Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2014 | Page 110

Victorian V

By Mark Fox

For me Ventnor is one of the
great towns of the Island. With
its own climate, a vibrant
community, good places to eat, a
lively arts scene and wonderful
coast the town has much to
offer. It is a twinkling jewel
nestling on the south-east coast
of the island. Charles Dickens
once wrote: “The views from
the top of the Downs are only
equalled by shores found in the
Mediterranean.”
I’ve enjoyed visiting Ventnor
and this part of the Island all
my life. And I have had great
pleasure in introducing my
children to its charms. We are
not the first of course to be
drawn here; over the decades
many people have visited and
enjoyed all that the town has
to offer. Some came simply for
fun, rest and enjoyment, and
others for health and restorative
reasons. But all came to enjoy
the mild climate and fresh sea
air that was and remains the
principal attraction.

The town first came to national
prominence in the 19th century
when great literary and artistic
figures came to visit and some
to stay. And for some time the
town enjoyed a non-stop train
service to and from Ryde and its
transport links to the mainland.
But rail, whose journey time
could sometimes take as little as
20 minutes, and road were not
the only ways our predecessors
reached this part of the Is