Things don't always go to plan

A view of Witley Court and church looking south across the front pool on a day without a breath of wind, a view which has only recently become available again after work to make safe a "naughty tree", the condition of  which was considered a risk to the public.

The reconstructed boat-house tucked away at the western extremity of the front pool

I had a very pleasant and interesting conversation with Judy Goodman over lunch in the tea-room today, before I was due to steward the church in the afternoon. When I got in to relieve Charles Hadwell, the morning steward, I found that the place had been completely taken over by preparations for an art exhibition this coming weekend. Charles had not been able to set out his stall due to the amount of activity and so I decided that I was not going to attempt to do so either. I rang Roger Perkins to explain the situation and went back down to the tea-room for another round of refreshments. On the way home I popped in to see Spencer Trickett and the staff at the English Heritage visitor centre and exchanged some interesting research material concerning the Witley Court Music Box, a wartime dance band outfit whose members were based at Witley during this period. See my pages section for more information.

Isle of Wight Holiday - Day 14

Tennyson Monument

Tennyson Monument looking west towards The Needles

Fort Victoria beach looking across the Solent towards Hurst Castle

The weather conditions on Tennyson Down were almost perfect and in stark contrast to those of last Saturday morning. Ruth and myself climbed to the top in order to admire the views in all directions. Later on we took a ride on the chairlift which descends the cliffs down to Alum Bay.

Isle of Wight Holiday - Day 13

East Cowes marina

Chain ferry from East Cowes to Cowes

Egypt Point, the most northerly spot on the Isle of Wight

Today was Cowes and East Cowes with a visit to the East Cowes Heritage Centre, a ride over to Cowes on the chain ferry and on to Egypt Point, the most northerly extremity of the island.

Isle of Wight Holiday - Day 12



High Street, Godshill village

All Saints Church, Godshill

Appuldurcombe House, near Wroxall

Another foray over towards the east to the village of Godshill, a very pretty location somewhat spoiled by hoards of trippers and the little gift shops they wander in and out of. Up on the hill stands All Saints Church surrounded by a clutch of thatched cottages which made a pleasant change to the main part of the village below. From Godshill we drove the six miles to the Isle of Wight's version of Witley Court, the ruined seventeenth-century mansion known as Appuldurcombe House near Wroxall. On the way "home" we stopped at various spots on the south coast in order to take photographs.

Isle of Wight Holiday - Day 11



Isle of Wight steam railway, Wootton

Interior of St. Mildred's Church, Wippingham

Ryde pierhead, looking towards Cowes

Former London Underground electric units work the passenger services on the IoW railway system, two of which are seen passing at Ryde St. John's Road station

We made tracks for the east side of the island with an itinerary which included the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, St. Mildred's Church, Wippingham (where Prince Philip's grandfather is buried), East Cowes (where Norris Castle proved elusive) and then on to Ryde where Ruth and Mike went to an evening Speedway meeting, leaving me to explore the island's quirky railway system which runs from the Pierhead at Ryde down to Shanklin. It was a long day and we didn't get back until 10 p.m.

Isle of Wight Holiday - Day 10

"Farringford" near Freshwater Bay, once the residence of Poet Laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson

"The Briary", Freshwater Bay. This house was built on the same site as that which was the residence of the artist G.F.Watts. The original property was destroyed by fire in 1934.

The morning was spent visiting Malcolm & Sue Gould, to whom we had been introduced by some of our other friends and contacts during our research activities. The Gould's live at "The Briary" near Freshwater Bay, which is a large house that was built on the site of the former residence of the artist G.F.Watts, which was  also known as The Briary, and which was destroyed by fire in 1934. Malcolm and his wife made us extremely welcome and gave us an insight into the history of the property, together with a glimpse of many old documents in his possession which were of great interest. We then went for lunch at a small restaurant adjacent to Alfred, Lord Tennyson's former residence, "Farringford" which is a private residence in this day and age.

Isle of Wight Holiday - Day 9

At 8 o'clock in the morning it was almost impossible to see more than a few yards down the road, such was the thickness of the fog that was lapping the coastal areas of the Isle of Wight. However within an hour or so, and just a couple of miles inland, the sun burst through to give a virtually cloudless day with unbroken sunshine, warm, but with a refreshing sea-breeze, resulting in the best day of weather so far on our holiday. We drove over to East Cowes for a splendid day out at Osborne House, the former summer residence of Queen Victoria and her family. The foghorns continued to blast out out their warning until well after lunchtime, indicating that the sea-fog was still a persistent problem in the Solent.