location it as ‘Newberry’s Corner’ and even when the shop was finally closed by the… read more »