Project Gutenberg's Pictures in Colour of the Isle of Wight, by Various This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Pictures in Colour of the Isle of Wight Author: Various Editor: Jarrold & Sons Release Date: December 13, 2005 [EBook #17296] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PICTURES IN COLOUR *** Produced by Robert J. Hall Pictures in Colour of The Isle of Wight. WITH DESCRIPTIVE NOTES. CONTAINING FIFTY BEAUTIFULLY COLOURED PICTURES OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT. JARROLD & SONS, LTD. 10 & 11, Warwick Lane, E.C. London & Exchange Streets, Norwich. Pictures in Colour of Isle of Wight. Foreword. Among the numerous holiday resorts which claim the attention of the travelling public, the Isle of Wight will be found to possess attractions of very varied character. It has often been the theme of poets and the delight of artists. The student of art and the amateur photographer can find subjects in variety, whatever may be his peculiar line of study. The noble cliffs and bays for the student of coast scenery; old mills and cottages, with trees and streams, for the lover of sylvan beauty. The rugged grandeur of the Landslip and Undercliff will furnish subjects that yield delight in the interpretation of their romantic interest. The earnest student of Geology will find enhanced interest in the fact that within short distances many successive formations can be studied; the high inclination of the strata bringing to the surface the different formations. The gentle undulations of the land also furnish great opportunities for pictorial expression. The Botanist may here find an almost inexhaustible store of treasures. Wild flowers and ferns abound in great variety. To those who have never visited the Island, the accompanying illustrations will unfold sufficient of its beauty to give some idea of its resources. Being reproductions from actual photographs they may be relied upon as being true to Nature. There is great diversity in the scenery, and a holiday can be enjoyed amid its beauties which can scarcely be surpassed. It may be truly described as the Garden of England, and some of its scenes are here presented in the hope that those who inspect its beauties as here transcribed will be induced to visit and see it for themselves. Steephill Castle, Ventnor. STEEPHILL CASTLE, VENTNOR.—Within a mile of Ventnor, and close to the Town Station of the Isle of Wight Central Railway, is Steephill Castle with its beautiful and extensive grounds. From every point outside the Castle is well embowered in trees, only the tower being visible. It was built in 1835 by I. Hambrough, Esq. The architectural features are well displayed from inside the garden. The view from the tower is very fine. In 1874 the Empress of Austria stayed here, and hunted with the Isle of Wight hounds during her visit. It is occupied at the present time by Mr. and Mrs. Morgan Richards, the parents of "John Oliver Hobbes" (Mrs. Craigie), who is a frequent visitor. Appuldurcombe Abbey. APPULDURCOMBE ABBEY.—The ancient seat of the Worsley family, the present building was erected in the eighteenth century by Sir Robert Worsley. Here the Benedictine monks had a Priory in the time of Henry III. It was dissolved by Henry V, Sir Richard Worsley died in 1805, and the house became the property of the Earl of Yarborough, who had married the niece and heiress of the family. After being used as a school for many years, it is now occupied by Benedictine monks, In a beautiful park of four hundred acres, with a lofty down behind it, the house appears to be a well secluded and charming retreat. There is a public footpath through the meadow in front of the house. Steephill Cove, near Ventnor. STEEPHILL COVE, NEAR VENTNOR.—Taking the cliff path from Ventnor to the west within a little more than a mile there opens out to view this pretty Cove. It is a place for painters, and its loveliness in all varieties of Nature's many moods, has found admirers. The cottages nestling under the banks, its parti-coloured gardens, with enclosing pebble walls, its boats and crab-pots, with the distant cliffs in succession, all combine in a composition that strikes the beholder with a conviction of its beauty. Shanklin Esplanade, from Rylstone. SHANKLIN ESPLANADE, FROM RYLSTONE.—This favourite view, which shews nearly the whole of Shanklin Pier, also includes in the distance the Culver Cliff. Taken from the Garden of Rylstone, overlooking the foot of the Chine, it forms a most attractive scene. The cliff pathway on the green to the right, the winding road and broad esplanade, with the wide expanse of sands, furnish a characteristic view of the principal features of Shanklin front. The level sands form a safe and pleasant bathing-ground when covered by the sea. Boating too is popular, it being within easy reach of beautiful bays in the direction of Luccombe. Gateway, Carisbrooke Castle. GATEWAY, CARISBROOKE CASTLE.—This noble gateway tower was erected by Anthony Woodville, Lord Scales, in the year 1464, and is still in good preservation. The outer gateway was erected in the time of Queen Elizabeth, when a great extension of the grounds enclosed was made. "The battled towers, the dungeon keep, The loop-hole grates where captives weep, The flanking walls that round it sweep In yellow lustre shone." (Scott). The old massive doors have been removed recently and replaced by a lighter structure. Osborne House Terrace. OSBORNE HOUSE.—This view of Osborne from the south lawn is the most picturesque, and gives the late Queen's apartments standing out in bold relief in the centre of the picture. The terraces below adorn the building, and the rosary which extends on the right to the lawn is gay with a blaze of colour in the month of June. Now that Osborne has been made into a Naval College, the grounds are open to visitors on Fridays in the winter, and on Tuesdays and Fridays in the summer season; it is visited by many thousands during the year. The Pond, Bonchurch. THE POND, BONCHURCH.—One of the show places of the Isle of Wight known throughout the world by the lovely pictures that have been made of it. It has lately fallen into disrepute by the destruction of some of its beautiful trees, but more specially by the leakage of the pond which left it stagnant, dirty, and partly dry. This has now to a large extent been remedied, and the pond once more assumes its former aspect, giving reflection in its surface to the lovely forms of beautiful foliage with which it is overhung. The village is one mile from Ventnor. St. Catherine's Lighthouse. ST. CATHERINE'S LIGHTHOUSE.—Formerly the Lighthouse stood upon the Downs, but the prevalence of sea mists during certain portions of the year which obscured the light, at last led to the erection of the present building near the margin of the sea. It is one of the most powerful lights in the world, sending its rays far out over the sea and land as it revolves. When the sea mists arise it has a powerful foghorn which can be heard for many miles. Close by is the reef at Rockenend, on which many a gallant ship has been broken up. Ferncliffe Pleasure Gardens, Sandown. FERNCLIFFE PLEASURE GARDENS, SANDOWN.—These beautiful grounds have lately been acquired by a syndicate of leading residents, with the view of their ultimate acquisition for the town. The house is available for refreshments, and the Gardens, which are well wooded, are pleasant to ramble in. There are little nooks and seats overlooking the bay in several directions. It is already proving a great attraction to the town. The Needles. THE NEEDLES.—When walking on the Downs from freshwater to the Needles, following the path by the military fence, this picture of the Needles comes suddenly into view, and is a very impressive sight. The Needles themselves are stacks of upper chalk, with flints, and are the remains of an extension of the chalk. The cliffs here are about four hundred feet in height, and at their base the sea breaks frequently in a long surf line on the steep shingly shore. In calm weather visitors engage boatmen at Totland and Alum Bays to take them in boats through the Needles and land them in Scratchels Bay. Shanklin Old Village. SHANKLIN OLD VILLAGE.—One of the most charming old-world pictures, which still retains its rustic simplicity. Multitudes of visitors from all parts of the world yearly visit this relic of Old Shanklin. Pretty thatched cottages can be seen in many parts of the Island, but nowhere is there such a combination, there being three different styles of roof in thatch, the setting in a background of trees completing the illusion of the country. In the angle where the figures stand is the rustic fountain on which hangs the shield with the verse written by the poet Longfellow when staying at Hollier's Hotel, Shanklin, in 1869. "O traveller, stay thy weary feet, Drink of this fountain cool and sweet, It flows for rich and poor the same: Then go thy way, remembering still The wayside well beneath the hill, The cup of water in His name." Stone Bridge in Shanklin Chine. STONE BRIDGE IN SHANKLIN CHINE.—About half-way through the Chine the ravine is spanned by an arched Stone Bridge which, in conjunction with the steep banks with trees and ferns, makes a fine pictorial effect. Many of the trees are a great height, having been drawn up in seeking the light above the cliffs, which in this place are a considerable height. The stream flows along the narrow channel under the bridge. Chine Hollow, Shanklin. CHINE HOLLOW, SHANKLIN.—This charming lane leads from Shanklin Chine direct to the Landslip. Close to the head of the Chine and within two minutes' walk of the Old Village it forms a beautiful shady retreat on a summer day. The steep banks are of bright red and yellow sandrock beds, out of which trees have grown and verdant vegetation has found a footing until the whole is covered with Nature's mantle of beauty. The view is taken coming from the Landslip and looking towards the Chine, Old Village, and town. View Across the Foot of Shanklin Chine. VIEW ACROSS THE FOOT OF SHANKLIN CHINE.—From the shelter of a pretty nook in which seats are provided, Shanklin sands and cliffs appear in all their exquisite beauty. A wide stretch of sand from the foot of the Chine to the fine cliffs of lower Greensand supplies a playground for multitudes of happy children. Under the cliff is a happy camping-ground, in which numerous tents are put up in the season. The fisherman's cottage, with its rough stone walls and roof of thatch, forms a pleasing subject in many a picture. Half-way to the cliff are steps leading up to Appley Cliff into the village, or on to the Landslip. Shanklin Chine. SHANKLIN CHINE.—A scene of sylvan loveliness beyond description. Winding paths extending from the shore for about one hundred yards, through one continuous bower of beauty, bring you to the head where in the wet season there is a cascade. In the summer the banks are one mass of ferns and foliage of varied form and colours. Quiet nooks are to be found where, during the heat of the day, a book can be enjoyed in the cool shade of the trees. Shanklin has the reputation of being the cleanest town in England. It is certainly the most beautiful in the Isle of Wight. Stone Seat— The Landslip. STONE SEAT—THE LANDSLIP.—The Landslip which lies between Shanklin and Ventnor is a favourite resort to the inhabitants and visitors of both places. The catastrophe that wrought this magic transformation has resulted in producing scenery of entrancing beauty. The efforts of Nature to cover and hide the deformities of riven rocks and yawning chasms have produced trees of fantastic shape and remarkable diversity. The broken rocks afford sustenance for many plants, the chloritic marl liberated making the ground wonderfully fertile. This stone seat forms a natural throne on which many parties have found a trysting-place. As it stands in the principal pathway it is a well-known resting-place. On the Road to Blackgang. ON THE ROAD TO BLACKGANG.—"One of the most charming drives in England," is the verdict of many visitors to the far-famed Undercliff, as they go through shady groves and again emerge under the weather-worn craggy cliffs above the road. In spring the ground under the trees is carpeted with flowers, and the winding road uphill and down creates a transformation scene at every turn. There is no rest for the eye, and all the faculties are awake to enjoy a new sensation of delight as each corner in the road is turned. It is a perfect fairy land, and the rugged walls are half hidden by multitudes of plants which enhance the lights upon the stone. Windy Corner— The Undercliff. WINDY CORNER—THE UNDERCLIFF.—One of the most romantic districts in the whole of England is the Undercliff, extending for five miles from Ventnor to Blackgang Chine. Its beauty has been caused by the slipping away of the Gault clay, letting down the masses of Upper Greensand rock. The chert beds of the cliff have been weathered out by wind and rain into forms of rugged beauty, while the broken and undulating ground below is filled with flowers and vegetation of the most wonderful and varied character, scattered rocks peeping out among the foliage furnishing bits of a most attractive character to the artist and photographer. Ventnor, looking East. VENTNOR, LOOKING EAST.—The differences of elevation afford to most of the houses in Ventnor practically uninterrupted views of the sea. The sheltered nature of the site also furnishes a most congenial climate, in which plants and shrubs in great variety flourish. The horned poppy adorns the cliffs, and valerian and tamarisk thrive even during the winter months. Its peculiarities of climate and position render it a highly favourable residence for invalids throughout the year. It would be difficult to name any place of equal extent and variety of surface, or of equal beauty in point of scenery—so completely screened from the cutting N.E. winds of spring. Ventnor, from the Sea. VENTNOR, FROM THE SEA.—Built on the slopes of the hill, Ventnor presents