Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for VENTNOR

VENTNOR, a town and a parish on the S coast of the Isle of Wight. The town stands on the Undercliff, at the terminus of the Isle of Wight railway, near Boniface down, 1¼ mile WSW of Dunnose, and 9 SSE of Newport; was only a small fishing-hamlet so late as 1830; began then to draw attention as a fine sanitary retreat; grew to the bulk of a small town about 1842; underwent material improvements under an act of parliament obtained in 1844; acquired an esplanade in 1848, and water-works in 1857; enjoys a very salubrious climate and highly picturesque environs; presents, in itself, an illarranged and medley appearance; possesses attractions for tourists and invalids so great as entirely to counter-balance the effects of its disadvantages; and has a head post-office,‡ a r. station with telegraph, a banking office, five hotels, many good lodging-houses, excellent bathing appliances, two churches of 1837 and 1863, five dissenting-chapels, fine national schools, a literary and scientific institute, and a weekly market on Saturday. Pop. in 1861, 3,208. Houses, 514.—The parish is conterminous with the town; was separated from Newchurch, by act of parliament, in 1864; and is ecclesiastically divided into St. Catherine and Trinity. The living of St.is a vicarage, and that of T. is a p. curacy, in the diocese of Winchester. Value of St. C., not reported;* of T., £100. Patron of St. C., D. Hambrough, Esq.; of T., Mrs. Tuttieth and Mrs. Thompson.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a town and a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Ventnor CP       Hampshire AncC
Place: Ventnor

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