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Fine mansions and fair villas of the Isle of Wight


Georgian and Regency Architecture


By Robin McInnes


Part of a new series, Robin McInnes delves into the abundant architectural heritage of the Island and walks us through a wealth of examples from the Georgian and Regency periods


Above: ‘Appuldurcombe House, Wroxall’ An aquatint engraving by Frederick Calvert. 1846


A


The ornate villa on the corner of George Street and Melville Street, Ryde. c.1825


128 styleofwight.co.uk


longside its celebrated coastal and inland scenery the Isle of Wight has a very rich architectural heritage that provides an almost


complete record of building styles from Norman times to the present day. Following a thorough review of the Island’s equally rich art heritage through a series of articles in this magazine over the last three years the subject of Island architecture is now being explored further.


The natural beauties of the Island had drawn writers and artists to its shores in the late eighteenth century; they described and recorded its scenery and antiquities. Their travels, writings and artworks drew attention to the Isle of Wight amongst the aristocracy and the Island started to become fashionable. The health-giving properties of the Isle of Wight sea air, the recreational sport of yachting and improved communications all encouraged development in the late


Georgian and Regency periods, which extended from the early 1700s until 1837.


Visitors travelling to the Isle of Wight, who often arrived at Ryde, were able to view a range of ornate villas ranged along the Solent shoreline, such as those of Lord Spencer and the Duke of Buckingham, which looked out over the town, whilst Ryde House, the residence of George Player and the Gothic style castle of Lord Vernon, St Clare, were particularly prominent; the Eastern Solent shoreline was certainly one of the most favoured locations for grand mansions. At East Cowes there was East Cowes Castle, the seat of the celebrated architect John Nash, which adjoined Lord Henry Seymour’s Norris Castle, and nearby was old Osborne House. At Wootton the Gothic style mansion of the Island’s Governor, Sir Thomas Orde-Powlett, offered extensive views across the northern Wight and to the mainland from its ornate flag-tower.


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