Information AboutIsle Of Wight |
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The Isle of Wight is an English Island , south of Southampton off the southern English coast. It is part of the United Kingdom . Popularized from Victorian Times as a holiday resort, it is known for its natural beauty and as home to the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes , a town that hosts a world famous annual Regatta . Colloquially, it is known as "The Island" by its residents. It possesses a rich history including its own brief status as a Vassal kingdom in the Fifteenth Century , home to poet Alfred Lord Tennyson and Queen Victoria's much loved summer residence and final home Osborne House . Its maritime history encompasses boat building and sail making through to the manufacture of Flying Boat s and the world's first Hovercraft . It is home to the Isle Of Wight Festival , which, in 1970 , was one of the largest Rock Music events ever held, with estimates reaching 600,000 attendees, overtaking the record set at Woodstock a year earlier. The island is also one of the richest Fossil locations for Dinosaur s in Europe . In 686AD , it became the last part of the British Isles to convert to Christianity - almost a century after Great Britain . Until the revival of Rutland , in 1997 , it was the smallest County in England but it remains, with just one Member Of Parliament and 132,731 permanent residents in the 2001 Census , the most populated Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom . The Isle of Wight's County Flower is the Pyramidal Orchid {Link without Title} . GEOGRAPHY & WILDLIFE 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 predominantly 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. The highest point on the island is St Boniface Down , at 241m/791ft, which is also a Marilyn . and Alum Bay .]] The rest of the Island landscape also 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 also called the River Yar flowing the short distance from Freshwater Bay to a relatively large estuary 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, thought to be the only place in but, instead, rare and protected species, such as the Dormouse and many rare Bat s, can be found. The Glanville Fritillary butterfly's distribution in the United Kingdom is largely restricted to the edges of the crumbling cliffs of the Isle of Wight. By far the main form of access is by . The latter provides a direct link between the rail systems of the island and mainland. 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 the United Kingdom'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 . HISTORY See Also: History of the Isle of Wight Much of the land now making up the Isle of Wight was deposited during the late Cretaceous , at times part of a large river Valley complex which consisted of much of the current southern coast of England . The swamps and ponds of the region at that time made the island excellent for the preservation of fossils, which means that it is now one of the richest locations for finding Dinosaur s in Europe (for more information see the Dinosaurs Of The Isle Of Wight article). The Isle of Wight became an island sometime after the end of the last Ice Age , when Post-glacial Rebound caused the land level to sink, the Solent flooding and separating the island from the mainland. The island was part of the Celt ic British Isles and, known to the Romans as ''Vectis'', was captured by Vespasian in the Roman Invasion . After the Roman era, the Isle of Wight was settled by the Jutes , a Germanic Tribe , in the early stages of the Anglo-Saxon invasions. The latter's corruption of ''Vectis'' into ''Wiht'' (the Latin ''v'' was pronounced {Link without Title} ) is the root of the island's name. at Carisbrooke Castle ]] The Norman Conquest created the position of Lord Of The Isle Of Wight . Carisbrooke Priory and the fort of Carisbrooke Castle were founded. The island did not come under full control of the crown until it was sold by the dying last Norman Lord, Lady Isabella de Fortebus, to Edward I in 1293 . The Lordship thereafter became a Royal appointment, with a brief interruption when Henry De Beauchamp, 1st Duke Of Warwick was crowned King of the Isle of Wight, King Henry VI assisting in person at the ceremony, placing the crown on his head. He died in 1445 , aged 22. With no male heir, his regal title expired with him. Henry VIII , who developed the Royal Navy and its permanent base at Portsmouth , fortified the island 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 . 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. and its magnificent grounds are now open to the public]] Queen Victoria made Osborne House on the Isle of Wight her summer home for many years and, as a result, it became 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 it was traced to the Mite '' Acarapis Woodi ''. The disease (now called Acarine Disease ) frightened many other nations, because of the importance of bees in Pollination of many food plants. Laws against importation of honeybees were passed, but this merely delayed the eventual spread of the parasite to the rest of the world. The in the previous year. The festival was revived in 2002 and is now an annual event, with other, smaller musical events of many different genres across the Island becoming associated with it. POLITICS ''Main article: Politics Of The Isle Of Wight '' The Isle of Wight is a Ceremonial and Administrative county and as it has no district councils (only the county council) it is effectively a Unitary county, though not officially. It is unique in England in this way - all other Unitary areas are single districts with no county council, while the Isle of Wight is the other way round. It also has a single Member Of Parliament , and is by far the most populous Constituency in the UK (more than 50% above the average of English constituencies). logo]] As a constituency of the House Of Commons it is traditionally a battleground between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats . The current MP, Andrew Turner is a Conservative, and his predecessor Dr Peter Brand was a Liberal Democrat. The Isle Of Wight Council election of 2005 was a landslide victory for the Conservative party, displacing the long serving "Island First" group; a coalition of Liberal Democrats and independents. LANGUAGE AND DIALECT The distinctive Isle of Wight accent is a somewhat stronger version of the traditional Hampshire Dialect , featuring the dropping of some Consonant s and an emphasis on longer Vowel s. This is similar to the West Country drawl heard in south-western England, but less removed in sound from the Estuary English of the South East. The spread of the latter in general, together with continuing immigration, means the broader accent is more prevalent in the older population. The island also has its own lexical style. Some words like ''grockel'' (visitor) and ''nipper/nips'' (addressing a younger person) are commonly used and are shared with neighbouring regions. Others are unique, for example ''overner'' (a mainlander who has settled on the island) and ''caulkhead'' (someone born on the island). Other words are more obscure, being little used outside some of the families long resident on the island, such as ''mallishag'' (meaning Caterpillar ) and ''nammit'' (meaning food). 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 successfully to 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 the is also grown for its oil {Link without Title} . The making of sailcloth, boats and other connected maritime industry has long been associated with the island, although somewhat diminished in recent years. Although they have reduced the extent of the plants and workforce, including the sale of the main site, GKN operate what was once the British Hovercraft Corporation a subsidiary of, and latterly when manufacturing focus changed known as, Westland Aircraft . Prior to its purchase by Westland, it was the independent Saunders-Roe . It remains one of the most notable historical firms, having produced many of the Flying Boats , and the world's first Hovercraft . The island's major manufacturing activity today is in composite materials, including a large manufacturer of wind turbine blades (Vesta's). Bembridge airfield on the island is the home of Britten-Norman , manufacturers of the world-famous Islander and Trislander aircraft. This is shortly to become the site of the European assembly line for Cirrus light aircraft. A major contribution to the local economy comes from 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 Admiral's Cup held biennially in July and the Commodores' Cup in August. In 2005 , Northern Petroleum began exploratory drilling for Oil , with its Sandhills-2 borehole at Porchfield but ceased operations in October that year, after failing to find significant reserves. Tourism and heritage The heritage of the Island is a major asset, which has for many years kept its economy going. Holidays focused 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 to the increased affordability of air travel to alternative destinations. Tourism is still the largest industry on the Island. 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 the United Kingdom 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 - notably a fast catamaran service between West Cowes and Lymington. A Railway Service operates from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin using ex London Underground rolling stock. A sign used to greet visitors to the Island disembarking from the car ferry 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. There are two small airfields for General Aviation, at Sandown and Bembridge. These are busy with day-trippers in summer. All of the Island telephone exchanges are broadband enabled and in addition, some urban areas such as Cowes and Newport are covered by cable lines. The {Link without Title} . PRISONS The island geography close to the densely populated south of England led to it gaining three prisons: and the Kray Twins . Camphill is located 1 mile (1.6Km) to the west of Albany and Parkhurst, on the very edge of Parkhurst Forest . Originally an army barracks with a small estate of tree-lined roads with well-proportioned officer's houses (with varying grandeur according to rank) to the South and East. Having been converted to a Borstal and later a low category prison, it maintains its ties to the housing around it as although now most privately owned, clean water is still provided from the prison itself and residents pay only sewerage fees to the water authority (Southern Water). The estate is accessed by two, gated, private roads. These are closed for one day each year so as not to become a public right of way. EDUCATION SETTLEMENTS See Also: List of places on the Isle of Wight SELECTED PLACES OF INTEREST
NOTABLE LITERARY AND MUSICAL REFERENCES
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