Yarmouth, Isle of Wight

:"For other uses, see Yarmouth."

infobox UK place
country = England
map_type= Isle of Wight
official_name= Yarmouth
latitude= 50.7048
longitude= -1.4950
population = 855 (1991 Census)
unitary_england= Isle of Wight
lieutenancy_england= Isle of Wight
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Isle of Wight
post_town= YARMOUTH
postcode_district = PO41
postcode_area= PO
dial_code= 01983
os_grid_reference= SZ356896

Yarmouth is a port and civil parish [ [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/geographic_area_listings/downloads/EnglishParishes&WelshCommunities_N&C_2004.xls English Parishes & Welsh Communities N&C 2004] ] in the western part of the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England. The town is named for its location at the mouth of the small Western Yar river (there is also an Eastern Yar on the island). Yarmouth is a crossing point for the river, originally with a ferry, replaced with a road bridge in 1863 [http://freespace.virgin.net/iw.history/yarmouth/history.htm A Timeline History of Yarmouth] compiled by Ian Dallison on behalf of The Yarmouth Society] .

History

was represented by two members of Parliament until 1832.

Until the building of the Castle regular raids on the Island by the French continued and in 1544 the town of Yarmouth was reputed to have been burned down. Legend has it that the church bells were carried off to Cherbourg or Boulogne.

Yarmouth Castle, was built in 1547. It survives, and is now in the care of English Heritage [ [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.14505 English Heritage] ] . It is effectively a gun platform built by Henry VIII to strengthen the Solent and protect the Isle of Wight, historically an important strategical foothold for any attempted invasion of England.

In St. James's Church there is a monument to the seventeenth-century admiral Sir Robert Holmes who based his operations at Yarmouth. He obtained it in a raid on a French ship, when he seized an unfinished statue of Louis XIV of France and forced the sculptor to finish it with his own head rather than the king's. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A894198 BBC DNA page about Robert Holmes] ] .

Yarmouth Pier was built in 1876 and is the longest timber pier in England which is still open to the public.

Several Sites of Special Scientific Interest lie close to Yarmouth, including Yar Estuary SSSI & Bouldnor And Hamstead Cliffs SSSI.

Commerce

As a port and market town Yarmouth has long had local commercial significance. It still has some boatyards and chandlery, and although relatively small in size it still supports a number of shops, hotels, pubs and restaurants, supported partly by passing trade from the ferry terminal and by visiting yacht-owners in the harbour.

Transport

The Wightlink car ferry sails from Yarmouth to Lymington in Hampshire.

Southern Vectis operate bus services from Yarmouth bus station, the main one being circular route 7 serving Totland, Alum Bay, Freshwater, Brighstone, Newport and either Shalfleet or Calbourne and back to Yarmouth. The route runs in both directions. [ [http://www.islandbuses.info/routes.html Bus routes] ]

In the Spring and Summer, Southern Vectis also operate an open top bus route called "The Needles Tour" which runs through Freshwater Bay to Alum Bay and onto the The Needles down a bus only road along the cliff edge; returning to Yarmouth via Totland and Fort Victoria. [ [http://www.islandbuses.info/needles.html Needles Tour] ] For the more athletic, Yarmouth is on the Isle of Wight Coastal Path.

References

External links

* [http://www.yarmouth-harbour.co.uk Official website of Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) Harbour Commissioners]