feature
Island Life - June/July 2010
Photo: Left - The south-facing Celtic cross dated 1874 standing on a medieval base of large
hewn stones placed in the form of four steps. Right: The Enchanted Manor
in the village. Last year 78 children
War 11 killing three lighthouse keepers
took part in the summer reading
but the lighthouse keepers’ wives were
challenge and Jenny runs Memory Lane
more frightened by the mice in the
Waterworth, a Newport surgeon, who
walks during the Isle of Wight Walking
lighthouse than the German raiders.
dispensed water from a spring that
Festival.
I return to the car and drive down
meaning dwelling.
Rock Cottage was run by a Mr.
Marconi Cottage on the Knowles Farm
allegedly “possessed the properties of a
estate is where the Italian electrical
tonic of the most powerful kind.” The
Barrack Shute, once the site of
engineer experimented with radio
Royal Sandrock Hotel burned down in
temporary barracks at a time when a
between the late 1890s and early
the 1980s.
French invasion threatened England.
1900s.
A footpath off the Shute goes past a
shipping traffic in the Solent and
fair with a May-pole and a ball at the
nuclear bunker that was used by the
exchanged signals with the Lizard Radio
White Lion Inn afterwards, this year
Observer Corps during the Cold War in
Station, the furthest distance for radio
the children at Niton County Primary
case of a Russian invasion.
waves to travel.
School walked round the village to
The Undercliff includes St. Catherine’s
The radio station handled
Once Niton held on Midsummer Day’s
In St. Catherine’s road Fitzpatrick’s
celebrate St. George’s Day. The village
Point, the most southerly point of the
house ‘Windcliffe’ is now the
has changed but as the children said,
Island and after the ‘Clarendon’ was
Enchanted Manor, a romantic retreat set
“Our village is very special as it is a real
wrecked in 1836, Trinity House built St.
in woodlands.
community for many people ….” .
Catherine’s Lighthouse, one of the most
Inn dating back to 1550 - the name
advanced lighthouses of its day and
comes from the Buddle stream that runs
the first to be powered by electricity.
underneath but Kokeritz gives the Old
The boiler house was bombed in World
English derivation from botl or bothele
70
I peer into the Buddle
My thanks to Mary Stotesbury for her
help.
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