Borthwood

Borthwood Copse, near Sandown, Isle of Wight, England is a piece of woodland owned by the National Trust and is one of the numerous copses which make up part of the medieval forest which covered most of the eastern end of the Island. Borthwood Copse sits on the outskirts of Newchurch, and is close to the neighbouring hamlet of Apse Heath and the villages of Queen's Bower and Alverstone. Borthwood Copse was originally a royal hunting ground. It was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1926 by Frank Morey. He had purchased it a few years earlier to preserve it for wildlife. Subsequent additions have been added to the land and it now covers a total of 60 acres (240,000 m2). There are some ancient oaks, and a distinctive grove of beech trees which stand amongst glades of coppiced sweet chestnut and hazel. The woodland is one of the very few examples of working coppice with standards which can be seen on the Isle of Wight. A bridleway and many smaller paths lead through the woodland, which is open to the public. It is particularly popular with visitors in the autumn with its vivid colours and, in the springtime, when carpeted with bluebells. Borthwood Copse is one of the countless locations in the Eastern Isle of Wight that are home to large numbers of Red Squirrels. Owing to its position on the downs, much of Borthwood Copse is hilly, and in wet weather the soil often becomes waterlogged and marshy, making travel through the copse on foot difficult. Within the wood is a viewpoint looking east from where you can catch a glimpse of Culver Down and the sea. As the copse climbs a small hill, Bembridge Windmill can be seen in the distance through the downs on clear days. Wildlife includes dormice, red squirrels, a wide range of bats, and many invertebrates. The view point is called Kite Hill.

Queen's Bower (or Queen Bower) is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight, England that has effectively merged with Winford and Apse Heath to create a village. It is classed as part of Sandown, with the postcode PO36. It is in the civil parish of Newchurch, Isle of Wight. Transport is provided by Southern Vectis bus route 8 to Sandown, which stops at Hairpin Bend on Alverstone Road once every hour throughout the day, which is right on the perimeter of Borthwood Copse. It lies to the north of Borthwood, a National Trust property, and gets its name from a hunting lodge for hunting deer in Borthwood, owned in the 13th century either by Isabella de Fortibus — last "Queen" of the Isle of Wight, or King Edward I's queen after he took over the Island. Although somewhere along the line between then and the present, the name has become lost in translation as it is believed to have been originally known as 'Queen Dower' as the land was passed down to her. The only commercial property in the area is the Queen Bower Dairy which is also a caravan park. The National Trust site of Borthwood Copse, which was originally a royal hunting ground is nearby. The area is also home to the 'Isle of Wight Cheese Company' which gets its milk from the dairy farm. Alongside Alverstone and other nearby settlements, Queen's Bower is one of the locations on the Isle of Wight where red squirrels can often be found.

Alverstone Garden Village is a housing estate built between the 1930s and the 1970s; entirely contained within Youngwoods Copse, and thus almost invisible from the older hamlet of Alverstone. At the 2011 Census the Post Office indicated that the population was included in the civil parish of Newchurch, Isle of Wight. Transport is provided by Wightbus route 23, which runs through the estate on its way between Newport and Shanklin.

Isle of Wight/Sandown Airport (ICAO: EGHN) is an unlicensed aerodrome located 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) west of Sandown, Isle of Wight, England. It is close to the village of Lake. Isle of Wight Sandown Aerodrome formerly had a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P883) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Isle of Wight Aviation Limited).

Alverstone is a village 2 miles from the east coast of the Isle of Wight, near Sandown. The name Alverstone is most likely of Saxon origin meaning "Alfred's Farm". Up until 1960, boating took place on the river and tea-gardens were very popular with local people, who came by train on excursions. There is evidence from an archaeological dig in Alverstone of a Roman military presence in the area.Kern Farm is the oldest farm in Alverstone, situated to the north of the village. It was at one point a Mill held in 1086 by William I and previously by King Harold at the time of the Norman Invasion. Alverstone Farm, situated to the east of the village, consists of a manor mentioned in the Domesday Book and other sandstone buildings of interest. When Richard Webster became Chief Justice of England in 1900, he chose the title Lord Alverstone because it was the title he was permitted to choose which was "closest" to Sandown, one of his favourite locales. Alverstone Manor is located here. Prince Albert was instrumental in creating a 'model' brickworks in Alverstone in the middle of the 19th century (but that is a different 'Alverstone', east of Whippingham Isle of Wight, on the southern edge of QV's Osborne Estate).The Village Hall was built by Lord Alverstone in 1879 to serve as the village school. It remained as a school until 1921 when it briefly served as a church. The Newport Junction Railway opened a station at Alverstone on 1 February 1875, and the station first appeared in a public schedule in June 1876. The journey to Sandown took 3 minutes and the journey to Newport took 20 minutes. Alverstone railway station finally closed 6 February 1956. The original wooden station was replaced with one built with earth and clinkers, with wood siding. There are many wetlands around Alverstone. Nature lovers enjoy visiting the Alverstone Marshes. The Alverstone Mead is a 55-acre (220,000 m2) woodland and nature reserve about 1-mile (1.6 km) from Sandown. Alverstone Mead is southeast of Alverstone, and south of the cycleway between Sandown and Newport. It was farmed as water meadows until 1993. Since then the lease has been held by the Wight Nature Council and it has served as a nature reserve with some ancient woodland. It was once part of the Lower Borthwood Farm.Transport is provided by Wightbus route 23, running between Newport and Shanklin.

Alverstone Marshes (grid reference SZ572859) is an 83.8 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the Isle of Wight, notified in 1951. The Alverstone Marshes are the site of a wetland restoration project by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. It is also noted for water voles.

Alverstone Mead Local Nature Reserve is a lowland freshwater wetland nature reserve close to Sandown, Isle of Wight. it is a part of the Alverstone Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest. The site is on the floodplain of the Eastern Yar, and is a popular spot for birdwatchers. The old trackbed of the Newport-Sandown railway runs through it, and is now a cycleway. In addition, the station house of Alverstone railway station, now a private residence, is still intact, and sits adjacent to Alverstone Mead. It is owned by the Isle of Wight Council and leased to the Wight Nature Fund.

Alverstone railway station, was an intermediate station situated on the edge of Alverstone village on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England.

Winford is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight which since the 1950s and particularly in the late 1970s has seen considerable housing development. The local shop in Forest Road closed some time ago, but tourist attractions with gift shops are situated nearby. It is in the civil parish of Newchurch. The pipes supplying Winford with water are being replaced as part of a massive upgrading of the infrastructure supplying water to the Isle of Wight. In addition, two huge pipes supplying the Isle of Wight with water from the mainland of England are being replaced, and water pipelines are being extended in the south of the Island.Southern Vectis bus route 8 and former Wightbus route 23 link Winford with the towns of Newport, Sandown, Shanklin and Ryde, including intermediate villages.

Apse Heath is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight, UK. Apse Heath is centered on the intersection of Newport Road and Alverstone Road. At the 2011 Census the Post Office said the population of the hamlet was included in the civil parish of Newchurch, Isle of Wight. It is northeast of Whiteley Bank and south of Winford. Apse Heath is bordered by the leafy villages of Alverstone and Queen's Bower, and is surrounded by areas of woodland and agricultural land. It also sits roughly 2 miles east of the village of Newchurch, and 1 mile west of Lake. The word "apse" in the local dialect means an aspen tree, or Populus tremula. Thus, Apse Heath refers to a Heath (small moor) populated by Aspens. Apse Heath Methodist Church had a congregation of 11 to 15 that met every Sunday to worship. The church was founded in 1875 by the Bryanites or Bible Christians. The cornerstone of the present chapel was laid by Lord Alverstone, on 10 September 1902. Electric lights were installed in the church and hall in 1956. The church closed for worship in 2013 and after extensive refurbishment is now a successful holiday let known as The Old Chapel, Apse Heath. Apse Heath has a shop, called "Raj's Premier Stores", some other businesses and a post office. The hamlet has gained some popularity over pranksters and their efforts to alter the sign with marker pens or electrical tape, changing the 'P' in 'APSE' to an 'R', thus editing the sign to read 'ARSE HEATH'. Although Island Roads tends to hastily clean the sign down and remove the damage, the sign is rarely ever clean for long, much to the amusement of both schoolchildren from the hamlet and the neighbouring village of Lake and tourists alike. On 12 January 2006, two horses were injured in a fire in some stables in Apse Heath. On 5 August 2007, a small plane crashed, briefly after taking off from Isle of Wight Airport in Sandown in Lake, next to Apse Heath, killing all 4 passengers.Apse Heath was the site of brickmaking operations in the past. It was also the site of a sweet factory, which employed a number of local people until it closed down. Transport is provided by Southern Vectis route 8, which runs through the hamlet between Newport, Sandown, Bembridge and Ryde.

All Saints' Church, Newchurch is a parish church in the Church of England located in Newchurch, Isle of Wight, England. The church is medieval dating from the 13th century. In 1883, restoration of the church was carried out by A.R. Barker, at the instigation of the vicar Rev. Alfred Dicker.The simple layout of the church consists of a nave, a chancel, northern and southern aisles, and a tower. It was built on the site of an older structure which was donated by William FitzOsbern to the Lyre Abbey. Subsequently, the church came under the control of the Beaulieu Abbey. When this religious authority was dissolved, the control of the church was entrusted by Henry VIII to the Bishop of Bristol (now Gloucester and Bristol).The church was one of the seven parishes on the Island when it was built, but now is part of several others. The unique white timber clad tower contains a small peal of six bells with a tenor weighing just 7 cwt or 350 kg.

Ninham is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight in the parish of Shanklin, and about 2 miles (3.3 km) away from Shanklin, the nearest tourist town. It is about 7 miles (12 km) away from Newport, the island's capital. It is the location of Ninham Farm and it is also the location of Ninham Country Holidays, a campsite.