Afton Down

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Afton Down is a hill near the village of Freshwater on the Isle of Wight.

It was the site of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, where around 500,000 people flocked to see the musical talents of Free, The Who, The Doors and Jimi Hendrix.

There is an obelisk on Afton Down near the cliff edge. It is inscribed with a sad story; "E.L.M. Aged 15 He cometh forth like a flower and is cut down. He fleeth also as a shadow and continueth not. Erected in remembrance of a most dear and only child who was suddenly removed into eternity by a fall from the adjacent cliff on the rocks below. 28th August 1846. Reader prepare to meet thy God, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

A local writer notes that it was common for people to climb the cliffs of the area to pick samphire, a plant used to make pickles.