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Isle of Wight

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Isle of Wight
Geography
Status: Ceremonial & Unitary County
Region: South East England
Area:
- Total
- District		 Ranked 46th
380 km²
Ranked 122nd
Admin HQ: Newport
ISO 3166-2: GB-IOW
ONS code: 00MW
NUTS 3: UKG11
Demographics
Population:
- Total (2002 est.)
- Density
- District		 Ranked 46th
134,876
355 / km²
Ranked 126th
Ethnicity: 98.7% White
Politics
File:IOW flag.png File:IW Arms.png
Flag
(in detail)		 Arms
(in detail)
Motto: All this beauty is of God
Isle of Wight Council
http://www.iwight.gov.uk/
Executive: Liberal Democrat & Independents
MP: Andrew Turner

The Isle of Wight is an island off the south coast of England opposite Southampton. Colloquially, it is known as 'The Island' by residents.

Its population was 132,731 in the 2001 census (and 126,600 in 1991). The Island has a single MP (currently Andrew Turner), and is therefore the most populated Constituency in the UK.

Geography

The Isle of Wight is approximately diamond in shape and covers an area of 147 square miles (381 square km). Nearly half this area, mainly in the west of the Island, is designated as the Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The landscape of the Island is remarkably diverse, leading to its oft-quoted description of "England in Miniature". The West Wight is predominently rural, with dramatic coastlines dominated by the famous chalk downland ridge, running across the whole Island and ending in The Needles stacks - perhaps the most photographed aspect of the Isle of Wight.

However, the rest of the Island landscape has great diversity, with perhaps the most notable habitats being the soft cliffs and sea ledges, which are spectacular features as well as being very important for wildlife, and are internationally protected. The River Medina flows north into the Solent, whilst the other main river, the River Yar flows roughly north-east, emerging at Bembridge Harbour on the eastern end of the Island. Confusingly, there is another entirely separate river at the western end called the River Yar flowing the short distance from Freshwater Bay to a relatively large esturary at Yarmouth. Where distinguishing the two becomes necessary, each may be referred to as the eastern or western Yar. The south coast of the island adjoins the English Channel.

Island wildlife is remarkable, being the only place in England where the red squirrel is flourishing, with a stable population. Unlike the rest of England, no grey squirrels are to be found on the Island, nor are there any wild deer, but instead rare and protected species such as the dormouse, and many rare bats can be found. The Glanville Fritillary butterfly, in Britain is restricted to the edges of the crumbling cliffs of the Isle of Wight.

The main form of access is either by boat or hovercraft from the mainland, regular ferry services being available from Lymington, Southampton and Portsmouth. The island is also served by airports for light aircraft at Bembridge and Sandown.

The island is the home of the smallest Train Operating Company in Britain's National Rail network, the Island Line, running some 8½ miles from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin down the eastern side of the island. The island also has a steam operated heritage railway, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, which connects with the Island Line at Smallbrook Junction.

File:Wight map.png

Politics

The Isle of Wight the only unitary district of England with county status. As a consituency of the House of Commons it is traditionaly a battleground between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. The current MP, Andrew Turner is a Conservative, and his predecesor Dr Peter Brand was a Liberal Democrat.

As of 2004, the ruling group of the council is a partnership called 'Island First' composed of Liberal Democrats and independents.

Political History

The Island's most ancient borough was Newtown on the large natural harbour on the Island's north-western coast. A French raid in 1377, that destroyed much of the town as well as other Island settlements, sealed its permanent decline. By the middle of the sixteenth century it was a small settlement long eclipsed by the more eeasily defended town of Newport. Elizabeth I breathed some life into the town by awarding two paliamentary seats but this ultimately made it one of the most notorious of the Rotten Boroughs. By the time of the Great Reform Act that abolished the seats, it had just fourteen houses and twenty-three voters. The Act also disenfranchised the boroughs of Newport and Yarmouth and replaced the six lost seats with the first MP for the whole Isle of Wight.

Often thought of as part of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight was briefly included in that county when the first county councils were created in 1888. However, a "Home Rule" campaign led to a separate county council being established for the Isle of Wight in 1890, and it has remained separate ever since. Like inhabitants of many islands, Islanders are fiercely jealous of their real (or perceived) independence, and confusion over the Island's separate status is a perennial source of friction.

It was planned to merge the county back into Hampshire as a district in the 1974 local government reform, but a last minute change led to it retaining its county council. However, since there was no provision made in the Local Government Act 1972 for unitary authorities, the Island had to retain a two-tier structure, with a county council and two boroughs, Medina and South Wight.

The borough councils were merged with the county council on April 1, 1995, to form a single unitary authority. The only significant present-day administrative link with Hampshire is the the police service, which is joint between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Important Local Issues

  • The Fixed link - Should the Isle of Wight have a fixed link to the mainland? Islanders seem generally opposed, but certain parties (for example the Isle of Wight Party have campaigned from a positive position.
  • Political Recognition - views vary, from the extreme of wanting full sovereignty for the Island, to acceptance of the status-quo. It is often a campaign to have the Isle of Wight recognized as a distinct region by organizations such as the EU, due to its relative poverty within the south.
  • Maintenance of the rural surroundings - for instance the issue of wind turbines, 'ruining' the skyline.

History of the Island

Today, the Isle of Wight is rich in historical and archaeological sites dating from from prehistoric periods from a an extraordinary wealth of fossil discoveries including dinosaur bones through to remains from the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman periods onwards.

The origins of the island can be traced to the end of the last Ice Age when rising sea levels flooded the valley of the former River Solent creating a channel between the land mass and mainland Britain.

The island was part of Celtic Britain and known to the Romans as Vectis; from which the word "Wight" may be a distant corruption. Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus in his dramatic biography The Lives of the First Twelve Caesars records some news on the first century Roman invasion of Vectis by The Second Legion Augusta, commanded by the legate Vespasian who was later to become emperor: "Vespasian proceeded to Britain where he fought thirty battles, subjugated two warlike tribes, and captured more than twenty towns, besides the entire Isle of Vectis"

Following the demise of the Roman Empire The Isle of Wight, along with parts of Hampshire and most of Kent, was settled in the late fourth century onwards by the Jutes, a Germanic tribe from Northern Europe. Some believe they became victims of a policy of ethnic cleansing by the West Saxons.

After the Norman Conquest, the title of Lord of the Isle of Wight was created and William Fitz-Osborne who subsequently founded Carisbrooke Priory and the first fortifications on what was to become Carisbrooke Castle became the first to hold the title. The Island did not come under the full control of the crown until the Countess Isabella De Fortibus it to Edward I in 1293 for six thousand marks.

The Lordship thereafter became a Royal appointent with a brief interuption when Henry Beauchamp, Duke of Warwick, was crowned King of the Isle of Wight, King Henry V assisting in person at the ceremony, placing the crown on his head. He died in 1445, aged 22. He had no male heir. His regal title expired with him. The title of Lord of the Isle of Wight expired in the reign of Henry VII with the title of Governor or Captain being used for sometime thereafter. During the English Civil War King Charles fled to the Isle of Wight believing he would receive sympathy from the governor Robert Hammond. Hammond was appalled, and incarcerated the king in Carisbrooke Castle. Charles was later tried and executed in London. The last Governor and first to hold the crown representative title used now of Lord-Lieutenant was Lord Louis Mountabatten of Burma until his murder in 1979.

Henry VIII who developed the Royal Navy and its permanent base at Portsmouth fortifications at Yarmouth, East & West Cowes and Sandown, sometimes re-using stone from dissolved monasteries as building material. Sir Richard Worsley, Captain of the Island at this time, successfully commanded the resistance to the last of the French attacks in 1545. Much later on after the Spanish Armada in 1588 the threat of Spanish attacks remained, and the outer fortifications of Carisbrooke Castle were built between 1597 and 1602.

Queen Victoria made the Isle of Wight her home for many years, and as a result it become a major holiday resort for members of European royalty, whose many houses could later claim descent from her through the widely flung marriages of her offspring. During her reign in 1897 the World's first radio station was set up by Marconi at the Needles battery at the western tip of the Island.

In 1904 a mysterious illness began to kill honeybee colonies on the island, and had nearly wiped out all hives by 1907 when the disease jumped to the mainland, and decimated beekeeping in the British Isles. Called the Isle of Wight Disease, the cause of the mystery ailment was not identified until 1921 when a tiny parasitic mite, Acarapis woodi was first described by J. Rennie. The mite inhabited the tracheae of individual bees, and greatly shortened their lifespan, causing eventual death of the colony. The disease (now called Acarine Disease) frightened many other nations because of the importance of bees in pollination. Laws against importation of honeybees were passed, but this merely delayed the eventual spread of the parasite to the rest of the world.

The famous boatbuilding firm of J. Samuel White was established on the Island in 1802. Other noteworthy marine manufacturers followed over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries including Saunders-Roe a key manufacturer of the Flying-boats and the world's first hovercraft.

The Isle of Wight Festival

A large rock festival took place near Tennyson Down, West Wight in 1970, following two smaller concerts in 1968 and 1969. The 1970 show was notable for being the last public performance of Jimi Hendrix in the UK. The festival was revived in 2002 and is now an annual event - with a other, smaller popular musical events across the Island becoming associated with it. See also the larger article at Isle of Wight Festival 1970. For a history of the festival see: http://www.isleofwightfestival.com

Caulkheads, Overners and Vectians

Historically, inhabitants of the Isle of Wight have been known as Vectians (pronounced Vec-tee-ans) from the Latin name for the Island, Vectis. Although the term is still sometimes used; as with many other small island communities the term Islander is more common. Vectian can also be an adjective pertaining to the Island or its inhabitants, and also refers to certain geological features which are typical of the Island. The term Overner is used for inhabitants originating from Mainland Great Britain. This is an abbreviated form of Overlander; an old English term for outsider still found in a few other places such as parts of Australia

People who born on the Island are colloquially known as Caulkheads (comparable with the term Cockneys for those born in the East End of London). However, many argue that the term should only apply those who can also claim they are of established Isle of Wight stock either by proven historical roots or, for example, being third generation inhabitants from both parents' lineage.

One theory as to the origin of this name is that the term is derived from the once prevalent local industry of caulking boats; a process of sealing the seams of wooden boats with oakum. Another more fanciful story is that a group of armoured Island horsemen were chased into the sea by the marauding French, and took refuge on a sandbank when the tide came in, thus appearing to float in the sea despite their heavy armour, hence the name Cork- i.e. Caulk-, -heads. In local folklore it is said that a test can be conducted on a baby by throwing it into the sea from the end of Ryde pier whereupon a true caulkhead baby will float unharmed. Thankfully there is no record of the test ever being carried out.

Principal Towns

  • Brading - Close to the ruins of a Roman villa.
  • Cowes - A famous yachting town, at the west bank of the River Medina's estuary.
  • East Cowes - Facing Cowes across the Medina esturary and home to Osborne House
  • Newport - The county seat and nominal capital
  • Ryde - The largest town possessing the second longest pier in the UK
  • Sandown - the Island's most popular beach resort
  • Shanklin - Seaside town and beach, with an old village with thatched buildings and a picturesque chine.
  • Ventnor - A Victorian seaside resort
  • Yarmouth - A small but historically significant harbour on the west coast

The island also includes two of the largest villages in the South of England that exceed many towns in terms of both area and poupulation.

Industry and Agriculture

The largest industry on the Isle of Wight is tourism, but the Island has a strong agricultural heritage, including sheep, dairy farming and arable crops. Traditional agricultural commodities are more difficult to market off the Island because of transport costs, but Island farmers have managed to successfully exploit some specialist markets. The high price of these products overcomes the transport costs. One of the most successful agricultural sectors at present is crops grown undercover, particularly salad crops including tomatoes and cucumbers. The Isle of Wight has a longer growing season than much of Britain, and this also favours such crops. Garlic has been successfully grown in Newchurch for many years, and is even exported to France. This has has led to the establishment of an annual Garlic Festival at Newchurch, which is one of the largest events of the Island's annual calender. The favourable climate has led to the success of vineyards, including one of the oldest in the British Isles, at Adgestone near Sandown [1].

The making of sailcloth, boats and other connected maritime industry has long been associated with the island, although somewhat diminished in recent years. Saunders Roe remains one of the most notable historical firms; having produced many of the flying boats, and the world's first hovercraft. The major manufacturing activity today is in composite materials including a large manufacturer of wind turbine blades, Vesta's.

A major contribution to the local economy comes from the the world-famous international sailing regatta, Cowes Week, which is held every August and attracts over a hundred thousand visitors to the island. Other major sailing events are held at Cowes, including the Admirals Cup held biennially in July and the Commodores' Cup in August.

Tourism and Heritage

The heritage of the Island is a major asset which has for many years kept its economy going. Holidays focussed on natural heritage, including both wildlife and geology, are becoming a growing alternative to the traditional seaside resort holiday. The latter has been in decline in the UK domestic market due due to the increased affordability of air travel to alternative destitinations.

Tourism is still the largest industry on the Island, with some tourist attractions and sites of interest being listed below. As well as more traditional tourist attractions, the island is often host to walking or cycling holidays through the attractive scenery. Almost every town and village on the Island plays host to hotels, hostels and camping sites. Out of the peak summer season, the Island is still an important destination for coach tours from other parts of Britain and an annual walking festival has attracted considerable interest.

Transport and Communications

There are three ferry companies which operate routes between the mainland and the Island:

There are regular proposals for further routes, and during Cowes Week additional services have been known to operate.

A sign greets visitors to the Island at Fishbourne, stating 'Island roads are different, please drive carefully'. It is a joke amongst local residents that the reason Island roads are different is due to a lack of maintenance by the council. Nevertheless the lighter traffic, quieter roads and slower speeds are noticeable to the visitor and are one of the reasons the Island has remained attractive to tourists from the busier mainland.

The telephone exchange code for the Isle of Wight is 01983. As of October 2004, approximately 60% of Island exchanges were broadband enabled. In addition to the almost universal British Telecom coverage, some regions are covered by cable lines.

Prisons

The island geography close to the densely populated south of England led to it gaining three prisons: Albany, Camphill and Parkhurst located outside Newport. Albany and Parkhurst were once among the few Category A prisons in the UK until they were downgraded in the nineteen-nineties. Parkhurst especially enjoyed notoriety as one of toughest jails in the British Isles and "hosted" many notable inmates, including the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and the Kray twins.

Media

The Isle of Wight County Press [2] is the major local newspaper, which comes out once a week on Fridays. There is also a local radio station, Isle of Wight Radio [3], broadcasting on 107 and 102 FM (also avaliable over the internet), and a regional television station which broadcasts from the Island, Solent.tv [4].

Education

The Isle of Wight has a school system which is seen in only a few other areas of the UK; for more information see the article Isle of Wight School System.

Famous Connections

Famous resident and connections (past and present) include:

For a good all-round summary of the famous persons connected with the Island, with an emphasis on music and the Festivals, see Mike Plumbley's IOWRock website

The Isle of Wight in the Media

Literary references:

Musical reference:

Technology:

Movies:

  • In Shaun of the Dead, after being bit by a zombie, Philip complains, "I'm quite alright, Barbara...We had our jabs when we went to the Isle of Wight."

A page about Island Line

Isle Of Wight County Press

The Island by local photographers

The Jutes in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

Were the West Saxons guilty of ethnic cleansing?

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