If you are looking for a day out where you can step back into time and live like a lord or lady of the manor, then look no further than Appuldurcombe House.
The house was originally one of the grandest on the island and home to Worsley family. An example of baroque architecture, the current house was dates back to 1702 and a house has been on the site since 1100, when it was originally a priory and later a convent. Over the years, the house has been extended and in later life, it became a hotel, an academy for young gentlemen and home for the monks that would later move to Quarr Abbey.
However, its most significant time was during the Second World War, when the house was taken over by the military. In 1943, the beginning of the end for the house took place when a bomb hit close by and a large hole appeared in the roof. With the hole unrepaired, the house gradually deteriorated and much of the house was sold off, leaving the shell that can be seen today.
Now, the house is open to the public to wander around the remainder of the house and see its grand proportions and imagine what it would have been like in its heyday. You can also explore the grounds, see the farm animals that graze on the land and see what remains of the garden designed by the famous Capability Brown. A small section of the house has been reroofed, which is available for weddings.
Entry is free – so why not pop in and then travel along the road to its free neighbour, the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary.
