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An image of the Isle of Wight from the: 'All this beauty is of God'Coordinates::Established1890Preceded bySusan SheldonMrs Caroline Peel (2020/21)Area384 km 2 (148 sq mi). RankedPopulation (mid-2018 est.)141,538. RankedDensity372/km 2 (960/sq mi)Ethnicity97.3% White, 1.1% Asian, 0.2% Black, 0.1% Other, 1.2% MixedCouncilExecutiveAdmin HQArea380.2 km 2 (146.8 sq mi). RankedPopulation141,538. RankedDensity372/km 2 (960/sq mi)GB-IOW00MWE06000046UKJ34WebsiteMember of ParliamentPolice. Summer The Isle of Wight ( ) is a and the island in England. It is in the, between 2 and 5 miles off the coast of, separated by the. The island has resorts that have been holiday destinations since, and is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and verdant landscape of fields,. The island is designated a.The island has been home to the poets and and to, who built her much-loved summer residence and final home at. It has a maritime and industrial tradition including, sail-making, the manufacture of, the, and Britain's.
The island hosts annual music festivals including the, which in 1970 was the largest rock music event ever held. It has well-conserved wildlife and some of the richest cliffs and quarries for in Europe.The isle was owned by a Norman family until 1293 and was earlier a. In common with the, the British Crown was then represented on the island by the until 1995. The island has played an important part in the defence of the ports of and, and been near the front-line of conflicts through the ages, including the and the. Rural for most of its history, its Victorian fashionability and the growing affordability of holidays led to significant urban development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Part of, the island became a separate in 1890. It continued to share the of Hampshire until 1974, when it was made its own. Apart from a shared police force, and the island's churches belonging to the (originally ), there is now no administrative link with Hampshire; although a combined local authority with Portsmouth and Southampton was considered, this is now unlikely to proceed.The quickest public transport link to the mainland is the from to; three vehicle ferry and two catamaran services cross the Solent to,. Main article: Palaeolithic Isle of Wight During, sea levels were lower and the present day Solent was part of the valley of the Solent River. The river flowed eastward from Dorset, following the course of the modern Solent strait, before travelling south and southwest towards the major Channel River system.The earliest evidence of archaic human presence on what is now the Isle of Wight is found at. Here more than 300 have been recovered from the beach and cliff slopes, originating from a sequence of Pleistocene gravels dating approximately to (424,000-374,000 years ago).A Mousterian flint assemblage, consisting of 50 handaxes and debitage has been recovered from Great Pan Farm near Newport.
Possibly dating to MIS 7 (c.240,000 years ago), these tools are associated with Neanderthal occupation.Mesolithic Isle of Wight A submerged escarpment 11m below sea level off on the island's northwest coastline is home to an internationally significant mesolithic archaeological site. The site has yielded evidence of seasonal occupation by mesolithic hunter-gatherers dating to c.8000 years BP. Finds include flint tools, burnt flint, worked timbers, wooden platforms and pits. The worked wood shows evidence of the splitting of large planks from oak trunks, interpreted as being intended for use as dug-out canoes. DNA analysis of sediments at the site yielded wheat DNA, not found in Britain until the 2000 years after the occupation at Bouldnor Cliff. It has been suggested this is evidence of wide-reaching trade in mesolithic Europe, however the contemporaneity of the wheat with the Mesolithic occupation has been contested. When hunter-gatherers used the site it was located on a river bank surrounded by wetland and woodland.
As sea levels rose throughout the the river valley slowly flooded, submerging the site.Evidence of mesolithic occupation on the island is generally found along the river valleys, particularly along the north of the Island, and in the former catchment of the western Yar. Further key sites are found at Newtown Creek, Werrar and Wootton-Quarr.Neolithic Isle of Wight Neolithic occupation on the Isle of Wight is primarily attested to by flint tools and monuments. Unlike the previous mesolithic hunter-gatherer population Neolithic communities on the Isle of Wight were based on farming and linked to a wide-scale migration of Neolithic populations from France and northwest Europe to Britain c.6000 years ago.The Isle of Wight's most visible Neolithic site is the Longstone at, the remains of a originally constructed with two standing stones at the entrance. Only one stone remains standing today. A Neolithic mortuary enclosure has been identified on near.Bronze and Iron Age Isle of Wight had large reserves of tin in the areas of and and is necessary to. At that time the sea level was much lower and carts of tin were brought across the at low tide for export, possibly on the.
Anthony Snodgrass suggests that a shortage of tin, as a part of the Collapse and trade disruptions in the Mediterranean around 1300 BC, forced metalworkers to seek an alternative to bronze. During, the, the Isle of Wight would appear to have been occupied by the Celtic tribe, the – as attested by finds of their coins, for example, the South Wight Hoard, and the Shalfleet Hoard. South eastern Britain experienced significant immigration that is reflected in the genetic makeup of the current residents.
As the began the value of tin likely dropped sharply and this likely greatly changed the economy of the Isle of Wight. Trade however continued as evidenced by the remarkable local abundance of European coins. Roman Isle of Wight reported that the took the Isle of Wight in about 85 BC, and recognised the culture of this general region as 'Belgic', but made no reference to Vectis. The Roman historian mentions that the island was captured by the commander. The Romans built no towns on the island, but the remains of at least seven have been found, indicating the prosperity of local agriculture. First-century exports were principally hides, slaves, hunting dogs, grain, cattle, silver, gold, and iron. And later likely were important to the local economy.
Just outside Early Medieval period Starting in AD 449 (according to the Anglo Saxon Chronicles) the 5th and 6th centuries saw groups of Germanic speaking peoples from Northern Europe crossing the English Channel and setting up home. Bede's (731) Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum identifies three separate groups of invaders: of these, the from Denmark settled the Isle of Wight and Kent. From then onwards, there are indications that the island had wide trading links, with a port at, evidence of Bronze Age tin trading, and finds of coins.During the the island was settled by Jutes as the pagan kingdom of under King. In 685 it was invaded by, who tried to replace the inhabitants with his own followers.
In 686 Arwald was defeated and the island became the last part of English lands to be converted to, added to Wessex and then becoming part of England under King, included within the of.It suffered especially from raids, and was often used as a winter base by Viking raiders when they were unable to reach Normandy. Later, both and his brother (who became King Harold II) held manors on the island. High Medieval period The Norman Conquest of 1066 created the position of; the island was given by to his kinsman. And the fort of were then founded.
Allegiance was sworn to FitzOsbern rather than the king; the Lordship was subsequently granted to the family by Henry I, after his succession in 1100.For nearly 200 years the island was a semi-independent feudal fiefdom, with the de Redvers family ruling from Carisbrooke. The final private owner was the Countess, who, on her deathbed in 1293, was persuaded to sell it to. On the Isle of Wight, 1875 painting byDuring the, the island was used as a staging post for British troops departing on expeditions against the French coast, such as the. During 1759, with a, a large force of soldiers was stationed there. The French called off their invasion following the. Modern history In the 1860s, what remains in real terms the most expensive ever government spending project saw fortifications built on the island and in the Solent, as well as elsewhere along the south coast, including the, and, because of fears about possible French invasion.The future spent childhood holidays on the island and became fond of it. When queen she made her winter home, and so the island became a fashionable holiday resort, including for, and (who wrote much of there), as well as the French painter and members of European royalty.
Queen Victoria's Bathing MachineUntil the queen's example, the island had been rural, with most people employed in farming, fishing or boat-building. The boom in tourism, spurred by growing wealth and leisure time, and by Victoria's presence, led to significant urban development of the island's coastal resorts. As one report summarizes, 'The Queen’s regular presence on the island helped put the Isle of Wight 'on the map' as a Victorian holiday and wellness destination. And her former residence Osborne House is now one of the most visited attractions on the island While on the island, the queen used a bathing machine that could be wheeled into the water on Osborne Beach; inside the small wooden hut she could undress and then bathe, without being visible to others.Her machine had a changing room and a WC with plumbing. The refurbished machine is now displayed at the beach.On 14 January 1878, demonstrated an early version of the telephone to the queen, placing calls to Cowes, Southampton and London. These were the first publicly-witnessed long distance telephone calls in the.
The queen tried the device and considered the process to be 'quite extraordinary' although the sound was 'rather faint'. She later asked to buy the equipment that was used, but Bell offered to make 'a set of telephones' specifically for her.The world's first radio station was set up by in 1897, during her reign, at, at the western tip of the island. A 168 foot high mast was erected near the Royal Needles Hotel, as part of an experiment of communicating with ships at sea. That location is now the site of the Marconi Monument. In 1898 the first paid wireless telegram (called a 'Marconigram') was sent from this station, and the island was for some time the home of the National Wireless Museum, near Ryde.Queen Victoria died at Osborne House on 22 January 1901, aged 81.During the the island was frequently bombed. With its proximity to German-occupied France, the island hosted observation stations and transmitters, as well as the. It was the starting-point for one of the earlier pipelines to feed fuel to Europe after the.The was used to develop and test the and space rockets, which were subsequently launched from, Australia.
Statue of outside Dimbola LodgeThe was a very large festival that took place near, West Wight in 1970, following two smaller concerts in 1968 and 1969. The 1970 show was notable both as one of the last public performances by and for the number of attendees, reaching by some estimates 600,000. The festival was revived in 2002 in a different format, and is now an annual event. Etymology The oldest records that give a name for the Isle of Wight are from the Roman Empire: it was then called Vectis or Vecta in Latin, Iktis or Ouiktis in Greek. From the Anglo-Saxon period Latin Vecta, Old English Wiht and Old Welsh forms Gueid and Guith are recorded.
In it is Wit; the modern Welsh name is Ynys Wyth ( ynys = island). These are all variant forms of the same name, possibly Celtic in origin. It may mean 'place of the division', because the island divides the two arms of the Solent. Geography The Isle of Wight is situated between the Solent and the, is roughly in shape, and covers an area of 150 sq mi (380 km 2). Slightly more than half, mainly in the west, is designated as the.
The island has 100 sq mi (258 km 2) of farmland, 20 sq mi (52 km 2) of developed areas, and 57 miles (92 km) of coastline. Its landscapes are diverse, leading to its oft-quoted description as 'England in miniature'. In June 2019 the whole island was designated a, recognising the sustainable relationships between its residents and the local environment.West Wight is predominantly rural, with dramatic coastlines dominated by the ridge, running across the whole island and ending in stacks. The southwestern quarter is commonly referred to as the, and has a unique character. The highest point on the island is in the south east, which at 791 feet (241 m) is a. The most notable habitats on the rest of the island are probably the soft cliffs and sea ledges, which are scenic features, important for wildlife, and internationally protected.The island has three principal rivers. The flows north into the, the flows roughly northeast to Harbour, and the flows the short distance from to a relatively large estuary at.
Without human intervention the sea might well have split the island into three: at the west end where a bank of pebbles separates Freshwater Bay from the backwaters of the Western Yar east of Freshwater, and at the east end where a thin strip of land separates from the marshy Eastern Yar basin.The between St Catherine's Point and is the largest area of landslip morphology in western Europe.The north coast is unusual in having four high tides each day, with a double high tide every twelve and a half hours. This arises because the western Solent is narrower than the eastern; the initial tide of water flowing from the west starts to ebb before the stronger flow around the south of the island returns through the eastern Solent to create a second high water. Main article:The Isle of Wight is made up of a variety of rock types dating from early (around 127 million years ago) to the middle of the (around 30 million years ago). The geological structure is dominated by a large which causes a marked change in age of strata from the northern younger beds to the older Cretaceous beds of the south. This gives rise to a of almost 90 degrees in the chalk beds, seen best at.The northern half of the island is mainly composed of, with the southern half formed of the of the central east–west downs, as well as Upper and Lower and strata. These strata continue west from the island across the into, forming the basin of (Tertiary) and the (Cretaceous) respectively.
The chalky ridges of Wight and Purbeck were a single formation before they were breached by waters from the during the, forming the Solent and turning Wight into an island., along with on Purbeck, represent the edges of this breach.All the rocks found on the island are, such as,. They are rich in fossils; many can be seen exposed on beaches as the cliffs erode. Is present in small quantities within seams, and can be seen on the cliffs and shore at. Fossilised have been found there, and also on the northern coast along with, and bones; the youngest date back to around 30 million years ago.The island is one of the most important areas in Europe for.
The cliffs often reveal previously hidden remains, particularly along the. Bones and can be seen in and on the rocks exposed around the island's beaches, especially at.
As a result, the island has been nicknamed 'Dinosaur Island' and was established in 2001.The area was affected by sea level changes during the repeated glaciations. The island probably became separated from the mainland about 125,000 years ago, during the. The island has a single. The covers the entire island, with 138,300 permanent residents in, being one of the most populated in the United Kingdom (more than 50% above the English average). In 2011 following passage of the, the was to have changed this, but this was deferred to no earlier than October 2018 by the. Thus the single constituency remained for the and general elections.
However, two separate East and West constituencies are proposed for the island under the 2018 review now under way.The Isle of Wight is a and county. Since the abolition of its two councils and restructuring of the county council as in 1995, it has been a authority.Elections in the constituency have traditionally been a battle between the and the. Andrew Turner of the Conservative Party gained the seat from of the Lib Dems at the. Since 2009, Turner was embroiled in controversy over his expenses, health, and relationships with colleagues, with local Conservatives having tried but failed to remove him in the runup to the 2015 general election. He stood down prior to the, and the new Conservative Party candidate was elected with a majority of 21,069 votes.At the election of 2013, the Conservatives lost the majority which they had held since 2005 to the, with Island Independent councillors holding 16 of the 40 seats, and a further five councillors sitting as independents outside the group. The Conservatives regained control, winning 25 seats, at the 2017 local election.There have been small regionalist movements: the and the Isle of Wight Party; but they have attracted little support at elections. Main towns.
Main article:. is the centrally located county town, with a population of about 25,000 and the island's main shopping area. Located next to the, Newport Quay was a busy port until the mid-19th century., the largest town with a population of about 30,000, is in the northeast.
It is with the and miles of sandy and pebble beaches. hosts the annual and is an international sailing centre. is famous for, and as the home from 1929 to 1964 of, the historic aircraft, flying boat, rocket and hovercraft company.
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is a popular seaside resort. It is home to the, the geological museum and one of the island's two 18-hole golf courses., just south of Sandown, attracts tourists with its high summer sunshine levels, sandy beaches, and the old village., built on the steep slopes of St Boniface Down on the south coast of the island, leads down to a picturesque bay that attracts many tourists. Ventnor Haven is a small harbour. Main article: Language and dialect The local accent is similar to the traditional of Hampshire, featuring the dropping of some and an emphasis on longer. It is similar to the heard in, but less pronounced.The island has its own local and regional words. Some, such as nipper/nips (a young male person), are still commonly used and are shared with neighbouring areas of the mainland.
A few are unique to the island, for example overner and caulkhead (see below). Others are more obscure and now used mainly for comic emphasis, such as mallishag (meaning '), gurt meaning 'large', nammit (a mid-morning snack) and gallybagger ('scarecrow', and now the name of a local cheese). Identity There remains occasional confusion between the Isle of Wight as a county and its former position within. The island was regarded and administered as a part of Hampshire until 1890, when its distinct identity was recognised with the formation of (see also ). However, it remained a part of Hampshire until the local government reforms of 1974 when it became a full with its own.In January 2009, the was accepted by the.Island residents are sometimes referred to as 'Vectensians', 'Vectians' or, if born on the island, 'caulkheads'.
One theory is that this last comes from the once prevalent local industry of or sealing wooden boats; the term became attached to islanders either because they were so employed, or as a derisory term for perceived unintelligent labourers from elsewhere. The term 'overner' is used for island residents originating from the mainland (an abbreviated form of 'overlander', which is an archaic term for 'outsider' still found in parts of ).Residents refer to the island as 'The Island', as did in, and sometimes to the UK mainland as 'North Island'.To promote the island's identity and culture, the High Sheriff Robin Courage founded an Isle of Wight Day; the first was held on Saturday 24 September 2016.Hauntings The island is said to be the most haunted in the world, sometimes referred to as 'Ghost Island'. Notable claimed hauntings include in Newport (now a tea room), and the remains of.
Sport Cycling The island is well known for its, and it was included within 's Best in Travel Guide (2010) top ten cycling locations. The island also hosts events such as the and the Isle of Wight Cycling Festival each year. A popular cycling track is the Sunshine Trail which starts in Newport and ends in Sandown.Rowing There are clubs at Newport, Ryde and Shanklin, all members of the Hants and Dorset rowing association.There is a long tradition of rowing around the island dating back to the 1880s.In May 1999 a group of local women made history by becoming the first ladies' crew to row around the island, in ten hours and twenty minutes.
Rowers from Ryde Rowing Club have rowed around the island several times since 1880. The fours record was set 16 August 1995 at 7 hours 54 minutes.Two rowers from Southampton ARC (Chris Bennett and Roger Slaymaker) set the two-man record in July 2003 at 8 hours 34 minutes, and in 2005 Gus McKechnie of Coalporters Rowing Club became the first adaptive rower to row around, completing a clockwise row.The route around the island is about 60 miles (97 km) and usually rowed anticlockwise. Even in good conditions, it includes a number of significant obstacles such as and the overfalls at. The traditional start and finish were at Ryde Rowing Club; however, other starts have been chosen in recent years to give a tidal advantage.Sailing. Boats in the marina duringis a centre for sailing, hosting several racing. Is the longest-running regular regatta in the world, with over 1,000 yachts and 8,500 competitors taking part in over 50 classes of racing.In 1851 the first race was around the island. Other major sailing events hosted in Cowes include the, the, the, and the.
Trampolining There are two main clubs on the island, in Freshwater and Newport, competing at regional, national and international grades. Marathon The Isle of Wight Marathon is the United Kingdom's oldest continuously held, having been run every year since 1957. Since 2013 the course has started and finished in Cowes, heading out to the west of the island and passing through Gurnard, Rew Street, Porchfield, Shalfleet, Yarmouth, Afton, Willmingham, Thorley, Wellow, Shalfleet, Porchfield, and Northwood. It is an undulating course with a total climb of 1,043 feet (318 m).Speedway The island is home to the team, who compete in the sport's third division, the.Field hockey Following an amalgamation of local hockey clubs in 2011, the now runs two men's senior and two ladies' senior teams. These compete at a range of levels in the Hampshire open leagues.
Football The now-disbanded, founded in 1888, was one of the eight founder members of the in 1896. There are several non-league clubs such as There is an which feeds into the Hampshire League with two divisions and two reserve team leagues, and a club. The Isle of Wight is the 39th official county in English, and the Isle of Wight Cricket Board organises a league of local clubs. Cricket Club competes in the Southern Premier League, and has won the Second Division several times.
Near Newport opened officially in 2009 but with its first match held on 6 September 2008. The island has produced some notable cricketers, such as, who plays county cricket for.Island Games The Isle of Wight competes in the biennial, which it hosted in 1993 and again in 2011.Motor scooter. The crowd at the is believed to have been 600,000.The island is home to the and until 2016, before it was relocated to in Dorset.
In 1970, the festival was headlined by attracting an audience of 600,000, some six times the local population at the time. It is the home of the bands,. Economy Socio-economic data The table below shows the regional gross value (in millions of ) added by the Isle of Wight economy, at current prices, compiled by the. Looking east towardsTourism is still the largest industry, and most island towns and villages offer hotels, hostels and camping sites.
In 1999, it hosted 2.7 million visitors, with 1.5 million staying overnight, and 1.2 million day visits; only 150,000 of these were from abroad. Between 1993 and 2000, visits increased at an average rate of 3% per year.At the turn of the 19th century the island had ten, including two at and a 'chain pier' at. The Victoria Pier in Cowes succeeded the earlier Royal Pier but was itself removed in 1960. The piers at Ryde, Seaview, and originally served a coastal steamer service that operated from Southsea on the mainland. The piers at Seaview, Shanklin, Ventnor and were all destroyed by various storms during the 20th century; only the railway pier at Ryde and the piers at Sandown, Bay (currently closed to the public) and Yarmouth survive.is the oldest theme park in Britain, opened in 1843.
The skeleton of a dead whale that its founder Alexander Dabell found in 1844 is still on display.As well as its more traditional attractions, the island is often host to walking or cycling holidays through the attractive scenery. An has attracted considerable interest. The 70 miles (113 km) follows the coastline as far as possible, deviating onto roads where the route along the coast is impassable.The tourist board for the island is Visit Isle of Wight, a not for profit company.
It is the Destination Management Organisation for the Isle of Wight, a public and private sector partnership led by the private sector, and consists of over 1,200 companies, including the ferry operators, the local bus company, rail operator and tourism providers working together to collectively promote the island. Its income is derived from the Wight BID, a levy fund.A major contributor to the local economy is sailing and marine-related tourism.at Camp Beaumont is an attraction at the old site. Transport. A bus at bus stationThe Isle of Wight has 489 miles (787 km) of roadway. It does not have a motorway, although there is a short stretch of dual carriageway towards the north of Newport near the hospital and prison.A comprehensive bus network operated by links most settlements, with Newport as its central hub.Journeys away from the island involve a ferry journey. Car ferry and passenger catamaran services are run by and, and a hovercraft passenger service (the only such remaining in the world ) by.The island formerly had of over 55 miles (89 km), but only one line remains in regular use.
The is part of the United Kingdom's network, running a little under 9 miles (14 km) from to, where there is a connecting ferry service to station on the mainland network. The line was opened by the in 1864, and from 1996 to 2007 was run by the smallest train operating company on the network,. It is notable for utilising old ex-, due to the small size of its tunnels and unmodernised signalling.
Branching off the Island Line at is the heritage, which runs for 5 1⁄ 2 miles (8.9 km) to the outskirts of on the former line to Newport.There are two airfields for general aviation, at Sandown and.The island has over 200 miles (322 km) of cycleways, many of which can be enjoyed off-road. Main article:There are 69 -maintained schools on the Isle of Wight, and two. As a rural community, many of these are small and with fewer pupils than in urban areas. The is located on the outskirts of Newport.From September 2010, there was a transition period from the three-tier system of primary, middle and high schools to the two-tier system that is usual in England.
Some schools have now closed, such as Chale C.E. Others have become 'federated', such as Brading C.E.
Primary and St Helen's Primary. Christ the King College started as two 'middle schools,' Trinity Middle School and Archbishop King Catholic Middle School, but has now been converted into a dual-faith secondary school and sixth form.Since September 2011 five new secondary schools, with an age range of 11 to 18 years, replaced the island's high schools (as a part of the previous three-tier system).Notable residents. and (monarch and consort), who built and lived at. Photographer, who lived at. Irish Republican.
Naval captain, who retired to Ryde. Writer. Poet. Inventor and radio pioneer. Poet and hymnwriter. Geologist and engineer. Regency architect.
Novelist Miss. Early Hong Kong Government administrator. New Zealand PM. Poet.
Poet. Philosopher, who stayed at 1, St. Boniface Gardens, Ventnor. Surgeon James Mann Williamson, at the Royal National Hospital, Ventnor20th century onwards.
Scriptwriter. group. Darts player. Singer-songwriter.
Inventor of the hovercraft. Presenter and actor.
Actress. Yachtsman. Actor. Survival expert and Chief Scout. Actress. Folk-rock musician.
Actor. Conspiracy theorist. Actor. Comedian. Actor. Composer. Iranian poet.
Musician. Radio presenter. Musician. Yachtswoman. BBC ' presenter. Film director. Actor.
Cyclist. TV personality. Heptathlete. Gardener and presenter.
Novelist. ActorPlaces of interest KeyAccessible open space(free/ not free). Overseas names The Isle of Wight has given names to many parts of former colonies, most notably in founded by settlers from the island in the 17th century. Its is a town named Isle of Wight.Other notable examples include:. an island off Maryland, United States.
Ventnor, Cowes on, Victoria, Australia., Australia., a former stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand., Australia. Shanklin, United States., New Jersey, United States., New York, United States shown as 'Isle of Wight' on some of the older maps.Media references Film. This section needs additional citations for.
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