Totland Bay is a bay on the west coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies to the west of the village of Totland from which it takes its name. It faces north west and its shoreline is 4km in length and is made up of a straight west facing coast which has a beach, concrete seawall, groynes and pier and a straight north facing rocky coastline. It stretches from Warden Point in the north to Hatherwood Point in the south west.
The seabed is a mixture of mud and sand. The beach is predominantly shingle. Since 2001 the quality of the beach has been high enough for it to be awarded the Seaside Award Flag. Throughout the Summer season the beach is litter-picked and seaweed removed for use as compost to local farmers.[1]
At one end of the bay is a lifeboat station. This was built from money raised by local Sunday School children in 1870. By 1915 the Totland Lifeboat Station was equipped with the island's first steam lifeboat. The lifeboat station closed in 1924 although its remains still exist today.[2]
The bay is best viewed from Headon Warren or anywhere along the concrete seawall. The Isle of Wight Coastal Path runs along the seawall from Warden Point to Widdick Chine.
The pier at Totland Bay was built and opened in 1880. It was commissioned by Totland Bay Hotel and designed by S.H and S.W Yockney measuring 450 feet. The pier was constructed of a light girder framework on cast iron piles with a timber deck. The principal reason behind its construction was to encourage tourists to the area by providing a safe and convenient steamer landing stage. At the time of construction, facilities were limited to a small wooden shelter at the head and a small amusement pavilion at the shore-wood end. Initially, the pier only received a small number of steamer excursions from Lymington and Yarmouth, however this later extended to include trips around the island and to mainland destinations like Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth. Today the pier is no longer open to the public. There is a small cafe at the start, and the shelter is still in place at the pier head, in private ownership and used as an art gallery.[2]
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