May 2020 Issue 127 The Isle of Wight Society 47th Conservation The judges felt that it was necessary to look at Awards is going to take place somewhen! each property “in the flesh”, rather than using only photographs. Once restrictions have Church Lodge in Cowes, pictured above by been lifted we will be booking a new date and member Newman Smith, is still awaiting venue for the Awards evening. restoration, and we are longing to see it featuring in our Conservation Awards. In this issue: Award winners since 1973 Normally this issue would show the winners Memories of the Island, from members of our Conservation Awards. You will have to wait, as judging has been postponed due to The High Street and the changing retail environment the Covid 19 Virus. We will then be looking 15 properties from all across the Island. Wonderful Island Walls 1 Here is a reminder of all the properties that 1998 Afton Manor, Freshwater have won our Conservation Award since the 1999 Brighstone Methodist Church beginning in 1973. 2000 Northgrounds, Chale Green 1973 Brigstocke Terrace, Ryde 1974 The Royal Victoria Arcade, Ryde 2001 Compton Undermount, Bonchurch 1975 8 Lugley Street, Newport 2002 Woodlands Vale, Ryde 1976 Arthur Cottage, East Cowes 2003 39 Union Street, Ryde 1977 Isle of Wight Glass, St Lawrence 2004 Newchurch Primary School 2004 to Brading Roman Villa 1978 Worsley Almshouses, Newport Posterity Award 1979 Townshend House, Cowes 2005 The Hackney Stable, Redway Farm Merston 1980 48 Quay Street, Newport 2005 Seascape Award RYS Harbour and the 1981 Lord Louis Library, Newport Trinity Landing at Cowes 1982 Thorley Manor, Thorley 2006 The Cottage, Great East Standen Farm 1983 The Old Brewery Site, Newport 2007 Balfour Court, Ryde 1984 Samuel White’s Estate, Cowes 2008 Wesley Mews, Wootton Bridge 1985 Adelaide Court, Ryde 2009 Brading Station 1986 Star Inn, Ryde 2010 Ryde Cemetery Chapels 1987 Withyfields, Shalfleet, 2011 Villa Amanti, Ventnor 1988 The Lanterns, Bembridge 2011 Heritage Award to Golden Hill Fort 1989 Church Mews, East Cowes 2012 Heath Cottage, Brighstone 1990 Round House, Little East Standen Farm 2012 Island Heritage Award Holy Trinity Church Cowes 1991 Tythe Barn, Buckett’s Farm, Shorwell 2013 Ryde Castle Hotel 1992 15 West Street, Newport 2015 Yarmouth Railway Station 1993 Brook Coach House, Brook 2016 The Bandstand, Sandown 1994 Griggs Hole Barn, Knighton 2017 Northwood House 1995 Rosebank House, Gurnard 2018 Northwood Cemetery Chapels 1996 Riverside Centre, Newport 2020 ? 1997 Chillerton Primary School 2 Your Memories! In a recent letter to all members it was suggested that you might like to write down your memories of the Island to keep your minds active during the “Lock Down” resulting from the Covid 19 Virus this spring. Two members have already offered their thoughts. Mrs Grace Davison, who has been a member of the Isle of Wight Society for about 50 years, has offered a few words about her childhood in the 1920s and 30s growing up at Whippingham, and member Tim Cooper grew up at Cowes in the 1950s. Any more memories for the next newsletter would be welcomed! How fortunate I was to live on the I loved to find a stone with a hole in it, as I Barton Manor Estate at Primrose Cottage. thought it was lucky, and there were many By Grace Davison, neé Snow. shells of interest. I brought home the back bones of the Cuttle Fish which the chickens loved to peck. There was much clay at King’s Quay beach. My sister and I would make up balls of clay, and with a bulrush in our hand have a clay ball fight. As we didn’t aim very well we didn’t go home bruised to death! The work force at Barton Manor Farm in 1923. Grace is on her mother’s lap, 4th baby from the right! The whole families at haymaking. As kids we would walk or bike down to King’s Quay, where we would swim, and when the tide was low or out, would turn over the rocks for eels and gather winkles and cockles. Years There were huge liners passing through the later my summer visitors would have cockles Solent – The Mauritania and Aquitania and and winkles for the first course of their meal. French vessels whose names escape me. After Then we would pick up driftwood, lumps of the liners passed the tide would roll in and we coal and boxes of oranges that had been loved to jump over these rollers. chucked out when ships revictualled. We would suck this salty fruit! Along the shore I During the war, in 1944 the whole of the would pick sea lavender and thrift and golden Solent was filled with shipping which we later poppies. learned had assembled for D Day. My sister Thelma and I were both good The planes came over in droves and there was swimmers, having swum from the age of five. a large gun emplacement on the Heights, We’d hang our clothes on a slim nut tree and I Whippingham. Bombs would drop and shake remember one of the Thomas boys hid them the area, and with the guns going off once but eventually revealed where they Primrose Cottage was badly shaken. were. Primrose Cottage 3 She made a lovely stew and left the little onions whole, and dumlings made it a favourite meal. Later on the big iron ‘S’ was put through the front wall to support the structure. One bomb dropped in reen ane and the field beyond my house and the crater still remains there often filling up with water. I attended Whiingham chool as a child where the bell was rung daily to hurry us on our way to school. o ust a few years ago I was very proud to re-enact Queen ictoria at the dedication ceremony of the restoration of the School Bell. Paw prints in a rick at rimrose ottage ll My heart gave a big leap when I was the bricks were made at the Queen’s confronted by a ony and trap at Brickyard just down the road. Whippingham hurch to take me to the school, with a piper and a bugler to welcome The windows all had to be blacked out and no me. That day at Whiingham chool there house light showing. My father was in the were many guests dressed in ictorian Home uard having been an Isle of Wight costume and two sweet children resented Territorial in the irst World War. The torches me with a osy which made me feel uite had to have the light halved with a bit of regal. The bell had been originally made by cardboard. One bomb cracked the ceiling of the local blacksmith r Bob ann. Each day the bedroom on to my sister and me. We one pupil would ring it. y heart - like the bell used to ut a bolster over our heads for - gave a leap of oy when I heard it ring again. protection. Searchlights flashed seeking for enemy planes. I remember one plane was shot down and the ilot walked into a ub Grace has attended every Conservation and in erfect English ordered a drink. Awards evening. The venues have varied. he rememers Cliff ops Hotel hanklin, My father was a good gardener, so our food when Cliff ichelmore was the presenter and was very wholesome and fruit and vegetables ladies wore evening dresses! Ryde Arcade, played a big art. Large rice uddings were Northwood ouse, iverside entre, Ryde creamy and the milk was from the arton Castle, uay rts centre when Alan uernsey cows, and I drank ints of it. um Titchmarsh was the presenter, Brading made suet uddings with most meals and Roman illa, ast owes own all, he what was left over from the first course we George treet Centre Ryde, and of course, in put on am or golden syrup for the afters. recent years, the oyal acht uadron 4 Industrial Memories of 1950s Cowes, buyers were forthcoming and it languished there until 1966. The firm later became British by IWS member Tim Cooper Hovercraft Corporation. The world’s first hovercraft, now preserved by the Science I was born in 1946, and have memories going Museum, was built and performed its trials back to a very early age, and from my from the Columbine Works in 1959. tenderest years was always interested in industrial matters. In the 1950s Cowes was still very much a shipbuilding town, and J.S.White and Sons was the main employer. The firm enjoyed an international reputation of high renown for the quality of its vessels. Keels were laid down and the ships built on the slipways at East Cowes, and after launching vessels were fitted out opposite on the west bank under the hammerhead crane of 1912, which is still there now, a local landmark. Other smaller boat and yacht builders were well In the 1950s with riveting and boiler testing represented, of which perhaps the best known being carried out by J.S.White’s; and was Groves and Guttridge, world famous for seaplane, and later hovercraft, trials being their self-righting lifeboats. undertaken by Saunders Roe, the town of Saunders Roe were still busy building flying Cowes was a very noisy place indeed. Cowes and East Cowes have since 1859 boats at Columbine Works, East Cowes, of which the most memorable were the huge been connected by Floating Bridge, (although “Princess” craft, of which three were the rights of ferriage have existed since prior constructed in 1952. Only one of them flew to the Norman Conquest), and I can just remember the last steam bridge, No.