LOOK BACK IN TIME: August 17, 1901
Isle of Wight ObserverIn the Isle of Wight Observer published on 17th August, 1901, changes to charges at Ryde Borough Isolation Hospital were…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 31 July 1880
On 31st July, 1880, Seaview resident W E. Matthews wrote to the Isle of Wight Observer criticising the Island’s drainage…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 26 July 1919
A homeless man accepting an invitation for a cup of tea ended up at the centre of an unusual court…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 16 July 1921
Concerns over railway fares and competition from road transport are nothing new, as this archive report from the Isle of…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Holmsey’s got the hump!
The hot weather is affecting every part of our lives, even the fabulous County Show. If you didn’t bother going…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Policing thought crimes – while thieves walk free
Two uniformed police officers walk into a riverside pub. They hadn’t gone for a pint, nor were they responding to…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 8 July 1922
A century ago, the Isle of Wight’s weather watchers were already keeping a close eye on the skies. This report…
Read MoreSTAR LETTER: Why homelessness persists
Dear Editor, The Vagrancy Act of 1824 referred to by Adam Webb in last week’s IW Observer, criminalised rough sleeping…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 7 July 1855
The Isle of Wight Observer published on 7th July 1855 contained the following letter from a reader. This Victorian ratepayer,…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: The crimes that test our conscience
I’m too young to remember anyone being executed by the British state. Many other countries remain convinced that the worst…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 27 June 1914
This cutting from the Isle of Wight Observer published on 27th June, 1914 made us smile this week. More than…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Meet the new boss
Thanks to its complex multi‑party system, Belgium went 541 days without a government. I’m sure most of us would happily…
Read MoreSTAR LETTER: When ‘personal choice’ harms everyone else
Dear Editor, David Holmes levels the accusation against politicians of bullying people into stopping smoking (Holmsey, June 19) – is…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 14 June 1919
This piece, from the Isle of Wight Observer published on 14th June, 1919, showed that, while a Solent squall may…
Read MoreSTAR LETTER: Sooty, Sweep, Soo and a swipe at Labour
Dear Editor, We are constantly told to tolerate the religious beliefs and cultures of others, even those that include practices…
Read MoreSTAR LETTER: Has Britain lost all common sense?
Dear Editor, The sad case of the murder in Southampton of the 18-year-old, Henry Nowak, is a further indication that…
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