Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2014 | Page 116

a butcher’s shop, a grocer’s
shop, a bakery and also the
staff quarters for the adjacent
Holliers Hotel, which itself used
to be a farm house with land
stretching up to the Big Mead.
The old farm house’s well, with
its crystal clear water, can still
be seen below Holliers.
The Village Inn was opened
by the Ottleys as a restaurant
until Joan came up with the
idea of transforming it into the

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popular pub that it remains
to this day. Paul’s father Denis
also bought Holliers in 1972,
with Paul and Joan taking it
over in 1979, and running it
for 27 years. Ironically Paul
and Joan never really wanted
to move into the pub trade, but
have been doing it since 1979!
The Old Village is in an ‘Area
of Outstanding Natural Beauty’,
with many of its houses and
shops being listed buildings.

Consequently many of the
houses look the same today as
when they were originally built.
One house in Church Road still
has the original chapel of rest
in its grounds for those who
were making their final journey
to St Blasius churchyard!
Not surprisingly the solid
brick walls stood up admirably
to the floods that hit the Old
Village in the early 1970s,
leaving much of the area

knee deep in water, and even
bringing down trees and lamp
posts. That prompted the road
through the Old Village to be
closed to traffic soon afterwards
so that massive storm drains
could be laid. Thankfully the
drains solved the flooding
problems - usually brought on
by water running off the Big
Mead and down Church Road.
Big Mead is a large expanse of
open parkland to the south of
Shanklin Old Village. Within
the park there is a recreation
area for children and a duck
pond.
A few months ago when the
Island was hit by torrents of
heavy rain, Shanklin Chine
rose to its highest level in
decades. But when the sun
shines there are few better
places on the Island to visit
than Shanklin Old Village,
whether it is to browse in the
shops, sample the delights of
one of the cafes or restaurants,
or pop into one of the pubs
for a pint of ale and some fine
food.