Ventnor

Ventnor is a charming Victorian coastal town at the south of the Isle of Wight protected by St. Boniface Down – the highest point on the island. This creates a micro-climate which encourages lush vegetation and varied wildlife and some of the UK’s sunniest summers and mildest winters.

The western esplanade has a part sand, part fine shingle beach, good for sunbathing and swimming with nearby pubs, cafés, amusements and paddling pool. The eastern promenade leads to Bonchurch, the Island’s best preserved Victorian village much favoured by prominent Victorian literati. Charles Dickens wrote part of David Copperfield whilst staying at Bonchurch which he described as “The prettiest place I ever saw in my life, at home or abroad”.

Ventnor Beach

Ventnor Bay

Ventnor Cascade

Shopping includes traditional butchers and delicatessen, greengrocers, handmade jewellery, hardware, toys, chemists, Post Office and a number of collectibles and antique shops, as well as a reasonable size Cooperative supermarket, Premier Convenience Store and a Tesco Express. There are two free cash dispensers in the town.

In Victorian times Ventnor became a fashionable holiday and health resort. Sir James Clark, Queen Victoria’s doctor, endorsed the health-giving properties of Ventnor’s climate.“Nothing along the south coast will bear comparison with it” he enthused. The town is currently reinventing itself as a stylish destination with new residential development, luxury hotels, wine bars, a piano bar and a new harbour. It was recently listed as the 7th best coastal town in Britain in Coast magazine, and was described by BBC Radio Solent as the new Notting Hill.