Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2014 | Page 114
re-opening in 1996 but closing
again in 2009. The water to make
the beer being drawn from St.
Boniface’s Well, which of course
still exists. It is to be hoped
someone with an entrepreneurial
spirit has another crack at
brewing in this area.
Modern Ventnor has its roots
embedded in fashionable
Victorian society when, along
with so much of the rest of
the Island, it prospered with
Queen Victoria’s presence at
Osborne. For example, the first
Vicar of Holy Trinity Church,
the Rev. Arthur Peile, was
also an Honorary Chaplain to
the Queen. And much of the
architecture of the town can be
traced to this period.
All through the late 19th and
early 20th century, Ventnor
continued to prosper and
grow. But as with so many
other places, World War II
brought an end to holidays for
all but a lucky few, adding to
the problem for Ventnor, was
the fact that it was the site of
a key radar installation which
made it a prime target for
German bombing raids. The
austerity of the post-War years
and the closing of the railway
line in 1966 presented further
challenges for Ventnor.
Throughout its history, the
town has worked hard to make
the most of its coastal location
and it is only in relatively recent
times that it has been without
either a harbour or a pier. As
early as 1862 local people had
constructed a harbour which
had pretty swiftly collapsed.
Undeterred, in 1871, a second
harbour was begun. But in 1881
before it was completed it fell
victim to a storm. So in 1887 the
Royal Victoria Pier was opened,
and at 650 feet, it must have
been a magnificent sight with
its Concert Hall and later the
famous Pavilion. And as already
mentioned, becoming a key
way to visit the town when the
South Steam Packet Company
started services to the Pier in
1888. In one way or another the
Pier survived up until 1993, and
I remember visiting it with my
parents and grandparents.
But the resilience and the