Here is a seaside town that conjures up memories of summer holidays spent here as a child with my parents, the lovely golden sands and the busy town with it steep hills, the esplanade and pier with its steam trains that once covered most of the island. Amusement arcades along the sea front with shops selling delicious knickerbocker glories and scrumptious Candy Floss!

The coaches and buses line up along the Esplanade ready to take holiday makers and locals to practically any destination on the island, the lovely gardens of the Esplanade and the shows that were put on in the Esplanade Theatre, along a bit further was the boating lake with rowing boats, canoes and little petrol driven motorboats. We always timed our holidays to coincide with Ryde Carnival which was said to be the best on the island, with most of the floats being made to look like pirate ships with canons that fired and pirates thowing bags of flour or using water pistols to excite the crowds. This used to come down Union Street and along the Esplanade to the Boating lake at around 8pm on what seemed to always be a perfect summers evening, and a bit later the boating lake was the venue for a huge firework display.

At night one could look across and see the lights of Southsea on the mainland and during the day you could watch the huge liners sailing up to Southampton or the warships to Portsmouth, it was a great thrill to see the old Queens or the France or America glide past causing large waves to crash on the beach due to their wash and us kids took great delight in splashing about in them..

An evenings walk along the sea path to Sea View via Appley watch tower to the old military fort of Puckpool Park, and have a glass of cooling Shandy in the Battery Hotel then stroll back just in time for bed.

My family all came from the island and we stayed at an aunts house which was the old school house in School Road at Oakfield at the top of St Johns Hill opposite the church. Another aunt lived in St Johns Wood Road opposite St Johns Wood station and I used to love watching the donkeys graze there and get taken down to the beach and also the old steam trains chuffing their way past. Here I had an uncle who used to make model ships, mainly old galleons and he also made a full scale working model of Walls fun fair which worked via an electric generator served by real steam engines. When he died this was in the ticket office at Blackgang Chine though it still worked it was by mains electricity and fell into disrepair.

Appley Tower on the path from Ryde to Seaview Photo courtesy of IOWCAM

Along the path to Sea View near Appley Tower one can find the two plaques below, which represent HMS Sirius a ship of the First Fleet of convicts that were transported to Australia.
The Plaque and bas-relief to HMS Sirius Photo courtesy of IOWCAM
HMS SIRIUS On 13 May, 1787, the first fleet sailed to Australia from the Motherbank, just off this shore. HMS Sirius was the principal naval consort for the first fleet which arrived in Sydney, Australia, on 26 January 1788. On a voyage to obtain provisions from Cape Town in South Africa to save the fledgling colony of New South Wales from starvation, HMS Sirius circumnavigated the globe. When she returned to Sydney she was in dire need of repair and so on 19 June 1789 she was taken to what is now known as Mosman Bay, Mosman, to be careened, repaired and refitted. She remained in Mosman Bay until 12 November 1789. HMS Sirius then sailed from Sydney to Norfolk Island with personnel and provisions. There she ran aground and was wrecked on 19 March 1790. Mosman Council New South Wales, Australia, commissioned three identical bas-reliefs of Hms Sirius from the sculptor, Alex Kolozsy, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the coming of Europeans to Mosman. The Mosman Community presented this bas-relief to the residents of the Borough of Medina. The other bas reliefs are sited at Mosman Bay and Norfolk Island. The Mayor of Mosman, Alderman P. C. Clive, together with Aldermen B. S. J. O'Keefe, A.M., Q.C and D. C. Brockhoff and the town clerk, Mr V. H. R. May, travelled from Australia for the unveiling ceremony For details on HMS Sirius and other ships of the First Fleet, complete with passenger and stores list click HERE

Union Street today taken from the Esplanade Photo courtesy of IOWCAM

Ryde was  one of the first places in England to have a pier and here is one of the most remarkable for it is actually three piers made into one that runs out for half a mile with trains that connect to the boats to Portsmouth and in fact it has two train stations on it, Ryde Pier Head and Ryde Terminus. The Terminus end of the pier has shops inside as well.

All of Ryde's churches are new, All Saints has a pinnacled tower with a magnificent view from the top and is said to be one of Gilbert Scott's finest works. St Mary's Roman Catholic church was designed by the same person who designed the hansom cab and the spire of St Johns towers above the town and can be seen from the mainland with the naked eye.

The Choir at All Saints Church		The Screen at All Saints Church

The Pulpit at All Saints

(photos kindly submitted by Sally-Ann Garrett)

OLD IMAGES OF RYDE

Union Street 1904, looking down to the pier. (note the train making its way to the pier head in the background)		Emily Sarah Reed, standing in front of the greengrocer shop owned by her father - William Alfred Reed (born 1866 in Ryde). The shop and family residence were located at 140 High Street
The Corner at the top of St John's Hill and School Street, Oakfield, showing Tutt's or Urry's shop and on the corner behind the lamppost was the Gents Barber's shop. This has all gone now and replaced by flats. (Photo courtesy of Ann Ryder, Porton Wilts)		Battery Hotel, Seaview Photo courtesy of David & Suzanne Maitland-Wood http://groups.msn.com/Appuldurcombe
Paper bag from Tutte's of Oakfield around the 1950s - 1960s note the last line!! (Photo courtesy of Ann Ryder, Porton Wilts)
The Old Oakfielkd schoolk taken about the 1950-60s (Photo courtesy of Ann Ryder, Porton Wilts)

RYDE CEMETERY HISTORY AND BURIAL DETAILS