For your next instalment form the sunny Isle of Wight, the Coach house at Blackgang. To be honest It wasn’t until I hear on the local news a few weeks back about a further land slip in the area that I remembered about this place. I did a report on the old holiday Village at Blackgang in August last year, (if your interested)
http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=19963&highlight=wightand at the beginning of the photo’s is an old house standing right at the edge of the cliff. Did a little research and put it away for another day.
Said house is the Blackgang coach house & pub bit of goggling came up with loads of info but nothing that really made sense! Everything relating to the coach house was from around 1811 to 1843 when Blackgang chine amusement park was first built, but the house is not that old.....so a little history digging and a few further trips needed, this is after what I’ve found.
A bit of back ground first................The Blackgang area, is on the most southern tip of the Isle of Wight, and runs from Ventnor, to Chail. It sits in a natural Plato between the sea and the Highest points on the Island, known as the downs. (Think 4 steps, Bottom step beach, top step the downs.) As you go up the steps from the beach Blackgang amusement park sits on step two, with the road on step three. When it rains, water at step 4, the downs, soaks into the soft limestone right down to the clay and sits there in a void, until it fills, this then pushed the top soil down the steps to the level below, then again to the level below and again to the sea. The result is known as landslip and everything in its way ends up at the same place, step one the sea!
These landslips are nothing new, evidence shows that they have been happening from the start, of the end of the ice age, which formed the Island. The first major one to result in a need to rethink the roads in this area of the Island was in the 1920’s.
Windy corner, on the old Blackgang road 1920 something............
windy courner 1920's by gushys fella, on Flickr
Windy corner 1927
windy corner 1929 by gushys fella, on Flickr
Council reports say the total land lost in the area is around 3.75 meters a year, but major land slips accrue every 15 to 20 years after a spell of dry followed by wet weather, and what do you know, after 3 years of dry we are now in the wettest since 2004 on the island.
New land slips at Blackgang this year
may 2012 by gushys fella, on Flickr
may 2012 by gushys fella, on Flickr
And Compton which is the beach behind chail
compton carpark by gushys fella, on Flickr
The last few land slips, 1971, and 1989 completely cut off the Blackgang holiday village, (above report) leaving many buildgs and cars cut off, just before the Amusement park. Now as I’ve been looking into the whole area and my first thoughts on the coach house and it’s age, the road has been moved back 3 times in the last 100 years. Over 25 builds have been lost and the parks about to look at moving again! The coach house that stands today is in fact the third replacement! It was originally the Blackgang pub, owned by the Amusement park owners 1901 to 1936. Then used during the war as a look out / coast guard station. In the 1950’s turned back into a pub/hotel, 1970’s to 80’s children’s holiday home, ran by a charity for problem children. Then bought privately to convert into a holiday home in 1988 a year before the last major land slip, that’s left it abandoned ever since.
With the number of landslips this year and the 15-20 year idea of the councils we could be looking at another biggy soon I thought I’d better get back to the Coach house before it’s gone!
A map showing the old road that was in RED, Holiday village, amusement park and the coach house.
1
map bg by gushys fella, on Flickr
The coach house as is to today...................
2
Blackgang Coach House 2 by gushys fella, on Flickr
In the background to the right, you can see a further house; this was the main office and living quarters to the son of the present owner of Blackgang amusement park. Lower half bricked up with an 8 foot fence around and so over grown, there was no way of getting close, this time!
3
Blackgang Coach House 7 - Copy by gushys fella, on Flickr
4
Blackgang Coach House 12 by gushys fella, on Flickr
5
Blackgang Coach House 19 by gushys fella, on Flickr
6
Blackgang Coach House 20 by gushys fella, on Flickr
7
Blackgang Coach House 25 by gushys fella, on Flickr
8
Blackgang Coach House 34 by gushys fella, on Flickr
9
Blackgang Coach House 31 by gushys fella, on Flickr
10
Blackgang Coach House 43 by gushys fella, on Flickr
11
Blackgang Coach House 50 by gushys fella, on Flickr
12
Blackgang Coach House 37 by gushys fella, on Flickr
The views from the down stairs rooms at the front of the building were spectacular, but to take a photo, I needed to be right at the window to show how close this is to a almost shear drop to the sea, with the sun right in my face I wanted height but looking through the ceilings at the floor joists was a little un nerving!
13
Blackgang Coach House 44 by gushys fella, on Flickr
Looking up the stairs, all looks good.......half way up and with the sound of splitting wood under 17 stone, the carpet started to push through the step my right foot was on. Rather than jump the last few up and being stuck up there I jumped down. This is when I realised the floors below where in no better state!
Blackgang Coach House 1 by gushys fella, on Flickr
That was the end of the road as they say! Will keep any eye on the area and show any updates when, it happens. Hope it wasn’t to boring and a few more on my flicker if still interested. Thanks for looking keep safe GF
http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=19963&highlight=wightand at the beginning of the photo’s is an old house standing right at the edge of the cliff. Did a little research and put it away for another day.
Said house is the Blackgang coach house & pub bit of goggling came up with loads of info but nothing that really made sense! Everything relating to the coach house was from around 1811 to 1843 when Blackgang chine amusement park was first built, but the house is not that old.....so a little history digging and a few further trips needed, this is after what I’ve found.
A bit of back ground first................The Blackgang area, is on the most southern tip of the Isle of Wight, and runs from Ventnor, to Chail. It sits in a natural Plato between the sea and the Highest points on the Island, known as the downs. (Think 4 steps, Bottom step beach, top step the downs.) As you go up the steps from the beach Blackgang amusement park sits on step two, with the road on step three. When it rains, water at step 4, the downs, soaks into the soft limestone right down to the clay and sits there in a void, until it fills, this then pushed the top soil down the steps to the level below, then again to the level below and again to the sea. The result is known as landslip and everything in its way ends up at the same place, step one the sea!
These landslips are nothing new, evidence shows that they have been happening from the start, of the end of the ice age, which formed the Island. The first major one to result in a need to rethink the roads in this area of the Island was in the 1920’s.
Windy corner, on the old Blackgang road 1920 something............
windy courner 1920's by gushys fella, on Flickr
Windy corner 1927
windy corner 1929 by gushys fella, on Flickr
Council reports say the total land lost in the area is around 3.75 meters a year, but major land slips accrue every 15 to 20 years after a spell of dry followed by wet weather, and what do you know, after 3 years of dry we are now in the wettest since 2004 on the island.
New land slips at Blackgang this year
may 2012 by gushys fella, on Flickr
may 2012 by gushys fella, on Flickr
And Compton which is the beach behind chail
compton carpark by gushys fella, on Flickr
The last few land slips, 1971, and 1989 completely cut off the Blackgang holiday village, (above report) leaving many buildgs and cars cut off, just before the Amusement park. Now as I’ve been looking into the whole area and my first thoughts on the coach house and it’s age, the road has been moved back 3 times in the last 100 years. Over 25 builds have been lost and the parks about to look at moving again! The coach house that stands today is in fact the third replacement! It was originally the Blackgang pub, owned by the Amusement park owners 1901 to 1936. Then used during the war as a look out / coast guard station. In the 1950’s turned back into a pub/hotel, 1970’s to 80’s children’s holiday home, ran by a charity for problem children. Then bought privately to convert into a holiday home in 1988 a year before the last major land slip, that’s left it abandoned ever since.
With the number of landslips this year and the 15-20 year idea of the councils we could be looking at another biggy soon I thought I’d better get back to the Coach house before it’s gone!
A map showing the old road that was in RED, Holiday village, amusement park and the coach house.
1
map bg by gushys fella, on Flickr
The coach house as is to today...................
2
Blackgang Coach House 2 by gushys fella, on Flickr
In the background to the right, you can see a further house; this was the main office and living quarters to the son of the present owner of Blackgang amusement park. Lower half bricked up with an 8 foot fence around and so over grown, there was no way of getting close, this time!
3
Blackgang Coach House 7 - Copy by gushys fella, on Flickr
4
Blackgang Coach House 12 by gushys fella, on Flickr
5
Blackgang Coach House 19 by gushys fella, on Flickr
6
Blackgang Coach House 20 by gushys fella, on Flickr
7
Blackgang Coach House 25 by gushys fella, on Flickr
8
Blackgang Coach House 34 by gushys fella, on Flickr
9
Blackgang Coach House 31 by gushys fella, on Flickr
10
Blackgang Coach House 43 by gushys fella, on Flickr
11
Blackgang Coach House 50 by gushys fella, on Flickr
12
Blackgang Coach House 37 by gushys fella, on Flickr
The views from the down stairs rooms at the front of the building were spectacular, but to take a photo, I needed to be right at the window to show how close this is to a almost shear drop to the sea, with the sun right in my face I wanted height but looking through the ceilings at the floor joists was a little un nerving!
13
Blackgang Coach House 44 by gushys fella, on Flickr
Looking up the stairs, all looks good.......half way up and with the sound of splitting wood under 17 stone, the carpet started to push through the step my right foot was on. Rather than jump the last few up and being stuck up there I jumped down. This is when I realised the floors below where in no better state!
Blackgang Coach House 1 by gushys fella, on Flickr
That was the end of the road as they say! Will keep any eye on the area and show any updates when, it happens. Hope it wasn’t to boring and a few more on my flicker if still interested. Thanks for looking keep safe GF