Museum of Island History


Past Exhibition

Recent Acquisitions


31 March 2007 – 2 November 2007

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The Isle of Wight Council Heritage Service collects, documents and preserves
items relating to the Island, in order to interpret and illustrate the human
history of the Isle of Wight.

Social History material began to be collected by the Museum Service in 1975.
Since then the collections have expanded considerably and in 1996 this
Museum opened, to display a cross section of social history material telling the
story of the Island's history.

Each year many new items are added to the collection as donations, bequests
and purchases. This small exhibition displayed some of the art works that have
recently come into the collection.

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View of Mirables amongst the rocks.
Coloured aquatint. 1810-15
Purchased with the assistance of the
MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, and with
the assistance of the Art Fund.

Thomas Walmsley (1763-1805)

The Mirables estate is situated on the south coast of the Island east of St Catherine's Point. Mrs Heneage put the estate up for sale in 1790 and it was purchased by Mr George Arnold, of
Ashby Lodge, Northamptonshire.

There are four of Thomas Walmsley prints on display.



Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg (1740-1812)
West Cowes Castle consisted of a round tower with short, single storey, rectangular wings to the east and west, forming a D to the front with a rectangular walled ditch to the back. In 1858 the Royal Yacht Squadron took up residence in Cowes Castle and it now forms part of the clubhouse.
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Cowes Castle
Coloured proof aquatint. 1805
Purchased with the assistance of the
MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, and with
the assistance of the Art Fund.



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View of Seaview
Coloured Sketch. 19th Century
Artist unknown
This early view of Seaview shows the Salterns Cottages.
The distant point is Nettlestone Point; by 1862 a Wesleyan Methodist chapel had been built there, which today houses a boatbuilder's workshop, with a yacht club alongside.



Artist unknown
General Sir James Willoughby Gordon was secretary to the noble 'Duke of York' who had ten thousand men. He lived at Northcourt, near Shorwell, Isle of Wight, with his wife Isabella Julia Levina (Bennet), whom he married in 1805.

Sir James loved carving and created the large number of carved poppy heads for the original seventeenth century pews of Shorwell church.

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Sir James Willoughby Gordon
(1772 – 1851)
Portrait Miniature.
Early 19th Century.

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Page last updated on: 28/07/2011