'A thing of beauty is a joy for ever' is how Keates described Newport when he sat down and wrote the first line of Endymion and it is not how the town is today!

It is now the business capital, and classed by many people as The Capital of the Isle of Wight. There are still a lot of attractive things to see including a few rather pathetic links with history, which covers the period from old Rome to the reign of Charles I, for he was held here and is tiny daughter is buried.

Findings that date back to the Iron Age, in the form of a bronze urn in which were ashes have been examined and dated at over 2,500 years old. and a skull of the earliest type of wild ox which has been extinct in England for thousands of years was discovered on the beach.

Yet there is the handsome old grammar school, 17th century houses and the small harbour on the banks of the River Medina. There is also a thousand acres of forest lying about a mile away. The town itself is situated on a slope of hills that has the river on one side and a stream on the other.

It was during Tudor times that the reigning monarch, Elizabeth I, gave her three most trusted servants: Dr Edes her chaplain, Dr James her physician, and Thomas Fleming her Lord Chief Justice. And it was said that she described them as one for her soul, one for her body and the other for her goods.

The 19th century Guildhall has a statue of Judge Fleming sitting in a chair, which has a carving that shows the trial of Guy Fawkes, the trial at which Fleming presided.

Newport Guildhall was built by John Nash and on two sides there are balconies and a clock tower in one corner. Inside can be found some fine portraits two rather elaborate silver maces and some pictures of the sea, but its oddest treasure is probably the long pair of poles that have a glove at the end of each of them! The gloves were mad in 1821 and used to be hung out from a balcony to tell revellers at fair times that they may dance in the streets!

The panelled room in which Charles I received the Parliamentary Commissioners has long gone with the old town hall which the Guildhall replaced, it was here in this room that the king held his court, Bishop Juxon was his retinue and Brian Duppa the bishop at whose deathbed King Charles II knelt to beg for his blessing.

The king once lodged at the old grammar school  and the school room was used as a presence chamber when the king negotiated with his 15 commissioners, and this ended in the vain Treaty of Newport.

It was from the grammar school that the king was arrested and transported across to Hurst Castle. He demanded that they produced their orders for his arrest but this was refused, and records show that his servants were filled with alarm as to what might become of him. His most faithful servant was Thomas Herbert who wrote that "Never at one time was beheld more grief in men's faces or greater fears in their hearts than when the king was in such a manner hurried away they knew not wither".

The tiny daughter of the king lies in front of the alter of the church and a brass marks the spot. The old church has long disappeared but the coffin was lifted from the old chancel after workmen found it while excavating another grave. The foundation stone of the new church was laid by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria set up the monument, which was made from Carrara marble by Baron Marochetti, to commemorate the princess. She now lies beneath a canopy of broken prison bars that symbolise that she is now free from captivity at long last and on the monument is a token of respect for her virtues and sympathy for her misfortunes.

Also in the church is a monument to a plague victim who died in 1582, he was Sir Edward Horsey and he is encased in armour and the actual sword that he carried is at his side, while his helmet hangs above him.

The pulpit has been described as one of the most beautiful examples of craftsmanship on the island as it octagonal in shape and is covered with carvings, Justice Mercy and angles with trumpets. A dove is below and the book rest is set on brackets. There are seven panels with Faith, Hope and Charity, Justice, Prudence, Temperance and Fortitude in the top while below are figures of the sciences.

Two alms boxes are also preserved from the old church and these are from the 17th century, the reading desk has been made from wood from the old chancel screen and the bells are from the old tower. The old font is still here but a new one stands nearby.

The town can boast of some interesting people who have walked here, Prince Albert who as mentioned above laid the foundation stone of the church, Wellington, Canning and Palmerston all sat for Newport in Parliament, One of the Simeons was a close acquaintance of Tennyson and has a monument to him on Carisbroke Road.

Charles Seely founded the library, he being the first baronet of the family. Keats also lived here while trying to rid himself of the disease which in the end killed him. John Hamilton Reynolds, who  was a man that knew Keats well and was a bit of a poet himself lies in the churchyard. The 'earthquake man' John Milne lived and died here while working at Shide and was buried at Barton. The write of the hymn "There's a friend for little children", Albert Midlane also lived here, and in the old churchyard can be found a rather pathetic little monument  that must have interested him for it is to the memory of Valentine Grey who was a small chimney sweep and died in 1822. The rather brutal master whose cruelty and neglect was the cause of his death and was sent to prison for a year. On a memorial raised by a penny fund can be seen:

'To the memory of Valentine Grey, the little sweep. In testimony to the general feeling for suffering innocence this monument is erected by public subscription'.

By far the most interesting of all the old houses in the town are Chantry House, built in 1612; Hazard's House, built in 1684; and God's Providence House, that has a fine doorway and stairway, and also an inscription saying "God's Providence is my Inheritance."

In St Thomas's Square stands The War Memorial which is a handsome stone cross carved with 341 names on bronze panels, while in the marketplace there is a memorial to Queen Victoria, showing three figures, Sympathy, Charity, and Fortitude supporting a crown.

Newtown. The oldest town of the island, it is called New because it was made new after it was burned to the ground 600 years ago by the French. It stands on one of the five creeks of the Newtown river that run into the low lying land between Cowes and Yarmouth and when it was in its heyday could hold anchorage for 50 ships each of 500 tons. Where the green is now was once the site for a busy market. Newtown was also the best shelter for ships during the 18th century as it was double the size of Newport.

It is on one of the five creeks of the Newtown river which, like the fingers of a hand, run far into the low-lying land between Cowes and Yarmouth. In the days of its prosperity it had anchorage for 50 ships of 500 tons and had a busy market where the green is now. It was the island's best haven for shipping in the 18th century, when it was twice the size of Newport.

But now the tides have deserted it and the residents have moved to other places, it was once classed as a 'rotten borough' and was famous in the days of notoriety and corruption but it sent two members to Parliament, one of them being the first Duke of Mariborough and Canning the Prime Minister.

THE FERGUSON GANG:
Just after the Restoration of the Stuarts the old town hall was built but was neglected for many years and became a ruin, but a mysterious band of benefactors saved it and it was placed under the care of the National Trust. This was the Ferguson Gang, a rather odd band of good people who comprised of a group of both men and women who set about doing good work, One member wore a mask and gave the name of Kate O'Brien and crept into the National Trust  office one day in 1934 and without being seen placed the sum of £500 on the desk of the secretary to help save the town hall, the document she handed in had been sealed with blood and was full of misspellings! The town hall is a rather pretty little building that has an oak door and a portico atop fluted pillars. The mace and silver seal are one of the most beautiful of its kind are in the care of the Lord of the Manor.

The 19th century church is built as an imitation of the 13th century and the sign of the ship on the house that was originally the Old Inn is a reproduction of the seal of the town over 600 years ago.

Text courtesy of: Southern Life (UK)