ISLE OF WIGHT

 
 

 
Appuldurcombe HouseWroxall, VentnorHistoric House
If you’re planning to visit the Isle of Wight, take a trip to Appuldurcombe House and don’t forget the nearby falconry centre for a fun filled family day out. The shell of Appuldurcombe, once the grandest house on the Isle of Wight and is an important example of English baroque Architecture: the 1701 east front has now been restored. It stands in 'Capability' Brown-designed grounds. An exhibition of photographs and prints depict the house and its history. You can also visit the Freemantle Gate (part of the 1770s neo-Classical addition to the estate) on the nearby public footpath.

Bembridge WindmillBembridgeMill
This tiny gem, the only surviving windmill on the Isle of Wight, is one of its most iconic images. Built around 1700, it last operated in 1913 but still has most of its original machinery intact. Climb to the top and follow the milling process back down its four floors.

Blackgang ChineNr VentnorTheme Park
40 acres of cliff top gardens filled with eccentric attractions for all the family, including roller coaster waterslides and cowboy town!

Brading Roman VillaBradingRoman Remains
An award-winning Exhibition and Visitor Centre covering the remains of a 3rd Century Roman Villa.

Brighstone Shop & Museum BrighstoneHistoric Building
National Trust shop in a row of traditional thatched cottages adjoining the small village museum.

Carisbrooke CastleCarisbrooke, NewportCastle
One of the main tourist attractions in the Isle of Wight, Carisbrooke Castle is best known as the place where King Charles I was imprisoned. You can still play bowls on the very green Charles used. For a castle that has lived through more than 800 years of service, including resisting a siege by the French and seeing off the Spanish Armada, it's also wonderfully well preserved. There are all the ingredients here for a great value family day out in the Isle of Wight. Children will love dressing up as Norman soldiers or Civil War troopers, and meeting the castle's famous donkeys, while for the grown-ups, the new Edwardian style Princess Beatrice Garden is a joy to explore.

Dinosaur IsleSandownMuseum
In a spectacular pterosaur shaped building on Sandown’s blue flag beach is Britain’s first purpose built dinosaur museum – life-sized models, interactive stations and fossils

Mottistone Manor GardenMottistoneGarden
Set in a sheltered valley this magical garden is full of surprises, with shrub-filled banks, hidden pathways and colourful herbaceous borders. Surrounding an attractive Elizabethan manor house this 20th-century garden is experimenting with a Mediterranean-style planting scheme to take advantage of its southerly location. Other surprises include a young olive grove, a small organic kitchen garden and a traditional tea garden set alongside The Shack, a unique cabin retreat designed as their summer drawing office by architects John Seely (2nd Lord Mottistone) and Paul Paget. There are also delightful walks across the adjoining Mottistone Estate.

Needles Old Battery, TheTotlandOther Building & Coast
Perched high above the Needles, amid acres of unspoilt countryside, is the Needles Old Battery, a Victorian fort built in 1862 and used throughout both world wars. The Parade Ground has two original guns and the Fort's fascinating military history is brought to life with a series of vivid cartoons by acclaimed comic book artist Geoff Campion. An underground tunnel leads to a searchlight emplacement with dramatic views over the Needles rocks. The New Battery, further up the headland, has an exhibition on the secret British rocket tests carried out there during the Cold War.

Newtown Old Town HallNewportOther Building
Tucked away in a tiny hamlet adjoining the National Nature Reserve, the 17th-century Old Town Hall is the only remaining evidence of Newtown's former importance. It's hard to believe that this tranquil corner of the island once held often turbulent elections before sending two Members to Parliament.

Osborne HouseEast CowesHistoric House
If you’re planning a family day out in the Isle of Wight, then Osborne House has everything you could ask for. Built by Queen Victoria as a family holiday home, this stunning Italianate palace offers a glimpse into the private life of the royal family. Take a peek into the royal nursery, see the bedroom in which Queen Victoria died and marvel at the exotic Indian-inspired Durbar Room. Children will love the Swiss Chalet, where the princes and princesses learnt the skills of household management, while for grown ups there’s the Victorian Walled Garden, now restored to its former glory. With its glorious setting and wonderful views over the Solent, Osborne House fully deserves its place as one of the foremost visitor attractions in the Isle of Wight. Highlight Event! A Victorian Christmas! Book now to avoid disappointment!

St Catherine`s OratoryNitonMonument
A tall medieval octagonal tower, allegedly a lighthouse, built here in 1328 as penance for stealing church property from a wrecked ship. Affectionately known as the Pepperpot, it stands on one of the highest parts of the Isle of Wight. It is part of the Tennyson Heritage Coast, a series of linked cliff-top monuments. A later lighthouse can be seen nearby.

Yarmouth CastleYarmouthCastle
Yarmouth Castle, Isle of Wight provides a magnificent picnic spot, with views over the Solent for a lovely relaxing family day by the sea. Step inside and discover the atmospheric recreation of how the rooms were used in the 16th century, and see the exhibition about the many wrecks which occurred in the treacherous stretch of sea which the castle overlooks. This was the last and most sophisticated addition to Henry VIII's coastal defences; it was completed after his death in 1547, with the first new-style 'arrowhead' artillery bastion built in England.

 

 
Adgestone VineyardSandown
Afton Park and the Apple Tree CaféFreshwater Bay
Amazon WorldSandown
Arreton Barns Craft VillageArreton, Newport
Barton Manor GardensEast Cowes
Bembridge AirportBembridge
Bembridge Maritime Museum & Shipwreck CentreBembridge
Blue Slipper Fossilshop & Art GallerySandown
Bonchurch PotteryBonchurch
Brading Experience, TheBrading
Brickfields HorsecountryBinstead
Butterfly WorldWootton, Ryde
Calbourne Water Mill and MuseumNewport
Chessell Pottery BarnsYarmouth
Classic Boat Museum, TheNewport
Coastal Visitors CentreVentnor
Colemans Animal FarmPorchfield, Newport
Countryside Adventure ParkArreton, Newport
Cowes Maritime MuseumCowes
Dimbola Lodge MuseumFreshwater
Dinosaur Farm MuseumBrighstone
East Cowes Heritage CentreCowes
Fakenham FarmRyde
Flamingo Park Wildlife EncounterSpringvale, Seaview
Fort Victoria Model RailwayNorton, Yarmouth
Garlic Farm, TheNewchurch
Glory Art GlassSandown
Grays MonumentChurch Litten
Guildhall MuseumNewport
Hoy Monument, TheSt Catherine's Down
Island Brass Rubbing CentreArreton
Island Planetarium & Astronomy Resources CentreYarmouth
Isle of Wight Donkey SanctuaryWroxall, Ventnor
Isle of Wight LavenderNewport
Isle of Wight Military History MuseumCowes
Isle of Wight PearlBrighstone
Isle of Wight Steam RailwayHavenstreet, Nr Ryde
Isle of Wight Studio GlassSt Lawrence
Isle of Wight Wax WorksBrading
Isle of Wight ZooSandown
LA BowlRyde
Lilliput Antique Doll and Toy MuseumBrading
Model VillageGodshill, Ventnor
Molly Attrill Studio PotterNewchurch
Museum of Island HistoryNewport
Museum of Smuggling History, TheVentnor
Natural History CentreGodshill, Ventnor
Needles Park, TheTotland Bay
Newport Roman VillaNewport
Newport Tourist Information CentreNewport
Nostalgia Toy MuseumGodshill
OasisSt Helens
Old Smithy Tourist CentreGodshill, Ventnor
Old Town HallNewtown
Planet IceRyde
Quay Arts CentreNewport
Robin HillDownend, Nr Arreton
Rosemary VineyardRyde
Ryde Tourist Information CentreRyde
Sandown Tourist Information CentreSandown
Shanklin ChineShanklin
Shanklin Esplanade GolfShanklin
Shanklin LiftShanklin
Shanklin Tourist Information CentreShanklin
Shell MuseumGodshill, Ventnor
St Catherines LighthouseNiton
Tennyson MonumentFreshwater Bay
Ventnor Botanic GardenVentnor
Ventnor Heritage MuseumVentnor
Ventnor Tourist Information CentreVentnor
Waltzing WatersRyde
Wayside Herbs and FlowersYafford
Wight Light GalleryVentnor
World Tree Shore BeeRyde

 

© UK Tourist Attractions 2008