Ventnor Heritage Centre

"To Collect, Record and preserve the rich heritage and history of Ventnor and surrounding villages, and share it with local and wider communities"

Local History Walks |
Menu

Local History Walks

Guided walks:

We provide occasional guided walks; details are given here when we have one planned.

Ventnor, Cradle of the Russian Revolution

During Ventnor Fringe in 2023 the Society once again collaborated with Stephan Roman, author of Isle and Empires, on this intriguingly titled local history walk, which was also provided during the Isle of Wight Walking Festival. We will probably be providing this walk again (we enjoy doing it and it is always sold out!)  For information about this and future events please subscribe to our Ventnor Heritage Newsletter.

Walks to do on your own:

 

Time Travel Ventnor: a series of trail boards exploring the history of Ventnor, starting outside the Heritage Centre.  For details of the trail and to download a copy of the leaflet click here: Time Travel Ventnor

 

 

St Lawrence Trails: The St Lawrence Village Trail and the St Lawrence Coastal Trail are specially written local history trails that visitors can follow by themselves, and are available to download here:
St Lawrence: The Coastal Trail / St Lawrence: The Village Trail

 

 

Ventnor Historic (Beer) Walk: This is an historic stroll through the social history of Ventnor in the early 19th Century (click image on left to download walk):

 

National Trust: Ventnor Downs

The National Trust page on Ventnor Downs details several walks including what is described as ‘a short but challenging walk, taking you from Bronze Age barrows to secretive cold war underground nuclear operations’. Click here for more information: Ventnor Downs: Pre-history to Cold War 

Exhibitions, stories, images . . .

Oh Day of Days! New Book and Exhibition

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in June 1944, we are launching a booklet and exhibition highlighting Ventnor’s (and the Isle of Wight’s) role in the invasion and the experiences of local people. The Isle of Wight was closer to the Normandy beaches than any other part of Britain, and the Ventnor district hosted vital facilities such as the RAF radar station, a Royal Navy wireless interception station and the main radio station used for communication between the high command and the invasion forces.  The exhibition will be available from 5 June 2024, and features the logbook (supervisors’ diary) from RAF Ventnor covering 17 May to 12 June 1944, currently on loan to the Ventnor Heritage Centre. The new booklet, “Oh Day of Days!”  is available in the Heritage Centre, price £4.50, and our online shop, price £6.50 (including postage and packing).

Sidebar