Famous People on the Isle of Wight

-- End Ad Box --->				He was in the Revenue Service as the Collector of
There are and have been many famous people on				Cowes with responsibility for Customs Duty between
the Isle of Wight. Below is a selection of those who				Southampton and Poole. His son was Thomas Arnold
have lived on, or who have visited this wonderful				(1795-1842) the famed Dr. Arnold of Rugby (School)
island. Famous people on the Isle of Wight range				as portrayed in "Tom Brown's Schooldays". Thomas
from Royalty to TV Personalities, many coming here				Arnold, in his early days of education was sent to
for a better way of life. So, read on and discover a				Warminster School (Wiltshire) before going to
little bit about some of the famous people on the Isle				Winchester College and then Oxford University. His
of Wight.				son, Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) became the
ALAN TITCHMARSH				well-known poet and critic.
TV Gardener of many BBC gardening shows				DAVID NIVEN
(including "Ground Force") has a property in Cowes.				In his autobiography 'The moon's a Balloon' actor
DAME ELLEN MACARTHUR				David Niven says he spent part of his childhood living
The single-handed round the world record breaking				at Rose Cottage, Bembridge.
yachtswoman, born in Derbyshire is now based in				PHILIP NORMAN
Cowes.				The novelist attended Ryde School. He has written
QUEEN VICTORIA				novels about his childhood on the Island.
Victoria bought Osborne House from the Blachford				REVEREND LEIGH RICHMOND
family in 1845 and she and Prince Albert moved in, in				Vicar of Brading and writer. He wrote the famous
1846. The house proved to be too small and Albert				Dairyman's Daughter, the story of Elizabeth
set about re-designing and rebuilding it in partnership				Wallbridge. The book influenced writers from
with Thomas Cubitt, the builder.				Charlotte Bronte to Charles Dickens and sold over 10
PRINCESS BEATRICE				million copies in 40 languages.
Born in 1857 by which time family visits to Osborne				ANTHONY MINGHELLA
were part of the established routine. Beatrice, the				The playwright is thought to have attended Sandown
youngest of Victoria & Albert's nine children, became				Grammar School, where he helped direct several
her mother's companion. In 1885 she married Prince				school plays. He was a scriptwriter for Grange Hill,
Henry of Battenburg at Whippingham Church. Henry				Inspector Morse, and the films Truly Madly Deeply
was made Governor of the I.W. in 1889 and on his				and the Talented Mr Ripley.. He won an Oscar for
death in 1896, Beatrice was granted the position,				Director of The English Patient . His father still owns
which she retained until her own death in 1944.				Minghella's Ice Cream factory in Wootton.
ROBERT HOOKE				VIRGINIA BOTTOMLEY
He was the son of John Hooke, the curate of All				The famously tone deaf Conservative minister spent
Saints, Freshwater. He was born there in 1635. His				part of her childhood on the Island.
father died in 1643 and Robert went to London to				ELIZABETH WALLBRIDGE
be apprenticed to Peter Lely, the portrait painter. He				Elizabeth was The Dairyman's Daughter. The book
did not remain long but went to Westminster School				about her written by the Revd. Leigh Richmond, Vicar
and later to Oxford as a chorister. Here he became				of Brading, was the most widely read religious tract
interested in science and inventor the balance spring				of the 19th century. Born in 1770 at Arreton, the
for watches. He died in 1703.				book chronicled her conversion to Methodism and her
KING CHARLES I				death at the age of 30 from consumption. Her grave
The King was held prisoner in Carisbrooke Castle for				in the church at Arreton was a scene of pilgrimage
a year. He escaped to the Island in November 1647				for thousands, including Queen Victoria.
where he thought he would be safe but the				ALBERT KETELBEY
Governor, Colonel Hammond was a parliamentarian				The composer famous for compositions such as
and put him in prison. Despite two escape attempts				"Bells Across the Meadow", "In a Monastery Garden"
he remained there until September 1648, when he				and "In a Persian Market". He was born in Aston,
was removed to Newport, then to Hurst Castle in				Birmingham 9th August 1875, moved to Egypt Hill,
November and finally to Windsor. He was executed				Cowes and died there 26th November 1959.
on January 30th 1649.				SAMUEL WILBERFORCE
JOHN NASH				He was for a time Rector of Brighstone before
Nash was an architect and had been visiting the Isle				appointment as Bishop of Oxford, later Bishop of
of Wight since 1793. In 1798 he bought land in East				Winchester. He is one of the Three Bishops
Cowes and built a country retreat - East Cowes				commemorated in the pub name at Brighstone.
Castle (demolished in the 1960's) where he				Samuel's father, William Wilberforce, campaigned for
occasionally entertained Joseph Turner. He retired				the abolition of slavery and is also thought to have
here in 1834 and died in May 1835. He is buried in St.				visited the Island. While Bishop of Oxford, Samuel
James' Church, East Cowes.				Wilberforce attacked Darwin's book "Origin of the
ALGERNON SWINBURNE				Species" in a debate at the University while Thomas
Born in London in 1837, his family moved to				Huxley defended Darwin's ideas.
Bonchurch shortly after. At fist East Dene was				JOSEPH TURNER
rented but Captain Swinburne bought it in 1841. He				Born in Covent Garden in 1775. Twenty years later
was educated at Eton & Oxford but returned to the				he visited the Isle of Wight. He returned in late
Island in 1863. He spent much time at Northcourt, the				summer and must have stayed for at least a week,
home of his cousin, Mary Gordon (later Mrs. Disney				possibly longer, as he travelled around the Island filling
Leith). East Dene was sold in 1865 but Swinburne				his sketchbook. In 1827 he returned as a guest of
was buried at Bonchurch in 1909.				John Nash at East Cowes Castle.
ALFRED LORD TENNYSON				JOHN KEATS
Tennyson first rented Farringford in 1853 and bought				He visited the Island twice, the first time in April 1817,
the house in 1858. In later years he was harassed by				when he stayed at Carisbrooke. Here he began work
sightseers and in 1869 decided to move to				on Endymion. He returned in 1819 for health reasons
Haselmere. However he still spent the winter months				as he was suffering from consumption. He stayed at
here. His last stay was in June 1892 and he died the				Eglantine Cottage in Shanklin from July 1819 until the
following October. The downs above Freshwater				middle of August.
bear his name.				CHARLES DICKENS
THOMAS LETTS				Dickens stayed at Winterbourne, Bonchurch, in 1849.
He did not invent diaries but probably improved them				He arrived in July and although he planned to leave at
out of all recognition. He was born in 1803 in London				the end of September, he stayed until October.
but moved to the Island some time before 1859. He				Whilst here, he wrote two drafts of David
bought a house called Sea View at Chale and lived				Copperfield - one of which was probably the final
there until his death. He was buried at Norwood				version.
Cemetery. In 1864 he erected a small temple to				THOMAS BOBINGTON MACAULEY
commemorate the tercentenary of Shakespeare's				He was already working on his History of England
birth.				when he came to stay at Madeira Hall, Bonchurch, for
SIR JOHN HENRY CORKE				a working holiday in 1850. He arrived late in August
Born at 20 Cross Street, West Cowes on 12th				and stayed until the end of September. He died two
February, 1850. He went on to become four times				years later.
mayor of Portsmouth (1912 to 1915) and was				HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
Knighted by King George V in 1916 for his war work.				The American poet visited Shanklin in July 1868. The
He was also made a Chevalier of the Legion of				fountain outside the Crab Inn where he stayed still
Honour by French President Poincare in 1913.				bears an inscription written by him. While on the
JULIA MARGARET CAMERON				Island he visited Tennyson at Farringford and sat for
The photographer moved to the Isle of Wight in				Mrs. Cameron.
1860 when she bought Dimbola in Freshwater. She				KARL MARX
was given her first camera three years later and				Like so many others, he visited the Island for health
shortly afterwards began to win international awards,				reasons. His first visit was to Ryde in the Summer of
and to hold exhibitions. She left the Island in 1875 to				1874. He returned to stay in Ventnor in December
return to Ceylon where her husband owned coffee				1881, after his wife died but the stay was short and
plantations. She died there in 1879.				he returned to London in the middle of January 1882.
PROFESSOR JOHN MILNE				He returned at the end of October the same year.
He spent nearly 20 years in Japan studying				He left in the middle of January, following the death
seismology - a science which he virtually founded in				of one of his daughters. he died in March 1883.
its modern form. Born in Liverpool in 1850 he retired				WINSTON CHURCHILL
from Japan to Shile Hill House in 1895. He built an				He spent part of his summer holidays of 1888 at
observatory there and many visitors and students				Ventnor staying with the sister of his nurse (Mrs.
came to his house. He died in 1913 and is buried in St.				Everest). Her husband was a prison warder at
Paul's, Barton.				Parkhurst. He also came in January 1889 to
GUGLIELMO MARCONI				recuperate from a short illness and again in 1910 to
Marconi was born in 1874 and moved to England in				help the Liberal candidate in an election. The house
1896 after the Italian post office refused to test his				was originally 'Flint Cottage', now the reception to
new wireless equipment. His mother was a Jameson				Ventnor Holiday Villas (see picture right). A plaque on
of whisky fame. He wanted to promote his work on				the wall of the cottage reads "Sir Winston L P
the wireless telegraphy and England was the obvious				Churchill 1874 - 1965 Stayed at Flint Cottage in 1878,
place. In 1897 he chose Alum Bay as one of the sites				the first of many visits to Ventnor. Whilst here he
for his experiment. He erected a 40 metre mast				saw the wreck of H. M. training ship Eurydice which
outside the Needles Hotel from where he transmitted				capsized off Dunnose March 24th 1878 with the loss
to the Haven Hotel in Poole nearly 20 miles away.				of more than 300 lives."
Experiments were carried out for about a year,				LEWIS CARROLL
including one involving a link-up between the Prince of				Lewis Carroll stayed at Sandown while collecting
Wales, on the Royal Yacht Osborne and Queen				material for "Alice in Wonderland". "The Hunting of
Victoria at Osborne House. Marconi then transferred				the Snark" was another of Carroll's great works but
his attention to cross-channel links. He experimented				there is some debate whether or not he wrote it on
from Knowles Farm, Niton where there is a stone cut				the Island.
with the following inscription - "This is to				CHARLES DARWIN
commemorate that Marconi set up a wireless				Darwin began his world famous "Origin of the
experimental station here in A.D. 1900". While in Niton				Species" while staying at the Kings Head Hotel in
he stayed at the Royal Sandrock Hotel.				Sandown.
UFFA FOX				ISAAC PITMAN
Born at East Cowes in 1898, he spent almost his				Pitman wrote his shorthand dictionary while staying
entire life on the Island, although he actually died at				on the Isle of Wight.
the home of friends in Worcestershire. He was a				JOHN BRETT
notable local "character" who included royalty				Pre-Raphaelite artist who visited the Island and
amongst his friends. He designed and built many				painted at least one landscape.
famous boats - one of the more recent being the				GEORGE MORELAND
Britannia in which John Fairfax crossed the Atlantic				Artist who frequented the Inn at Freshwater Bay
single-handed (the boat was built by the local firm				which has become The Albion and tried to avoid his
Lallows in Cowes).				creditors!
BARNES WALLIS				MARGARET THATCHER
The inventor of the bouncing bomb amongst other				Stayed at The Pier Hotel in 1959 and after that she
things, was born in Derbyshire in 1887. He began his				rented a house in Seaview.
apprenticeship as an engineer with the Thames				SHAW TAYLOR
Engineering Company, but in 1908 he transferred his				TV crime reporter from Police 5 etc. with his
indentures to J. Samuel White at Cowes. He left in				distinctive catchphrase "Keep 'em Peeled", lives in
1913 when he was offered a job at Vickers as Chief				Totland.
Assistant designing airships. He died in Leatherhead in				ROBERT STIGWOOD
1979.				The Bee Gee's Manager and owner of theatres in
EARL MOUNTBATTEN OF BURMA				London lives at Barton Manor, East Cowes.
Born Prince Louis of Battenburg in 1900, he was the				MICHAEL SHEARD
fourth child and second son of Prince Louis of				Famous as Mr Bronson in "Grange Hill" TV Programme
Battenburg and Princess Victoria of Hesse (a				and role in Star Wars Films lives in Ryde.
grand-daughter of Queen Victoria).				CELIA IMRIE
ALFRED NOYES				Actress who has been in "Absolutely Fabulous",
The poet moved to the Isle of Wight in 1929 and				"Dinnerladies" and many other TV shows, lives in
made his home on the Undercliff at Lisle Combe,				Cowes.
where his family still live. He spent the war in Canada				KENNETH KENDALL
but returned to the Island in 1949 and died here in				The ex BBC newsreader born in India, now lives in
1958. He is buried near Farringford.				Cowes and owns an art shop there.
J.B. PRIESTLY				JACK DOUGLAS
The author moved to the Isle of Wight in 1933 when				Famous for starring in many "Carry On" films, Jack
he lived at Billingham Manor. He later moved to Brook				lives in Shanklin.
Hill House before moving back to the mainland in				BILL PERTWEE
1959.				Bill, famous for playing the fire warden in "Dad's
SIR CHRISTOPHER COCKERELL				Army" lives in Totland next door to Shaw Taylor.
The inventor of the hovercraft spent two years				JET HARRIS
from 1959 on the Island developing his first				Formerly of the Shadows, Jet lives in Bembridge and
prototype at East Cowes.				does shows about twice a year and they are always
WILLIAM ARNOLD				sold out!

Mr Safaris

Famous People on the Isle of Wight