Wight, Isle of (unitary authority)

I

Introduction

Wight, Isle of (unitary authority) (ancient Vectis), island and unitary authority, southern England, lying in the English Channel, and separated from Hampshire to the north on the English mainland by the narrow channels of the Solent and Spithead. The area of the island and unitary authority are coterminous at 381 sq km (147 sq mi). Newport is the administrative centre.

The Isle of Wight is two distinct places: in winter it is largely left to the local residents; the summer brings large numbers of holiday-makers, numbering as many as ten times the local population.

II

Land and Resources

The Isle of Wight is diamond-shaped, and measures 36 km (22.5 mi) from east to west, and 22 km (13.5 mi) from north to south. A chalk ridge, which once joined the island to the mainland, runs across the centre of the island from Culver Cliff at the far eastern point to the Needles running into the sea at the far western point. The three chalk pinnacles of the Needles (a fourth Needle disappeared during a storm in 1764) rise to a height of approximately 30 m (100 ft). To the north of the chalk ridge, the lower Tertiary rocks are cloaked in poorly drained clay lowlands, covered widely with oak woods. To the south of the ridge are Cretaceous rocks, then good farmland, and then again, nearer the sea, sandstone hills, which rise to over 230 m (750 ft). Much of the southern coast has comparatively high cliffs. Just inland from St Catherine's Point, the island's southernmost tip, is St Catherine's Hill, its highest point at 238 m (780 ft). The southern cliffs are dissected by a number of “chines”, steep, narrow gorges running down to the sea, cut by streams and filled with luxuriant vegetation. This area is very susceptible to landslips. The sea has claimed a stretch about 275 m (900 ft) wide of the southern coast in the last 50 years, and landslips have created the Undercliff, a wide coastal terrace, running between Ventnor and St Catherine's Point. The Countryside Agency has designated several parts of the island as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including stretches of the coast, the valley of the River Yar, the downland behind Ventnor, and the chalk ridge from Newport to Culver Cliff.

The island has three rivers, all of which flow northwards. The biggest of these is the Medina, which almost divides the island in two from south to north, reaching the sea at Cowes. To the east is the Yar (sometimes known as the East Yar), which empties into the sea near Bembridge, and to the west is another Yar (sometimes known as the West Yar), which has its estuary at Yarmouth. Mention should also be made of Wootton Creek, which opens into Spithead on the north-east side of the island, but which is more of an inlet from the sea than a river.

The Isle of Wight has one of the most pleasant climates in Britain, usually enjoying high temperatures and long hours of sunshine in summer, while the winters, despite the occasional harsh east wind, are rarely excessively cold. The climate was, in fact, responsible for the growth of many of the seaside resorts, which sprang up originally because of their suitability for invalids and convalescents. Average annual rainfall over the county is about 750 to 1,000 mm (30 to 40 in).

III

Wildlife

The coastline of the island is populated by sea birds, including gulls, cormorants and shags, guillemots, and razorbills. Culver Cliff is a prime nesting site. At Newtown Estuary, on the opposite side of the island, there is a nature reserve that is home to waders and other wildfowl. New Forest ponies are taken to the island in summer to graze on St Boniface Down, above Ventnor. The Isle of Wight is one of the few places in Britain where, protected by the sea from the immigration of grey squirrels, the red squirrel is still found in significant numbers, especially in the partly replanted Parkhurst Forest, which covers an area of 405 hectares (1,000 acres) to the north-west of Newport.

IV

Population and Administration

The population of the Isle of Wight was estimated in 2001 to be 132,719. The principal town is Newport (1991, 20,574), situated in the centre of the island. The other major towns, and principal holiday resorts—Ryde (1991, 20,502), Cowes (1991, 16,335), and Sandown and Shanklin (16,852)—are on the coast, as are the island's smaller towns, such as Ventnor (1991, 5,710), Bembridge (1991, 3,397), Yarmouth, St Helen's, Freshwater, and Totland Bay, which are all also resorts.

The unitary authority of the Isle of Wight is administered from County Hall, Newport. Until 1995 the island was divided into two district councils: Medina and South Wight. However, in April of that year, the Isle of Wight became the first of the English counties, under the Local Government Act 1994, to gain a unitary local government authority. The police authority is the Hampshire Constabulary, with headquarters in Winchester, Hampshire. A Crown Court sits in Newport.