REMEMBERING 50 YEARS OF AN AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY With grateful thanks to everyone who contributed their memories and photographs to this special project. 0S TOURISM IN THE 1960S than it is today. By 1963 the tradition When the AONB was designated, the Island’s tourist trade was very different Warner’s holiday camp at Woodside of family holiday camps, which had started in the 1930s, was in full swing. disco, café, indoor and outdoor swimming Bay, Wootton, was set in thirty acres of woodland and had a ballroom, pools plus 250 wooden chalets. The photo shows the camp in its heyday. and had 250 staff. The camp closed in By 1966 the Woodside Holiday Camp had the capacity for 950 customers plans to re-open the complex, a fire in 1985 were there Although patterns. holiday in change the of because 1982, y the entertainment complex (inset below). y destroyed p completely 1960s 1985 ERNS 1960s 1963 l ica otton Histor Photo: Wo AONB: INSPECTOR’S CONC In 1960 the Isle of Wight was inspec ted to see which parts where of a high enough standard to be classe d as AONB. There were four places of concern within the south west coast. Within this they mentioned “further east of Hanover Point, where an exarmy encampment is now a Holiday Camp, - a dingy and unattractive place” . They go on to say “a few miles furthe r east is another holiday camp, again an ordinary encampment, but this time with the small huts painted white, with blue-painted woodwork round doors and windows, making the place look clean and quite pleasant, thoug h not well placed on this open cliff top”. The inspector felt to include the coasta l strip with these would ‘devaluate’ the AONB, and to obviate this the IW County Council needed to ensure that the developments would be ‘taken in hand and kept seemly’. Photo: Wootton Historical f celestial party up for Star line-u (VAS) is hosting a star THE Vectis Astronomical Society d stargazers from party next weekend, and has invite admire the Island’s around the country to come and glorious dark skies. Thursday until the The star party will be held from next Holiday Centre on the following Monday at Brighstone breathtaking, almost Military Road, a location that offers s the Channel. acros views erly south egree 180-d goers will be able VAS organisers are also hoping party ts, a collection of star to see 108 of the 110 Messier Objec gued by the French clusters, galaxies and nebulae catalo er. Messi es Charl omer astron will be open to the On Saturday next week, the event chance to peruse trade public, and visitors will have the ment. There will also stalls and look at astronomical equip omy services, said: John Langley, VAS director of astron public to pop in and “We would like to invite the Island for the whole family, along the Military Road. It’s ideal rse.” so come along and explore the unive arparty.org. iowst www. at ation inform er Furth 2008 Isle of Wight County Press, 28 Feb Photo: Freshwater and Totland Archive FORT WARDEN 2013 The holiday camp at Fort Warden, near Totland, was built in the 1950s on the site of a military battery. The fort was built as part of Lord Palmerston ’s defences against the threat of French invasion in 1863 and had positions for six large guns. A holiday camp of 150 chalets which could hold up to 450 holiday makers, was built within the fort’s walls and even the battery’s engine room was converted to a swimming pool. Finally closed in 1991, the remains of the holiday camp were demolished in 2003 when housing was built at Warden Point. 2013 THE DEMISE OF THE HOLIDAY CAMP Mrs Wallace presenting David New of Chale School with the Dolphin Trophy at the Brighstone Holiday Camp pool on 22nd March 1973. Wight Life, f 1973 When the AONB was designated in 1963, it was felt that some of the Island’s holiday camps were detrimental to the beauty of the landscape. Atherfield Holiday Camp (above) was built in 1935 and its heyday was in the 60s. The reality TV show ‘Wakey, wakey campers’ was filmed there in 2005. The camp closed in 2007 and has decayed. But it’s not all over for the Island’s holiday camps; the inset picture show Brighstone Holiday Centre which is still operating today. In 1960, a Government Inspector complemented the white huts and brightly coloured paintwork, and the owners have tried to preserved this period charm. At night the camp’s ‘dark skies’ attract astonomers - see ‘Star Party’ article (above left). Design: pinkeyegraphics.co.uk Photo: John Noyce