Sandown

Sandown is a seaside resort town on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, England, neighbouring the town of Shanklin to the south. Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible golden sandy beach. It is the site of the lost Sandown Castle, Isle of Wight.

1 Natural interests
2 Tourism
3 Cities links
4 Famous connections
5 External links

[edit] Natural interests

Sandown is a typical Victorian seaside town, but is surrounded by a wealth of natural features. To the north is Culver Down, a chalk down accessible to the public, mostly owned and managed by the National Trust, and supports typical chalk downland wildlife, and many seabirds which nest on the adjoining cliffs. Nearby inland are Sandown Levels, one of the few freshwater wetlands on the Isle of Wight, where Alverstone Mead Local Nature Reserve is a very popular spot for birdwatching. Further inland the woodland of Borthwood provides delightful woodland walks, and bluebells aplenty in the springtime.

The most significant wildlife designation in the area is the Special Area of Conservation which covers the marine sub-littoral zone, including the reefs and sea bed. At extreme low tide a petrified forest is partially revealed in the northern part of Sandown Bay, and fragments of petrified wood are regularly washed up on the beach.

[edit] Tourism

Sandown has been a seaside resort town since the Victorian age thanks to its sands and the sunny weather on the Isle of Wight compared to other parts of the United Kingdom. Its success, along with that of other neighbouring Isle of Wight resorts led to the building of a railway connecting Sandown with Ventnor at the south and Ryde on the north coast of the Island. Sandown railway station is still on the one remaining operational railway on the Island, which now goes from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin.

Today, Sandown Esplanade boasts some fine Victorian and Edwardian hotels which overlook the golden sands of the beach below. Sandown Pier hosts a large amusement centre with arcade games and children's play areas, typical of a sea-side resort. The pier is also good for doing a spot of sea fishing with designated areas especially for the keen angler. Further north, there is the Isle of Wight Zoo, big cat sanctuary and other facilities including an 18 hole golf course, the Dinosaur Isle geological museum and Sandham Grounds, offering tennis, bowls and putting.

[edit] Cities links

Sandown is twinned (jumelée in french) with the town of Tonnay-Charente, in the western French département of Charente-Maritime. Its American sister city is St. Pete Beach, Florida.

[edit] Famous connections

John Wilkes (former Lord Mayor of London) owned a house and stayed regularly in Sandown. There is a memorial plaque on the site of his house at the corner of the High Street. On Sunday mornings Wilkes would go to Shanklin church, and after the service would walk across the fields to Knighton with David Garrick and his wife.
Sir Isaac Pitman is said to have worked on his system of shorthand here.
Lewis Carroll spent long holidays here, and first met Gertrude Chataway on the beach. Gertrude inspired The Hunting of the Snark.
Charles Darwin wrote some of his Origin of Species whilst staying in Sandown.
The composer Richard Strauss spent summer holidays at the Ocean Hotel in 1902 and 1903, and worked on his Symphonia Domestica while there.
Members of the group Level 42 used to go to Sandown High School, and began their musical career in Sandown. The playwright and director Anthony Minghella was another former pupil there.
Jimmy Tarbuck was one of many performers who spent summer seasons on Sandown Pier.