Sandown

Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parish on the east coast of the Isle of Wight, southern England, with around 5,000 inhabitants. It is north of Shanklin. Both towns are located at the Sandown Bay, an inlet of the English Channel. The coastline is characterized by long sandy beaches.

Geography and environment

In the northern part of Sandown Bay is located at a water deposits of petrified trees (English Petrified Forest ), which is partially out of the water at extreme low tide.

Northeast of Sandown Culver Down is publicly accessible chalk cliffs ( in southern England chalk downlands called ), which are predominantly owned and managed by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty (short National Trust). North-west of Sandown inland are Sandown Levels, one of the few freshwater wetlands on the Isle of Wight. The local nature reserve Alverstone Mead is a popular spot for bird watching. To the west of Sandown is the approximately 0.2 square kilometers large forest area of Borth Wood Copse, which is owned by the National Trust and was formerly a royal hunting ground.

History

Originally Sandown was only of military importance because of its wide sandy beaches that represented a potential Anlandungsplatz for an invasion. In the Sandown Henry VIII built from 1544 former Sandown Castle was. Since it was built too close to the sea, it suffered heavily from erosion and was abandoned before the construction of the present-day village Sandown. Today there is the Sandham Grounds Public Park between Fort Street and Culver Parade. At low tide, nor ruin remains to be seen. Other forts in the city are the Diamond Fort ( named after its plan ), and now used as a zoo Granite Fort

One of the first civilian building was Vill Akin, a holiday home, the radical politician John Wilkes was in the 18th century, when the fashion for seaside holidays came up slowly. Initially, only reserved for the rich, such trips have become increasingly more affordable due to the expansion of railways and steamers. The sandy beaches and the comparatively sunny weather made ​​it possible for Sandown in the Victorian era - was a seaside resort - as well as other places on the Isle of Wight. The development of the resort towns favored the expansion of the railway, so that connection to Ventnor in the south and Ryde was created on the north side of the island. Sandown Train Station is now on the only still-active rail line on the island, connecting the Ryde and Shanklin.

Culture and sights

In Sandown are the Christian Church and the Church of St. John the Evangelist, both Anglican churches.

At the Esplanade, Sandown are several hotels in the Victorian and Edwardian. At Sandown Pier is a large entertainment center. To the north of the Isle of Wight Zoo is ( also known as Sandown Zoo known), which specializes in keeping tigers. In the west, inland, an 18 -hole golf course.

Traffic

Sandown is located on the railway line Iceland Line Railway. Buses of the company Southern Vectis go to Sandown on routes 2, 3 and 8. Direct bus connections there are, among others, according to Bembridge, Newport, Ryde, Shanklin and Ventnor.

Twinning

• Tonnay- Charente, Charente -Maritime, Western France
• St. Pete Beach, Florida, United States

Individuals with regard to Sandown

• John Wilkes (former Lord Mayor of London ) owned a house in Sandown and held here regularly.
• Lewis Carroll spent long holidays in Sandown and Gertrude Chataway first met on the beach. Gertrude inspired him to The Hunting of the Snark.
• Charles Darwin started his " abstract ", the later the work Origin of Species was, at the King's Head Hotel in Sandown in July 1858 and moved in July to Shanklin 's Norfolk House Hotel, where he stayed two weeks. Darwin came back several times to the Isle of Wight.
• Members of the band, Level 42 and The Bees visited the Sandown High School.
• Karl Marx visited Sandown Library to the Isle of Wight County Press to read.
• Eric Charles Twelves Wilson was born in Sandown.

Miscellaneous

The TV series Tiger Iceland reported the life of the tiger in the Isle of Wight Zoo.