Pictures of Sandown

About Sandown

It could be said that the Isle of Wight is a landscape in miniature for although small, it lacks for nothing, indeed this was the paradise where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built Osborne, a delightful country house which they used as a retreat away from the symbols of Majesty.

Sandown, on the island's eastern side, is a popular holiday resort with a superb sandy beach (the longest on the island) which is backed by a bustling town. The beach is hemmed in at both sides by huge russet cliffs topped with springy turf here you can walk in peace enjoying bracing air and spectacular seascape views.

Historically, this was the one town on the island that Henry VIII recognised as being vulnerable to invaders, so he built a fortress here. Nothing is left of this now, it is a later fortress built in 1900 which is home to the Island's zoo. Other attractions include a leisure complex, a pier with a fun fair, miniature golf, and a museum where you can explore fossils and learn of the Dinosaurs who inhabited the landscape millions of years ago.

Night owls will appreciate Sandown's night life, there is a range of entertaining clubs, bars and restaurants. Sports enthusiasts will enjoy good opportunities for water-sports, including fishing and boating, and a little way from the town lies an excellent 18 hole golf course. There are plenty of shops and a market is held each Monday throughout the summer season.

Sandown was developed as a resort town during the Victorian era, many fine properties remain from these heady romantic times during which some quite famous people descended upon the town. Numbered amongst these are Henry Longfellow, Charles Darwin, Lewis Carroll, Keats and George Elliott, to name but a few.

If Island life is for you - then Sandown with its attractive golden sands is the place to be.