   #copyright

Isle of Wight

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

                            Isle of Wight
                     Image:EnglandIsleWight.png
                              Geography
   Status:            Ceremonial & Non-metropolitan/ 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 (2005 est.)
   - Density
   - District         Ranked 46th
                      140,000
                      368 / km²
                      Ranked 125th
   Ethnicity:         98.7% White
                              Politics
          Flag
   (in detail)                            Arms
                      (in detail)
                  Motto: All this beauty is of God
                        Isle of Wight Council
   http://www.iwight.gov.uk/
   Executive:         Conservative
   MP:                Andrew Turner

   The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern
   English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire. It is part of
   the United Kingdom.

   Popular from Victorian times as a holiday resort, the Isle of Wight 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 boats 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
   Isle of Wight Festival was revived in 2002 to critical acclaim,
   headliners in 2006 were Coldplay, Foo Fighters and The Prodigy. The
   island is also one of the richest fossil locations for dinosaurs in
   Europe.

   In AD 686, it became the last part of the British Isles to convert to
   Christianity, almost a century after the rest of Great Britain.

   The isle is the smallest ceremonial county in England (when not
   including Bristol or the City of London) at 380 km², just beating the
   revived Rutland at 382 km². With just one Member of Parliament and
   132,731 permanent residents in the 2001 census, it is also the most
   populated Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom.

   The Isle of Wight's county flower is the Pyramidal Orchid .

Geography and wildlife

   Isle of Wight is approximately diamond in shape and covers an area of
   147 square miles (381 square km). Slightly more than half of the
   island's, mainly in the west of the Island, is designated as the Isle
   of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The island has 99.6 square
   miles of farmland, 20 square miles of developed areas, and 57 miles of
   coastline. 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.
   The famous view at The Needles and Alum Bay.
   Enlarge
   The famous view at The Needles 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 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's distribution in the United Kingdom is largely
   restricted to the edges of the crumbling cliffs of the Isle of Wight.
   A satellite photograph of the Isle of Wight and the Solent
   Enlarge
   A satellite photograph of the Isle of Wight and the Solent

History

   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 dinosaurs 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. This was possibly because recovery from the last ice age has
   caused areas that were under the ice to rebound, but neighboring
   regions to subside. The Isle of Wight was located in an ice-free
   region, so in that area local relative sea level rose, flooding the
   Solent and separating the island from the mainland.

   The island was part of the Celtic 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
   [w]) is the root of the island's name.
   Memorial to Charles I at Carisbrooke Castle
   Enlarge
   Memorial to Charles I 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 Fortibus, 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.
   Osborne House and its magnificent grounds are now open to the public
   Enlarge
   Osborne House 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 Isle of Wight Festival could describe several events, but usually
   the term refers to one very large rock festival that took place near
   Afton Down, West Wight in 1970, following two smaller concerts in 1968
   and 1969. The 1970 show was notable both for being one of the last
   public performances by Jimi Hendrix and for the number of attendees
   reaching, by many estimates, 600,000 (despite only 50,000 tickets being
   sold), and overtaking the attendance at Woodstock 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

   The Isle of Wight is a Ceremonial and Non-metropolitan county. It is
   effectively an English [[Unitary authority|Unitary] council]. 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).

   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
   consonants and an emphasis on longer vowels. 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. In common with many
   other English regional dialects and accents, a strong island accent is
   not now commonly heard, and as speakers tend to be older, this decline
   is likely to continue.

   The island also has its own local and regional words. Some words,
   including grockle (visitor) and nipper/nips (a younger person) are
   still commonly used and are shared with neighbouring areas. A few are
   unique to the island, for example overner (a mainlander who has settled
   on the island) and caulkhead (someone born on the island or, for
   sticklers, those born there from long-established island stock). Other
   words are more obscure and used now mainly for comic emphasis, such as
   mallishag (meaning caterpillar) and nammit ("noon-meat", meaning food).
   Some other words are "Gurt" as in large, also "Gallybagger" as in
   scarecrow.

Economy

   This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Isle of Wight
   at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National
   Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
   Year Regional Gross Value Added Agriculture Industry Services
   1995 831                        28          218      585
   2000 1,202                      27          375      800
   2003 1,491                      42          288      1,161

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 United Kingdom and
   this also favours such crops. Garlic has been successfully grown in
   Newchurch for many years, and is even exported to France. This has led
   to the establishment of an annual Garlic Festival at Newchurch, which
   is one of the largest events of the Island's annual calendar. The
   favourable climate has led to the success of vineyards, including one
   of the oldest in the British Isles, at Adgestone near Sandown .
   Lavender is also grown for its oil .

   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. The Norman Aeroplane Company is a smaller
   aircraft manufacturing company operating in Sandown. There are have
   been 3 other aircraft manufacturers that built planes on the island.

   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.

Services

Tourism and heritage

   Compton Chine, looking east towards Blackgang
   Enlarge
   Compton Chine, looking east towards Blackgang

   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. In 1999, the
   130,000 island residents were host to 2.7 million visitors. Of these,
   1.5 million stayed overnight, and 1.2 million visits were day visits.
   Only 150 thousand of these visitors were international visitors.
   Between 1993 and 2000, visits increased at a rate of 3% per year, on
   average.

   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

   By far the main form of access is by boat from the mainland, with
   regular vehicle ferry services and passenger services being available
   through the ferry companies:
     * Red Funnel - operates a car and passenger service between
       Southampton and East Cowes. High speed passenger-only services to
       Southampton operate from "West" Cowes under the name of "Red Jet".
     * Wightlink - operates a car and passenger service between Portsmouth
       and Fishbourne (near Ryde), and between Lymington and Yarmouth. It
       also operates a passenger-only service between Portsmouth Harbour
       (train station) and Ryde Pier Head (train station) under the name
       "Fast Cat" (known as the Vomit Comet by the locals due to its
       colour), so named because the boats used are catamarans.
     * Hovertravel - carries passengers between Southsea and Ryde aboard a
       hovercraft.

   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.

   The island is the home of the smallest train operating company in the
   United Kingdom's National Rail network, the Island Line. This runs some
   8½ miles from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin, down the eastern side of the
   island via Brading and Sandown. These are electric trains, using former
   London Underground trains.

   The island also has a steam-operated heritage railway, the Isle of
   Wight Steam Railway. The steam railway connects with the Island Line at
   Smallbrook Junction.

   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. The island
   has 489 miles of roadway.

   There are two small airfields for General Aviation: Isle of Wight
   Airport at Sandown and Bembridge Airport . These are busy with
   day-trippers in summer, travelling by light aircraft.

   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. Some areas, such as Arreton, have no broadband in certain
   places.

   The Isle of Wight County Press is the major local newspaper, published
   weekly each Friday or the last working day before a public holiday
   falls on that day. There is also a local radio station, Isle of Wight
   Radio , broadcasting on 107 and 102 FM (also available over the
   internet), and a regional television station which broadcasts from the
   Island, Solent TV .

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 on the main road to Cowes. Albany and Parkhurst were
   once among the few Category A prisons in the UK until they were
   downgraded in the 1990s. The downgrading of Parkhurst was precipitated
   by a major escape: three prisoners (known to be some of the most
   dangerous murderers in the prison system) made their way out of the
   prison on 3 January 1995 to enjoy four days of freedom before being
   recaptured. 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.

   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

Selected places of interest

   Key
   National Trust        National Trust
   English Heritage      English Heritage
   Forestry Commission   Forestry Commission
   Country Park          Country Park
   Accessible open space Accessible open space
   Museum (free)
   Museum                Museums (free/not free)
   Heritage railway      Heritage railway
   Historic house        Historic House
     * Alum Bay
     * Appuldurcombe House English Heritage
     * Blackgang Chine
     * Carisbrooke Castle English Heritage
     * Dinosaur Isle Museum
     * Golden Hill Fort Country Park
     * Fort Victoria Country Park
     * Isle of Wight Steam Railway Heritage Railway
     * Osborne House English Heritage
     * The Needles National Trust
     * Robin Hill
     * Yarmouth Castle English Heritage
     * Quarr Abbey

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Wight"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
