Shanklin was a remote and sleepy little village until the second half of the 18th century; when the beginning of the Romantic Age led to a new taste for beautiful scenery. The original community consisted of about a dozen fishermen’s cottages, many of which still survive in the Old Village, together with the Manor House and the medieval family chapel.

In 1819, when Keats stayed at Eglantine Cottage in Pomona Road, it was one of only two lodging houses but before long other visitors began to arrive and numbers grew as Victorian seaside holidays and salt-water bathing became fashionable.

Today Shanklin Old Village is a small part of Shanklin Town and consists mainly of stone-built cottages and houses, many with thatched roofs which gives it a picture-book charm. It is on a slightly lower level than the Town of Shanklin and is famous for it’s small arts and craft shops, quaint tea rooms, traditional Pubs & Restaurants. Many pubs and restaurants serve local ales and produce sourced from the Island.

Lots of the venues have live music and entertainment at weekends and during the summer months so it’s well worth having a look to see what’s going on.

Up the alley beside the Village Inn pub is a charming little mews with six arts and crafts studios and a shop selling lots of giftable trinkets.

The town sits alongside the beautiful Rylestone Gardens and the famous Shanklin Chine which have both been favourite attractions since Victorian times.

Why not take an historic walk around Shanklin, the route reveals the changing history of the settlement from a small fishing village to a major sea resort town. Discover where Darwin, Dickens, Longfellow & Marx visited Shanklin.