Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2014/January 2015 | Page 36

RYDE

"But for many there is
no need to make any
journey beyond Ryde
- it is simply a town
that has the lot."

pleasant start, or end, to the working day.
Looking out from Ryde, you see one of
the busiest stretches of water in the whole
of the country, with cruise ships and
military vessels alike making their way to
exotic and not so exotic ports around the
worlds. In 1782 numerous bodies of men,
women and children from HMS Royal
George, which sank suddenly at Spithead,
were washed ashore at Ryde. Many were
buried on land that is now occupied by
The Esplanade. A memorial to them was
erected in June 2004.
Ryde boasts three of the Island’s eight
remaining fully-operational railway
stations - Ryde Pier Head, Ryde Esplanade
and Ryde St Johns Road. Passengers can
enjoy the delights of trundling along in
former London Underground carriages
as they make their way to and from
Smallbrook Junction, Brading, Sandown,
Lake and Shanklin.
But for many there is no need to make
any journey beyond Ryde - it is simply a
town that has the lot. It was developed
throughout the latter half of the 18th
century, the 19th century and the first
half of the 20th century as a popular
seaside resort.
Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower looks
almost within touching distance as you
spend a leisurely summer day stretched
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out on the excellent beach. The town
itself has plenty to offer, with a fine array
of shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels. It
also boasts many Regency and Victorian
buildings such as All Saints Church,
designed by the eminent Gilbert Scott, and
the Town Hall, which was built in 1829
and is considered to be one of the finest
buildings of its type on the south coast.
Union Street has an eclectic mix of
shops, hotels, restaurants and bars,
all with their own characteristics, and
some of them with facilities just outside
to sit and watch the world go by. But
if you venture a little further you will
find plenty of other places of interest,
including of course the town’s quaint but
efficiently run cinema, where all the latest
films are re adily available to watch.
Then of course there’s the ice rink and
pavilion, converted to house a nightclub
and bowling alley, the former being the
home of the Isle of Wight's ice hockey
team, the Wightlink Raiders.
The pavilion has played host to
numerous iconic music events, with
the Rolling Stones among other famous
groups to perform there. It has also
been strongly suggested that when the
Beatles tried to book into a hotel on the
Esplanade for an overnight stay, they were
flatly refused by the hotel owner, who

did not want screaming girls shinning up
drainpipes trying to reach the rooms of
the Fab Four.
Open spaces in Ryde include Western
Gardens, Eastern Gardens,the Boating
Lake and Vernon Square Garden, which
has been restored to its original Georgian
design. For those with a bit more sense
of adventure, there is always a bracing
walk on the sands, particularly at low tide
when acres of sand are exposed.
The town’s All Saints' Church is located
in Queens Road on a road junction
known as Five Ways. It was designed by
George Gilbert Scott and completed in
1872 with a 177ft tall spire. Holy Trinity
Church is in Dover Street, designed by
Thomas Hellyer and completed in 1845.
The town’s Roman Catholic church,
St. Mary's, is located in the High Street.
It was built in 1846 at a cost of £18,000,
provided by Elizabeth, Countess of
Clare. The church was designed by
Joseph Hansom inventor of the hansom
cab. Other churches include St James
Church and St. Michael and All Angels,
Swanmore. There are also Baptist,
Methodist, United Reformed and Elim
churches in the town.
Ryde also has its own ‘Castle’. Situated
on the Esplanade, it was built around
1840 as a private house and is now