Shanklin Old Village

Historic Building

Shanklin Old Village is a cluster of thatched cottages, tea rooms, and small shops at the top of Shanklin Chine, on the eastern coast of the Isle of Wight. The village has survived as a remarkably intact example of a pre-Victorian settlement, with thatched roofs, stone walls, and cottage gardens giving it a picture-postcard quality that draws photographers and painters. The area is compact but atmospheric, and it attracts a steady stream of visitors throughout the year. Several of the cottages operate as tea rooms and gift shops, and there is a gentle, unhurried feel to the place. Shanklin Chine, the deep wooded ravine that drops from the old village down to the beach far below, is a separate paid attraction and well worth the visit for its waterfalls and lush vegetation. The old village stands in marked contrast to the later Victorian and Edwardian development that spread along the clifftop and seafront below. The poet John Keats stayed in Shanklin in 1819 and wrote part of Lamia here, finding the chine and its surroundings inspirational. The old village is easily accessible on foot from the main town and makes a pleasant start or end point for a walk through the chine to the beach.