Spring Tour 2023
On Sunday 14 May, members of The Worshipful Company of Founders set off on a Spring Tour of the Isle of Wight. The Founders take part in a variety of different activities and enjoy their much deserved free time with each other. This is a great bonding experience that brings all the Founders together as a team. Below is a report from different scribes on how the travels went:
Sunday
A spring tour to the Isle of Wight sounded absolutely delightful, and so it proved to be, however in the week beforehand the omens were not good. Cloudy weather, low temperatures with the possibility of rain was the forecast.
Notwithstanding the gloomy forecasts, Sunday 14th May started bright and sunny as we left our homes and made our various ways to Portsmouth. By mid-afternoon, and as the South Downs hove into view, the sun was gradually replaced by a fog which persisted for the rest of the day. When the ferry to the island was midway both the mainland and the island were hidden from view which heightened the sense of adventure and the feeling that this was indeed an overseas tour, albeit without the need for a passport.
Our destination was the pretty and narrow streeted village of Seaview, tucked away in the northeast corner of the island, where tourers were based in either the Seaview Hotel or close by.
Having settled in, and generally found our bearings, we met together for convivial pre-prandial drinks on the Esplanade, looking out across the Solent towards a now just visible Portsmouth.
Crossing the road took us directly into The Old Fort public house and upstairs to their restaurant. The chef is to be congratulated on a truly splendid meal whist the Master is to be thanked for his choice of venue and also of wine, which flowed as freely as did the many happy conversations, a feature that was to be repeated each day. As with all good things, the evening eventually came to an end, in the words of Samuel Pepys, “ And so to bed”.
Monday
Monday dawned warm, sunny and bright, and this perfect weather was to stay with us for the remainder of our time on the island - yet another of the Master’s arrangements for which we were truly grateful. After relaxing breakfasts we headed westward along the north of the island to Osborne House near Cowes, with the suggestion from the Master that we arrive at 1000 hours when the House opened. How wise this advice was, Osborne is a popular tourist destination and queues soon formed.
Now maintained and administered by English Heritage, Osborne House was the brainchild of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. They fell in love with the location with its views northwards across the Solent to the mainland and whilst it was sufficiently far from London to provide them with a sense of escape, it was sufficiently close to allow a convenient journey using the latest transport systems: railways and steam powered boats. Having had the previous house that occupied the site demolished Albert, with his chosen builder, William Cubitt, set about the design and construction of the Royal couple’s new home. The setting, with its grounds leading down to the sea is truly grand, although the house is perhaps not as homely as one might expect with the exception of the children’s nursery near the top of the building. In the nursery there hangs a large framed ‘family tree’ showing that as well as the British Empire, there was in parallel a ‘Royal Empire’ linking together most of the Royal families of Europe.
Perhaps the most extraordinary part of the House is the late 19th century extension on the west side which includes the Durbar Room, the design of which reflects Victoria’s fascination for all things Indian. The walls and ceilings are completely covered with Indian inspired decoration of the most exquisite and detailed design with barely a square inch of undecorated surface anywhere.
Time did not permit the full exploration of the site. Some chose the walled gardens, some the ‘Swiss Cottage’, part way down towards the sea where the Royal children could both play and learn life skills. All too soon it was time for lunch which was at the Folly Inn, a delightful waterside public house in East Cowes which took some finding. Thank goodness for satnav!
The combination of setting, weather, food and drink encouraged several tourers to tarry a while, which was just fine as the afternoon was our own to explore the island as we wished guided by several helpful options provided by the Master. This particular scribe chose Mottistone Gardens, a National Trust property towards the south of the island. By now we had all seen several clues of Roman occupation, including the name of the local bus company. Of their iconic straight, wide roads, however, it seems there are none! In consequence, the journey to Mottistone Gardens and back to Seaview took longer than expected but was nevertheless worthwhile. The Gardens are set in a beautiful and peaceful spot and well worth a visit.
The superb dinner that we had all enjoyed the night before was matched equally by our dinner that evening in the Aquitania Room of the Seaview Hotel. For some of those staying at the hotel, after dinner drinks in the Hotel’s bar nicely rounded off our first whole day.
Tuesday
We all woke up to another glorious day and plenty to look forward to after a hearty breakfast, with high tide and a fresh breeze blowing the cobwebs away as all set off for their next adventure. As we made our way through the lush countryside, Carisbrook Castle finally came into view in Newport with a long, steep narrow approach. We began by walking round the castle walls to fully appreciate the scenery from the elevated position and imagined what went before. Half way round we were distracted by the donkeys housed in the stables. Naughty Jack, a 23 year old escape artist and one of 6 kept there, demonstrated the tread mill used to pull water up from the deep well. These days the donkeys do very little strenuous work and have every prospect of living to nearly 60 but in days of old they were of course not so well treated. With 17 rotations each way, the donkey pulled up 40 litres of water. Today, the Environment Agency regularly inspects the well; apparently the water levels detected determine whether the Isle of Wight has a hose pipe ban.
Within the castle grounds, a visit to Princess Beatrice’s Garden was another delight. Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter used the castle as a summer home from 1913 until 1938 when the Second World War made travelling to the island more difficult. Her original garden has been the inspiration for the current design and there has been a garden here dating back to the Middle Ages according to manuscripts. Princess Beatrice lived in the Governor’s House which became the new home of the museum in 1950. Here we learned much about King Charles I, his imprisonment in the castle and attempted escapes prior to his execution in the middle 1600’s. It appeared he was well treated there and the bowling green, still in situ, was constructed especially for him. During the Civil War his children, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Henry, were also held captive; at the age of 14 his daughter died there and was buried in St Thomas’s church in Newport with little ceremony.
Earlier residents of the castle included Sir George Carey, grandson of Mary Boleyn, who was Captain of the Isle of Wight when it was under threat from Spanish invasion. He was responsible for improving the castle’s defences with a modern shell designed to withstand cannon fire. After a morning of steep climbs we had built up an appetite and took flight to Bembridge where the Crab and Lobster‘s wonderful outdoor seating area in front of the bay was waiting to welcome us for liquid refreshments as we all regrouped and sat in the sunshine. One of the great benefits of being near the sea is the delicious array of seafood available to feast on and needless to say the venue did not disappoint.
The late afternoon gave all time to pursue activities that were of particular interest to themselves which usually included a stroll to walk off earlier indulgencies!
Tuesday evening’s gathering was courtesy of Seaview’s Yacht Club where we all met on the upper deck for group photos and a brief but informative presentation by the Master on the etiquette of racing. His first- hand experience of both sailing and officiating at the Club was most enlightening and of course we enjoyed a tipple while this was taking place before dinner was served. The menu was delightful and the company exceptional.
Wednesday
So the intrepid touring party arrives on its last morning at the Brading Roman Villa near Bembridge all rosy faced and shiny nosed after 3 days of fantastic weather. Unbelievably yet another glorious day as we enter the large covered enclosure housing the remains of the Roman Villa. We are greeted by a Guide who explains how the Isle of Wight as we now know it was at one time three separate islands with Bembridge and Freshwater each being a separate island detached from the remainder of the island, but due to shifts in Teutonic plates the three islands had come together to form one. Well maybe - a good story anyway.
We then saw a variety of broken pantiles which had formerly covered the Roman buildings. Interestingly the tiles were of the same in design as those still used in Italy today. On again to a selection of ground plan walls with a variety of floor mosaics sadly mostly in a distressed condition. On yet again to the Nymph bath with somewhat coarse pieces of Purbeck stone at the base which were no doubt originally covered by an intricate mosaic to protect the delicate bottoms of the Roman ladies for whom it was installed. The Nymph bath was fed by water arriving through wooden pipes but from where wasn’t clear and neither was there any apparent overflow system - however the Roman ladies no doubt enjoyed themselves.
After viewing a selection of fascinating artefacts the tour party moved out of the museum and on to the sun drenched terrace for liquid refreshment before the noble Lord and his wife departed for the “North Island” (as the locals would have it) in order to attend the House of Lords debate on the “Illegal Immigrants Bill” thereby ensuring an amendment would be passed to enable the rest of the tour party to return at a later date Visa free.
For the rest of the tour party it was time to depart for lunch at the Garlic Farm and restaurant. Arriving at the Garlic Farm we were inundated by little known facts concerning garlic, all hard to remember but worth the effort. It seems that soft top garlic has flowers whilst hard top garlic doesn’t - or maybe it was the other way round, I don’t recall. On then into the garlic shop - everything one wanted to buy came with a garlic ingredient - why would one buy Strawberry jam with garlic when the many varieties of locally produced jam given to us all the previous evening by Alexandra, the ever attentive Mistress of the tour, were so truly delicious. Lunch however was not stressed by having an over provision of garlic. The Shetland mussels in wine and cream sauce were outstanding - how they arrived in Bembridge from Shetlands I never discovered - no doubt something to do with a shift in Teutonic plates - an issue to be clarified on a subsequent Tour no doubt.
As lunch drifted towards mid-afternoon tourers gradually departed, some to remain on the island to extend their time there, whilst others headed for the ferry terminals for the trip back to the mainland. Those on the 1620 hours car ferry from Fishbourne were briefly entertained by the ferry coming to a juddering halt just outside Portsmouth to allow a ship of the Royal Navy, assisted by tugs, to pass close by. Who, we thought, would be foolish enough to challenge a British Navy warship! The delay was well worth it and formed a fitting end to a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing Spring Tour.