Across the Island, houses, forts, castles and monuments have fallen victim to the passage of time. Sometimes the only clue that they ever existed is in a name, Wilkes Street – where John Wilkes had a seaside villa in Sandown, or Nash Avenue – where John Nash built his retirement home at East Cowes Castle. What did they look like and what stands there now?

Contrasting a selection of forty-five outstanding archive images alongside stunning full-colour modern photographs, this book reveals the changing face of the Island’s town’s and villages during the last century. Each picture is accompanied by a detailed caption, bringing the past to life and describing many aspects of life on the Island, including shops and business, pubs and sports, providing a vital record of vanished vistas and past practices.

As well as delighting the many tourists who visit the Island, The Isle of Wight Then & Now will provide present occupants with a nostalgic glimpse of how the Island used to be.