HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS
APPULDURCOMBE HOUSE
Wroxall Once the grandest mansion
on the Island, Appuldurcombe
House is a jewel in south-east
Wight. Today, elegant and
romantic remains are all that’s left of this 18th century Palladian
house. But, standing in
impressive grounds designed by
‘Capability’ Brown, they’re well
worth seeing. The shell of the
house has been partially restored
and is now in the hands of
English Heritage. Exhibitions
are held here and visitors are
welcome to walk around the
garden and purchase mementos
at the gift shop. A car park is
available to visitors.
Tel. 01983 852484, www.appuldurcombe.co.uk
16 Mar - 30 Sep: daily 10am -
4pm; Closed 1 Oct - 31 Mar.
Last entry 1 hour before
closing. Adults: £3.50;
concessions: £3.25; children:
£2.50; family tickets: £12.
English Heritage members and
under 5s free.
ARRETON MANOR
Arreton Dating back to the 12th century,
this is one of the most historic
houses on the Isle of Wight.
Come and see where Charles
I stayed before he was
imprisoned in Carisbrooke
Castle. There are guided tours
of the house with its original
17th century oak panelling, plus
homemade cream teas and
light refreshments, a gift shop,
and children’s activity and play
areas. Also see the spectacular
rose garden, the Tudor style
knot garden, an Elizabethan
maze and an Italianate water
terrace with fountains. Coaches
welcome. Limited access for
wheelchairs in the house.
Tel. 01983 522604, www.arretonmanor.co.uk
Open Easter (Fri 21, Sun 23 &
Mon 24 Mar) & 25 May to 28
Sep: 10am to 5pm. Last tour at
4.30pm. Closed Saturdays.
Adults: £5.50; senior citizens:
£5; children (5-15 yrs): £2.25.
BEMBRIDGE WINDMILL
Bembridge This picturesque 300-year-old
windmill is one of the best loved
landmarks on the Isle of Wight.
Dating from around 1700, it is
the only surviving windmill on
the Island, and has much of its
original machinery intact. Now
cared for by the National Trust,
it affords great views from the
upper floors. Small kiosk selling
drinks, ice cream and gifts.
Sorry, no dogs.
Tel. 01983 873945, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/isleofwight
15 Mar - 2 Nov: Tue - Sun,
10am - 5pm (or at dusk if
earlier). Open every day
throughout July, August and
September. Also open Easter
Monday and May Bank Holiday
Mondays. Last admission 30
mins before closing. Adults:
£2.50; children: £1.25; family
tickets: £6.25. Free entrance for
National Trust members.
BRADING ROMAN VILLA
Brading An award-winning exhibition
and visitor centre, which won
a special Civic Trust Award
for Rural Design, covers the
remains of this beautiful Roman
Villa. Once the centre of a large
farm, the courtyard villa housed
some stunning mosaics and
beautiful stone buildings, now
on show. Also a shop, café and
Roman Gardens, all set in an
Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty. Free parking.
Tel. 01983 406223, www.bradingromanvilla.org.uk
Open all year. Adults: £4.50;
senior citizens: £3.75; children
and students: £2.20; family
tickets (2 adults and up to 3
children): £13.
Calbourne Water Mill, Museums & Picturesque Grounds
Calbourne A 17th century working water
mill, milling every day at 3pm,
except Saturday. There has
been a mill on this site since the
11th century. 1896 Roller Mill,
war museum, rural museum, fire
station, ancient oak woodland
walk, straw bale building,
Rainbow Bridge, 18-hole
putting green, family croquet,
clay play, pétanque, pedallos
and canoes and punting on the
mill stream, clotted cream teas,
fully licensed café, gift shop and
pottery. Also selling 9 types of
milled flour and freshly baked
breads.
Tel. 01983 531227, www.calbournewatermill.co.uk
21 Mar - 2 Nov: 10am - 5pm.
Adults: £7; concessions: £6;
children (5-16): £4; under 5s:
free; family tickets: £19; free
return visits.
CARISBROOKE CASTLE
Newport This imposing castle is steeped
in history. Situated on a high
ridge, the site is Saxon in origin
and the castle Norman. Once
the prison of Charles I and, until
1944, the official residence of
the Island’s Governor, the castle
is now a fascinating historical
attraction run by English
Heritage. It is also home to the
Carisbrooke Donkeys, who
happily demonstrate how
donkeys turned the waterwheel
in the well house in the late 17th
century. Gift shop, café and
museum on site.
Tel. 01983 522107, www.english-heritage.org.uk
21 Mar - 30 Sep: daily, 10am -
5pm. 1 Oct - 31 Mar: daily,
10am - 4pm. Closed 24-26 Dec
& 1 Jan. Adults: £6.50;
concessions: £5.20; children:
£3.30; family tickets: £16.30;
English Heritage members and
under 5s: free.
ISLE OF WIGHT STEAM RAILWAY
Smallbrook Junction, Wootton Take a trip back in time on this
10-mile train ride that revisits
the bygone age of the Island’s
once extensive train network.
Trains, with beautifully restored
Victorian and Edwardian
carriages, run from Wootton to
Smallbrook Junction where they
connect with the Ryde to
Shanklin electric trains. There’s
a shop, museum and café at
Havenstreet, along with a
playground, picnic area and
woodland walk, plus public
access to our Carriage and
Wagon workshop. Numerous
events are held at Havenstreet
throughout the summer. See
Calendar of Events for details.
Talking Timetable 01983 884343
Tel. 01983 885923, www.iwsteamrailway.co.uk
Selected days, Mar - Oct; daily,
late May - mid-Sep. Tickets
valid all day. Adults: from £9;
children (5-15): from £4.50;
infants: free, subject to a
maximum of 2 per fare-paying
adult; family tickets: from £22.
MOTTISTONE MANOR GARDEN
Mottistone A Magical and picturesque
garden set alongside a tenanted
Elizabethan manor house.
Colourful herbaceous borders,
gentle grassy terraces, and
views to the sea. Families can
explore the garden with a
Garden Discovery Pack and
also search for the hidden
flowerpot men. Tea garden,
shop and plant sales plus
delightful walks onto the Downs
and to the coast
Tel. 01983 741302, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/isleofwight
16 Mar - 2 Nov: Sun - Thu,
11am - 5.30pm. Last admission
30 mins before closing. Gift Aid
Admission*: Adults: £3.70;
children: £1.90; family: £9.25.
*Gift Aid Admission includes a
voluntary 10% donation; visitors
can choose to pay the standard
admission prices which are
displayed at the property and at
www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Free entrance for National Trust
members. Manor House open
on 26 May Bank Holiday
Monday only between 2-
5.30pm. Additional charges
apply. Guided tours for National
Trust members on that day
10am-12 noon.
Needles New Battery
West Wight The underground rooms of the
New Battery house a small exhibition about the secret
rocket testing programme carried out at the site during the 1950s and 60s as part of
Britain’s Race for Space.
Refreshment kiosk.
Tel. 01983 754772, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/isleofwight
15 Mar - 2 Nov: Tue & Sat,
11am - 4pm. May also open
most Sundays plus weekdays
during school holidays – please
phone to check. Property
closes in high winds. No
admission charge.
The Needles Old Battery
West Wight A spectacular cliff-top fort with
the best views on the Island.
Built in 1862, it is now looked
after by the National Trust.
Fascinating military history
exhibitions, original gun barrels
and a tunnel leading to a bird’s
eye view of the Needles Rocks.
Explore the site with one of our
family Discovery Packs. Tea
room and small shop.
Tel. 01983 754772, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/isleofwight
15 Mar - 2 Nov: Tue to Sun
(open every day in July and
August): 10.30am - 5pm. Last
admission 30 mins before
closing. Also open Easter
Monday and both May Bank
Holidays. Closes in high winds –
please phone on day of visit to
check. (Tea Room only open 12
Jan - 9 Mar & 8 Nov - 14 Dec:
Sat & Sun, 11am - 3pm. No
admission charge during these
periods as remainder of site is
closed.) Gift Aid Admission*:
Adults: £4.65; children: £2.35;
family: £11.55. *Gift Aid
Admission includes a voluntary
10% donation; visitors can
choose to pay the standard
admission prices which are
displayed at the property and at
www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Free entrance for National Trust
members.
NEWPORT ROMAN VILLA
Newport
Hidden away in Newport town
centre, the remains of this
Roman farmhouse are well
worth discovering.The site was
unearthed during building works
in 1926. A large proportion has
now been revealed and is open
to the public. Three of the
rooms on display have mosaic
floors, and the largest of these
has a fireplace. The villa’s
hypocaust system and
bathroom are great examples of
Roman central heating and
plumbing. Scenes of life within
the villa have been recreated, as
has a traditional Roman herb
garden. Hands-on activities are
available in the education room.
Visitors can make a mosaic,
weave a blanket or try their
hands at reconstructing a pot!
Activities for all the family
including, new for 2008, craft
activities and photo-hunt.
Tel. 01983 529720, www.iow.gov.uk/council/departments/museums
21 Mar - 31 Oct: Mon - Sat,
10am - 4.30pm; Jul & Aug:
daily, plus Sun, 12 noon - 4pm.
Sun (July & August only), 12
noon - 4pm. Adults: £2.50;
children and senior citizens:
£1.75; family tickets: £7.
NUNWELL HOUSE
Brading
Tel. 01983 407240
30 Jun - 3 Sep: Mon - Wed,
1pm - 5pm. Adults: £5;
couples: £9; students & senior
citizens: £4; accompanied
children under 10: £1. Garden
entrance: £2.50.
THE OLD TOWN HALL
Newtown
The tiny village of Newtown
once sent two members to
Parliament, and the Town Hall
was the setting for often
turbulent elections. In 1933 the
building was saved and given to
the National Trust by the
Ferguson Gang, a group of
anonymous benefactors, who
are the subject of a new
exhibition celebrating this 75th
anniversary.
Tel. 01983 531785, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/isleofwight
16 Mar - 22 Oct: Sun, Mon,
Wed, 2 - 5pm; Jul - Aug: Sun -
Thu, 2 - 5pm. Also open Good
Fri & Easter Sat. Closes at dusk
if earlier. Last admission 15
minutes before closing. Adults:
£2; children: £1; families: £5.
Free entrance for National Trust
members.
OSBORNE HOUSE
East Cowes Discover the countryside retreat
and favourite residence of
Queen Victoria. Designed by
Prince Albert and built between
1845 and 1851 in the style of
an Italian villa, it’s a fascinating
place. See the sumptuous
Royal Apartments and take
a glimpse at royal family life
in the Queen’s private rooms,
including the Royal Nursery
and the Queen’s Bedroom.
The fabulous grounds include
a walled garden, Italianate
terraces and a miniature Swiss
Cottage where the royal
children played. Facilities
include a shop, top quality
restaurants and children’s play
area. Pre-arranged guided tours
throughout the winter.
Tel. 01983 200022, www.english-heritage.org.uk
21 Mar - 30 Sep: 10am - 5pm
daily. 1-31 Oct: 10am - 4pm,
daily. 1 Nov - 31 Mar, 10am -
4pm, Wed - Sun for pre-booked
guided tours only. (Last tour,
2.30pm. Christmas tour season
8 Nov - 4 Jan). Closed 24-26
Dec & 1 Jan. House & Grounds:
Adults: £10; concessions: £8;
children: £5; family tickets: £25;
English Heritage members and
under 5s: free. Grounds only:
Adults: £6; concessions: £4.80;
children: £3; families: £15;
English Heritage members &
under 5s: free.
QUARR ABBEY
nr Binstead
Tel. 01983 882420
Chapel open to all. Service times are posted by the entrance door.
YARMOUTH CASTLE
Yarmouth
In the centre of historic
Yarmouth, the last and most
sophisticated of Henry VIII’s
coastal defences was
completed after his death in
1547, with the first new-style
‘arrowhead’ artillery bastion built
in England. With its glorious
views over the western Solent,
it is also a magnificent spot for
a picnic. New displays evoke
Yarmouth’s past and tell the
story of the 16th centry ship
wrecked near the castle.
Tel. 01983 760678, www.english-heritage.org.uk
21 Mar - 30 Sep: Sun - Thu,
11am - 4pm. Adults: £3.50;
concessions: £2.80; children:
£1.80. English Heritage
members & under 5s: free.
