Bembridge

Bembridge is a village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to the implausible claim by some residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England. Bembridge is home to many of the Island's wealthiest residents. The population had reduced to 3,688 at the 2011 Census. Bembridge sits at the extreme eastern point of the Isle of Wight. Prior to land reclamation the area of Bembridge and Yaverland was almost an island, separated from the remainder of the Isle of Wight by Brading Haven. On the Joan Blaeu map of 1665, Bembridge is shown as Binbridge Iſle, nearly separated from the rest of Wight by River Yar. Prior to the Victorian era Bembridge was a collection of wooden huts and farmhouses, which only consolidated into a true village with the building of the church in 1827 (later rebuilt in 1846).

Bembridge is a village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to the implausible claim by some residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England. Bembridge is home to many of the Island's wealthiest residents. The population had reduced to 3,688 at the 2011 Census. Bembridge sits at the extreme eastern point of the Isle of Wight. Prior to land reclamation the area of Bembridge and Yaverland was almost an island, separated from the remainder of the Isle of Wight by Brading Haven. On the Joan Blaeu map of 1665, Bembridge is shown as Binbridge Iſle, nearly separated from the rest of Wight by River Yar. Prior to the Victorian era Bembridge was a collection of wooden huts and farmhouses, which only consolidated into a true village with the building of the church in 1827 (later rebuilt in 1846). ==Facilities== The historical heart of the village is located close to the church in the north of the village, consisting of a number of shops, pubs and restaurants, along with the Village Hall and site of the former Parish Council hall. Bembridge Library serves the community and there is a local museum in the same location. Bembridge is a local service centre, hosting Bembridge C of E Primary School (see Education on the Isle of Wight for more information on the use of this term), a post office, several shops located in two main areas, and Methodist, Anglican and Catholic churches. It is also the location of a local fire station, (crewed by a team of retained firemen), and a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station. Bembridge Airport is a local airport with a concrete runway, and is located close to the Windmill to the south-west of the village proper heading towards Yaverland. The Lane End district is located in the east of the village. It is largely composed of modern bungalows and a small shopping area which includes a Co-op store. The lane comes to an end at the beach, where Bembridge Lifeboat station and the Bembridge Coast Hotel are situated. The bungalows are built on the site of a cottage where Cecily Cardew lived, after whom an Oscar Wilde character was named. Further inland from Lane End is Bembridge C of E Primary School, along with the local community centre, which are connected by a large recreational playing field. The Royal Isle of Wight Golf Club (now defunct) was located at St Helens Duver, across the harbour from Bembridge. The club was formed in 1882¹ and closed in the 1960s. The war memorial was designed by local architect, Percy Stone (1856–1934). === Coastguard lookout=== Close to the lifeboat station lies a coastguard lookout. Positioned at a high elevation, this offers views of the Solent meeting the English Channel to the east of the Isle of Wight. From this vantage point one is able to view a variety of watercraft year round, although there is more marine traffic in the summer. ==Religion== Bembridge is served by the Holy Trinity Church, built in the 1840s as a replacement for an 1827 church that had become unstable. St Luke's Mission Church opened as a chapel of ease to Holy Trinity Church in 1887, along with Bembridge Methodist Church and St Michael's Roman Catholic Church. ==Bembridge Boarding Campus== Bembridge School was taken over by Ryde School with Upper Chine in 1996, which turned the site into Bembridge Boarding Campus. This site also houses Kingswood Centre, which operates Kingswood during term-time and Camp Beaumont during school holidays, although it is closed for a few weeks in the winter. ==New House Bembridge School== New House Bembridge School is a Grade II Listed Building. Bembridge School Chapel is a Grade IIGV Listed Building featuring Edward Woore stained glass. ==References== ==External links== Bembridge Parish Council

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