Glass is Class at Alum Bay
It is a fascinating work of art, and one that thousands of visitors stand and marvel at each year. Working in searing heat at the Alum Bay Glass studio, on the Needles Park site, Colin Green (left) and his team produce magnificent, eye-catching items that are now being snapped up worldwide. Alum Bay Glass was founded in 1972, and Colin, 45, has been working for the company since 1987, following in a family tradition that was started by five of his uncles who were all in the glass industry. One of the uncles, Jack Green was a renowned scientific glass maker, who later did more artistic...
Read MoreIt’s Showtime at Osborne!
We conclude our series on Osborne House by revealing what has been happening behind the scenes of the famous venue in readiness for the new season. The dust covers had been removed from thousands of priceless items; the new staff had been trained to deal with a plethora of questions; the windows were spotless, and for the first time in many years even chimneys had been swept. So after its winter hibernation, the doors of Osborne House were finally re-opened to the public for the new season, with close to 250,000 visitors expected to flock through over the next few months. As Osborne...
Read MoreWarrior: Real War Horse
A horse born on the Island more than 100 years ago has recently emerged as the central figure in one of the most incredible tales of bravery and unity throughout the whole of the First World War. Yet the heroics of Warrior, a bay thoroughbred, ridden by his owner General Jack Seeley, might have been lost forever but for the release earlier this year of Steven Spielberg’s latest film ‘War Horse’. But whereas Spielberg’s equine hero’s exploits are fictional, those of Warrior are true, and truly amazing, in every aspect. Warrior was born in Yafford in 1908, and after the War...
Read MoreA Reflection on the Year as High Sheriff
It has proved a thoroughly enjoyable, but hectic 12 months for Susie Sheldon who began her term as High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight in April last year. Susie has averaged about one engagement every day, but insists she would not have missed a minute of it, and the whole experience has made her further appreciate just how much ‘behind the scenes’ voluntary work takes place on the Island. In this exclusive Island Life interview, she tells of some of the highlights of the past 12 months. Susie said: “The year has been hugely enjoyable and truly amazing because of the number of...
Read MoreQuarr Abbey: Beyond These Walls
Beyond the imposing red brick walls of Quarr Abbey there remains a mystique and intriguing way of monastic life that very few of us have ever really seen, writes Peter White. The large Abbey stands just a few hundred yards from the busy road that links Ryde with Newport. Yet once inside the grounds, you somehow feel a world away from modern day life as hustle and bustle gives way to peace and tranquillity. But maybe not all is quite what it appears to be to the many visitors who congregate at Quarr Abbey each year – to pray in the impressive church of one million bricks; to wander...
Read MoreNew Holmwood Hotel
Over the past few months the hotel, which stands on Queens Road, Egypt Point, has undergone an extensive upgrading programme. The three lounges, dining area and reception, along with all the bedrooms, have been redecorated and fully complement the spectacular views of The Solent that the New Holmwood enjoys. Hotel business director David Titley moved to the Island from the Midlands to take charge of the hotel nearly 20 years ago, and he now runs the establishment with his partner Kathy Soteriou, the restaurant manager, and Cheryl Hickey, the Front of House manager. David said: “We...
Read MoreAmazing Escape in the Blitz
As Ursula Thompson walks among the thousands of plants and shrubs she carefully nurtures at her Island Garden Centre near Newchurch, she sometimes pauses to reflect on how lucky she is just to be there. Mrs. Thompson’s life has been quite remarkable, yet it so nearly ended even before it began. And again when she was a babe in arms she went desperately close to being one on the many innocent victims of the atrocities of the Second World War. But this is no ordinary story of a family who dodged the bombs and shells that fell around them time after time. Mrs. Thompson, her parents, two...
Read MoreCattle and Horses Keeping Michael Young at Heart
In the second of this two-part special on Michael Poland, Island Life talks to the successful Island businessman about two of the greatest passions in his life – cattle and horses. On the large acreage of conservation land near Wroxall where he and his wife Carolyn have their Island home, magnificent Highland cattle graze freely, and Michael likes nothing more than to be out there with them, calling to each one by name. “Both here and at our home in Oban, Scotland I have the freedom to walk out of the door and walk amongst my cattle. I love that and it is important to me,” he said....
Read MoreFamily Affair
The Family Tree – a subject that intrigues so many of us. But all too often initial interest begins to wane, sometimes because of a lack of time or simply because it can be difficult to go back more than a couple of generations. But neither has deterred Linda Jones from Shanklin from delving into historical records, both on her family’s behalf and of many others. Linda’s interest in her own family tree developed more than 30 years ago when she was handed the family bible that contained all the names and dates of her maternal grandfather and his siblings from Denbighshire and...
Read MoreClue Up for Cold Weather Colic
Well here we are again in mid-winter. The average horse owner is likely to be well acquainted with their horse’s predisposition to colic regardless of the season, but with very cold weather come complicating factors that all owners should be prepared for. The number one cause of colic during the winter is a lack of fresh, unfrozen water. Horses must drink 10-12 gallons of fresh water every day and will dehydrate quickly if water is unavailable. If your horse is not able to get enough water, it is at greater risk of conditions such as simple indigestion or impaction. A frozen water trough is...
Read MoreAdvertisement
