Isle of Wight
| Isle of Wight | |
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The Isle of Wight is an island off the south coast of England opposite Southampton.
The Isle of Wight is unique among the British Isles in that it is a region which was, along with the adjoining Hampshire and Kent, claimed and settled in the early Middle Ages by the ancient tribe of "Jutes" or "Geats". The Geats are best known as the people whom Beowulf saved from the man-eating sea-monsters -- Grendel and his mother -- by a remarkable combination of courage, athletic breath-control, and magic in a fearful drama undersea. He then was elected Geatish king. The Geats kept their connection with the sea when they settled the island. Today, the Isle of Wight is rich in historical and archÃÂæological sites dating from ancient times.
Its population was 132,731 in the 2001 census (and 126,600 in 1991). It is approximately diamond in shape and covers an area of 147 square miles (381 square km). The terrain is chalk downland. The River Medina flows north into the Solent.
It was traditionally part of Hampshire, and was 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. The Local Government Act, 1974 retained the county council with 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.
Known to residents simply as The Island, 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.
Because of its accessibility and closeness to the mainland, the Isle of Wight is a popular destination for British holidaymakers, especially the seaside towns of Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor, Freshwater and Yarmouth, as well as other smaller towns and villages in different parts of the island.
The island has one of Britain's shortest railways, Island Line, running some 8½ miles from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin down the eastern side of the island. The route is served by old London Underground trains dating from 1938, and reportedly has the best service record of any British train company.
The main annual event is 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 in July and the Commodores' Cup in August.
A large rock festival took place near Tennyson Down, West Wight in 1970, following two smaller concerts in 1968 and 1969. The festival was revived in 2002. For a history of the festival see: http://www.isleofwightfestival.com
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 bees' importance as pollinators, Laws against importation of honeybees were passed, but this only delayed, not stopped the eventual spread of the parasite to the rest of the world.
The principal towns on the island are:
- Newport - The county seat.
- Cowes - A famous yachting town, at the mouth of the river Medina.
- Ryde - A seaside resort, with a long pier.
- Yarmouth
- Sandown
- Shanklin
- Brading - Close to the ruins of a Roman villa
- Ventnor
- The island is the setting of Julian Barnes's utopian novel England, England.
- The island also features heavily in The day of the Triffids and The night of the Triffids.
- The Beatles' "When I'm Sixty-Four", written by Paul McCartney, refers to a rented summer cottage on the Isle of Wight.
The Island by local photographers
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