In response to Jon Cuthill’s request for famous sons and daughters, courtesy of the excellent Ventnor Heritage Centre, here are some of the wonderful people who have visited and stayed in Ventnor.
Sir Winston Churchill (left) – Stayed at homes in Wheelers Bay and Mitchell Avenue when a boy. His nurse had relations living in the area.
Charles Dickens – Stayed at “Winterbourne” in Bonchurch in 1849. Wrote part of “David Copperfield” whilst there.
Elgar – Stayed in Ventnor for his honeymoon at a house in Alexandra Gardens.
Mahatma Gandhi – Stayed at a house in Madeira Road in 1891
Admiral Jellicoe – His family home was at “St. Lawrence Hall”.
Lord Macauley – In 1850 spent some months at “Madeira Hall” in Trinity Road. Wrote part of his “History of England” whilst there.
Marx – Stayed in Ventnor in 1882 and 1883 at a house in St. Boniface Gardens. Spent two Winters here to improve his health.
Alfred Noyes – Family home at “Lislecombe” in the Undercliff
Edmund Peel – His home was at “Under Rock” in Bonchurch which he shared with his brother.
Haile Selassie – Stayed in Ventnor in the late 1930’s.
H. De Vere Stacpoole – Lived in Bonchurch for many years at “Cliffdene”. Gave Bonchurch Pond to the area in memory of his wife.
John Sterling – Purchased “Hillside“ in 1842. Died there in 1843 and is buried at Bonchurch.
Algernon Swinburne – Lived at East Dene, Bonchurch. Baptised in Bonchurch Old Church. Family grave in the ‘new’ Bonchurch Church.
Ivan Turgenev – Stayed at Rock Cottage in Belgrave Road. (a different house with the same name occupies the site today).
Canon Venables – Author and authority on architecture. Lived at “Hawthorndene” in Bonchurch Shute in the 1850’s. (Today “Bonchurch Manor Hotel”).
More to be found on their page about the People of Ventnor. For a look at the well known around the Island, take a look at the wide selection on the Invectis site.
