Town in Isle of Wight, England
Ryde
Ryde's pier opened in 1814, long before Brighton or Blackpool had one, and nowadays you can reach it by hovercraft or on a train built for the London Underground.
Key information
- County
- Isle of Wight
- Nation
- England
- Known for
- Britain's oldest seaside pier, the Southsea hovercraft, sandy beaches and Victorian seafront
- Famous people
- Anthony Minghella, Dominic Minghella
- Football clubs
- Ryde Saints
About Ryde
The town where passengers were carried ashore
Ryde has an awkward bit of geography. The tide goes a very long way out across the sands, and before 1814 a boat from the mainland could not always reach the shore. Passengers had to wade or be carried through the shallows, and even carts were sometimes pressed into service. The solution was Ryde Pier, opened in 1814 and widely described as the oldest seaside pleasure pier in the world. It was built to get people and luggage dry-shod onto the Isle of Wight. Strolling along it for fun came later. The pier now stretches about 680 metres out into the Solent, and it grew far beyond its first form. A horse-drawn tramway arrived in the 1860s, and a railway followed later in the century.
Why the trains here were built for London
Ryde Pier Head has a railway station, and for decades the trains on the Island Line to Shanklin were old London Underground carriages, the Class 483 units built in 1938. They were not retired after their city careers. They found a second life on a short stretch of seaside track, and for many visitors that was part of the appeal. They were withdrawn in 2021. Today's services use Class 484 trains, rebuilt from more recent London Underground D78 stock. The pier makes Ryde the Island's front door. Ferries arrive from Portsmouth, and trains, buses and the seafront esplanade all meet in one compact stretch of town.
Hovercraft over the Solent
Ryde's other big transport story is the hovercraft. A passenger service links Ryde Esplanade with Southsea, and it has been running since 1965. The crossing takes only a few minutes, and for many Islanders it is simply the commute. It is also a surprise for first-time visitors. A craft rising on a cushion of air, skimming across the water and then driving up a slipway onto the beach is not what most people expect from a seaside town.
A Victorian resort that kept its looks
Ryde grew quickly in the 19th century, and the hillside above the sea filled with villas, terraces and churches. The Royal Victoria Arcade, opened in 1836, shows how fashionable it had become. All Saints Church, a Gothic Revival landmark designed by George Gilbert Scott, has a spire that is easy to spot from the water. Down by the shore are the long sands, the Canoe Lake and the Esplanade. Appley Park and Appley Tower sit along the coast eastwards, and Ryde Castle, built around 1840 as a castellated private residence, is now a hotel. It is classic seaside England, with a few extra boats in the view. Sailing matters here as well, and Ryde's waters see plenty of regatta-style racing.
Ice cream and an Oscar
Ryde's best-known food story is ice cream. The Minghella family, of Italian descent, made it on the Island, and their name became famous far beyond the town. Anthony Minghella was born in Ryde in 1954 and grew up around the family business. He went on to direct The English Patient and won the Academy Award for Best Director in 1997. His brother Dominic Minghella also became a writer for television. Beyond the ice cream, the Island's wider larder is local tomatoes, garlic, cheese and seafood, all easy to find around Ryde's cafes, chip shops and harbour.
Local sport and seaside traditions
Football in Ryde belongs to Ryde Saints, a local club playing in the Island's own football world. Many sporting afternoons, though, involve the sea: rowing, sailing and paddling in the shallows. In summer the town fills with carnival colour, with processions and the bright, noisy atmosphere of an Island seaside event. Everything in Ryde somehow comes back to the pier.