New 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 MoreHovertravel: Hovering on the Fast Route to Success
The Island is proud of being unique, and nowhere is its individuality shown to better advantage than in Solent Express, the new BHT-130 hovercraft that has entered service on Hovertravel’s Ryde-Southsea route. The BHT-130 design is not just the latest in hovercraft technology, but is also a symbol of the pioneer spirit and loyalty to the community that Hovertravel and its subsidiary company, Hoverwork, have sustained on the Island for over 40 years. The Hovertravel story began in 1965 when six intrepid entrepreneurs introduced a passenger hovercraft service between Ryde and two mainland...
Read MoreWight Stonemasonry Limited: Making their Mark on History
Do you ever look at a building and wonder at the genius of its creator? Do you ever look at a building and wonder at the genius of its creator? Why was it built? What purpose did it serve? Who was the stonemason? When I went to meet two stonemasons I found that sometimes even before the first stone was laid, the story had already begun. Dave Hailstone and Dave Crouch run Wight Stonemasonry Limited at Dinglers Farm on the Yarmouth Road outside Newport. Their business card says “Architectural and monumental stonemasons” and I discovered this meant that besides carving gravestones and...
Read MoreDiamond Isle Sculptured Glass: Local Awards Shone Through
The dancing figures in some of Paul Critchley’s more exuberant glass creations are almost a tribute to his own energy and enthusiasm. Figures emerge from a huge tidal wave; a wind-racked tree is, from another angle, constructed of fluid, united people. Paul is energised by the medium he works with and by the boundless possibilities of his craft. Paul is one of the craftsmen at Arreton Barns, where amid the confusion of coach parties and tourists, he produces pieces of beauty. His most recent commission has been the trophies for the Island Life food and drink awards: simple irregular...
Read MoreElizabeth Pack: We Don’t Sell Dresses, We Dress Ladies
She is the same age as the Queen and still runs her store, Elizabeth Pack in Ryde. Since the age of 15 she has devoted herself to maintaining the standards of yesteryear with collections for today’s ladies who lunch. Word of her clothes collection has even reached Japan! Martin Potter meets the doyenne of Island ladieswear. It is one of life’s fixtures. While hotels go up and come down, while cafes change from slow food to fast food, while even the pier is about to change forever, Elizabeth Pack of Ryde, ladies’ departmental clothes store, remains firmly, incontrovertibly, the same. And...
Read MoreThe Old Smithy: Past and Present
Nothing about The Old Smithy in Godshill is as you’d expect. There is no blacksmith, for starters, though of course there once was, and you can see the original smithy from the newly enlarged Coffee Shop. What the Old Smithy is today is a relaxed place to browse for out-of-the ordinary gifts and clothes. But the surprising thing is that it thrives as a business because it does more for its customers than it asks of them. Its story is about the foresight of one family and its effects on a village. It was the village butcher Reg Andrews who, way back in 1948, bought up the blacksmith’s...
Read MoreBembridge Boarding Campus: The Hidden Jewel
Nestled amidst 100 acres of land on the most easterly tip of the Island, lies the thriving community of Ryde School’s Bembridge Boarding Campus (affectionately known as the BBC). Although the setting is quintessentially English, the students who make this Bailey Scott designed building their home bring an international influence to our Island. Representatives from over sixteen countries, happily share their global experiences with their local counterparts. Together, they bring a truly cosmopolitan feel to this small corner of the Island, one which is envied and shared by an ever...
Read MoreGriffin Marine Services: Wight Water Riding
If the Isle of Wight could have its own Prime Minister, Tim Griffin would be the man for the job. He is passionate about the Island, its beauty, the unruffled attitude of its residents, and the fact it allows him to live as he wishes. Actually, Prime Minister might be a little too political a post for a man who lives on and by the water, instructing fellow enthusiasts in driving ribs, jet-skis and the like. Ambassador for the Island, then. Oh, let’s just settle for King. Not that he will thank me for the suggestion. When we meet, outside the Lifeboat Inn in East Cowes which overlooks the...
Read MoreIsle of Wight Pearl Centre: The History of Pearls
To find one perfect pearl, 10,000 wild oysters need to be opened: men died in diving for them, and it is the implicit danger of the getting of pearls that has made them a gift to be cherished. They are bitter-sweet. How can something so perfect emerge from a shell so rough, and from a creature so unprepossessing? Indeed, how can the sophisticated industry we know today arise from the hessian sacks of the pearl markets of rural China? What makes the song of the Pearl Fishers by Bizet loved by so many is the haunting sorrow underlying the lilting beauty of the melody. In John Steinbeck’s...
Read MoreThe Lakeside Park Hotel: Location, Luxury, Location
There has never been a bridge from the mainland to the Isle of Wight – until now. The Lakeside Park Hotel is a venue of such appealing luxury that, once word gets out, it will draw weekenders, business conferences and brides-to-be across the water as if there were a physical link. That at least is the aim of Robert Tether, General Manager of Lakeside Park Hotel. “My personal objective is to get together with other like-minded hoteliers, the Tourist Board, and others in the Tourism industry to really promote the Island. Obviously here at Lakeside we’re in a perfect position, near the...
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