life - ISLAND HISTORY & HISTORIC BUILDINGS
Above: Furniture reflects how the ground floor rooms may have looked in 1623 when the Master Gunner was in residence.
children. Both trail and mural were supported
by a Local Heritage Initiative Grant, led by the
Yarmouth and Thorley Community Partnership.
A new ornamental arch at the castle was paid
for by the Town Council and English Heritage
has provided York-stone paving for Castle
Lane as well as the new exhibition inside.
A guidebook, based on the work of late local
historian Geoff Cotton, leads people on the trail
and explains the significance of buildings and
landmarks marked by ceramic plaques. These
include the mill, built in 1793; old railway
station which closed in 1953 and Yarmouth
pier, the country’s longest timber pier.
In addition, it also includes the 18th century
Town Hall, once used as a fish and meat market.
The Town Hall still displays a giant gloved hand
on a pole from an upper window on St James’
Day (July 25) each year so that citizens can “drink
heartily and make merry with the wenches
without fear of apprehension or criticism.”
The trail also takes in St James’ Church,
consecrated in 1626, which contains a statue of
one of Yarmouth’s most famous and colourful
characters. One-time pirate, national hero
and foe of diarist Samuel Pepys, Sir Robert
Holmes became governor of the island after
a long military and naval career. He built a
comfortable home – now the George Hotel
42
– beside Yarmouth Castle and made frequent
forays on passing enemy ships to boost his
fortune with the booty he recovered.
On a raid on a French ship, it is said that
he found an unfinished sculpture of King
Louis XIV and forced its sculptor to complete
it in his own likeness in order to secure his
freedom. The statue can now be seen in a side
chapel off the chancel of St James Church.
A photograph of the statue features in
the display within the castle alongside
a collection of historical shots provided
by the Yarmouth Society. Other new
highlights at Yarmouth castle include:
• A short film which shows visitors wreck
sites up close and explains the importance of
maritime heritage – Yarmouth Castle is the first
English Heritage site in the country to host a
permanent display from a protected wreck,
uniting the organisation’s roles in protecting
both the built and maritime heritage.
• Ground floor rooms represented as they
might have looked in 1623, when they were
the residence of the Master Gunner.
Dean Pascall, English Heritage Head of Visitor
Operations, Isle of Wight said: “Combined
with its superb views across the Solent, we
hope the castle will now attract more visitors
and offer them a more rounded and enjoyable
experience which provides them with an
insight to Yarmouth and its history.”
Yarmouth Castle is open from Sunday
to Thursday between 11am-4pm until 30
September. Admission prices are £2.90 for adults,
£2.20 for concessions and £1.50 for children.
Copies of the Yarmouth Heritage
Trail cost just £1 and are available form
Yarmouth Tourist Information Centre.
• Displays telling the story of the castle, the
town of Yarmouth and the 16th-century
shipwreck which lies 300m from the shore
• Artefacts from the ‘Yarmouth Roads’ wreck
– thought to be a Spanish trading vessel which
sank in 1567 – including a comb, pewter
plates and stone shot. They are on permanent
display for the first time since they were
recovered from the wreck in the early 1980s.
• The castle is now more family friendly –
including reading corners for children and objects
to handle. There is also an interactive model of
the castle in the form of a jigsaw – when visitors
remove pieces it reveals the castle as it looked in
the 18th century without buildings around it.
Island Life - www.isleofwight.net