life
ANTIQUES
By Philip Hoare
The Island is a
Diamond!
The spell of beautiful weather
on the Island over the last
couple of weeks evoked not
only feelings of great joy
for me at saying goodbye to
the grey clouds of winter
but also a certain nostalgia.
I was reminded that almost
a century ago the Isle of
Wight was a valued tourist
spot among the upper middle
classes of Victorian society!
A fine summers day would
bring with it not only exquisite
Victorian summer dress, but
also a paddle steamer carrying
a flock of eager people to Ryde
pier head. It was from the pier
60
that a beautiful steam
train would carry the
sun seekers to Sandown,
Shanklin and even
further reaches of the
Island, for back then the
train line used to track
its way across the idyllic
coast to Freshwater!
For many years,
generations of families
travelled to the Island for
their summer holidays,
enjoying fine hospitality,
entertainment and
weather. It was such
a popular holiday
destination for families
from large urban
areas of England, the Island
even rivalled Margate and
Ramsgate as a holiday hot
spot! Unfortunately during
the 1970’s and 80’s, with the
arrival of the package holiday,
many families stopped coming
to the Island in favour of the
Spanish Islands or Canaries.
However, with the Isle
of Wight Music Festival
p romising such a wonderful
line up of artists and musicians
year after year, the Island
once again is returning to its
former glory through a
whole new generation
of young people. It is
important to remember
that the Isle of Wight has
a rich Victorian heritage,
Queen Victoria even had
her home here in the
form of Osborne House,
and she was renowned
for her superb taste in
art, architecture and of
course a great holiday
destination! She gave the
Island an incredible status by
being present here.
Thanks to the benefits of
technology, I am able to deal
with many of my clients from
the mainland via e-mail now
and I can spend more time
with people here and take
pleasure in the Island. I go
for long walks and I begin
to unwind. It is during these
pensive moments that I begin
to notice this beautiful Island
again, it is so easy to take the
wonderful architecture and
abundant nature for granted,
but every time I walk along
the beach at Ryde I remember
how lucky I am. This little
diamond has a facet for each
day of my life I spend here - its
flawless and I just cant stop
looking!
For further information please
contact:
[email protected]
or visit: www.philiphoare.com
www.wightfrog.com/islandlife