Sandown

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=100 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="06f64643.jpg"> <div> <I><B>The Isle of Wight Photo Gallery</B></I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#660000" FACE="Georgia Ref" ><I>  </I></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#660000" FACE="Georgia Ref" ><I> </I></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="isle_of_wight_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Index"><U><B>MAP</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id618.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sandown"><U>Sandown</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id719.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sandown Bay"><U>Sandown Bay</U></A>   |   <B>Sandown </B>   |   <A HREF="id621.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Browns Golf"><U>Brown's Golf</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id624.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Browns Club House"><U>Brown's Club House</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id620.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Beach"><U>Beach</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id619.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dinosaur Museum"><U>Dinosaur Museum</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id623.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tea Garden"><U>Tea Garden</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id808.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tea Garden"><U>Tea Garden</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <HEAD> <STYLE type="text/css">  </STYLE> </HEAD>  </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=380 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="21c35a5a3.jpg"> <bR> <div> The town which gives its name to the bay is the more easterly, and has behind it the flat river valley of the Yar, Which flows into Brading Harbour the name Sandown simply reflects its geographical situation -a sandy river plain.  Though Sandown was certainly familiar to the Romans, and is mentioned in the Domesday Book, little is known  about its early history except that its evident military vulnerability has been a cause for concem over many centuries.</div> <bR> <div> The long flat beach, with open land behind, must have seemed hugely inviting to potential invaders. Henry VIII recognised this, and built a fort to protect it in 1537. But it was too close to the sea and eventually disintegrated into It. A replacement built in 1632, was also judged too near, and was ultimately demolished to be replaced by the Existing fort, built in the 1900s and subsequently transformed into the Island's zoo.</div> <bR> <div> It was not until the mid-19th century that Sandown's potential as a seaside resort was recognised, though some Individuals enjoyed staying there while it was just a village. One of these was the radical John Wilkes, MP for Middlesex (though he was four times not allowed to take his seat) and Lord Mayor of London in 1774. Froml7B4- 1797 Wilkes took a house, which he called Villakin, in what, is now the High Street where he entertained friends (One of whom was the actor David Carrick) with witty gossip and old wine, There is a plaque on the wall of the Ladies Realm shop commemorating the site. Sandown later became popular with other well-known people, including Lewis Carroll, Charles Darwin, John Keats, George Eliot and Henry Longfellow, all of whom paid regular visits to the town during the years when the Victorians were developing the resort with their usual determination and enthusiasm.</div> <bR> <div> Today Sandown has a small population but lures many thousands of visitors with its popular seaside attractions, Including the Wight City leisure Complex and a pier with the usual slot machines and funfair. It is a lively and noisy place, but note the injunction 'Shoes must be worn at all times' - the pier, too, has its standards. Sandown also has a miniature golf course (in Brown's Pleasure Park), night dubs, bars, discos, restaurants and enough fast food places to feed as many ravenous holidaymakers as care to come.</div> <bR> <div> Sandown has a market every Monday from Easter till the end of September known as the Wight City Market it is held on the car park of Wight City Leisure Complex in Fort Street and specialises in virtually anything from linens to pot plants, from fashion jewellery to shirts and shoes, from sheepskins to watches. At the Heights leisure complex on Lake Hill there is a 25metre pool as well as a smaller pool for learners, a gym, squash courts, sauna, steam spa, bar and bistro. The Isle of Wight Zoo, at the eastern end of the town, has big cats and many other species, notably snakes, and is now internationally recognised as having one of the best Tiger sanctuaries in the world. This is being expanded in 1999 on land the zoo has just acquired. Closer to the centre of town is the Geological Museum, which interprets millions of years of fossil history and displays footprints of the dinosaurs that once enjoyed the natural pleasures of Sandown Bay.</div> <bR> <div> Close to Sandown is an 18-hole golf course and the Isle of Wight Airport, where there is a front-line and aviation museum, a speciality flying school, and where, between Easter and the end of September, pleasure flights can be Arranged.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>