Wootton Bridge is a large village,

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

and

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

with about 3,000 residents on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Is ...

, first recorded around the year 1086. The parish also contains the settlement of Wootton. Wootton is found midway between the towns of

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came ...

and Newport, which are 7 miles apart, and historically centred on the old parish church of St Edmund. The hamlet of Wootton Common to the south, centres on the crossroads that bears its name. The newer village of Wootton Bridge is found in the area immediately west of Wootton Creek, and the parish council that bears its name is now responsible for the whole of the Wootton area.

Village name

Wootton's name is said to mean "Woodtown", which means a clearing in a forest, although other interpretations do exist. The first known mention of the town as "Odetone" or "Wootten" was in 1086, and the name has evolved and changed much over the past millennium. More recently, following the construction of the bridge across Wootton Creek, the name "Wootton Bridge" has been used to describe the settlement closest to it, however this name is now also used by some to refer to the whole of Wootton. This is possibly due in part to

Royal Mail , kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga , logo = Royal Mail.svg , logo_size = 250px , type = Public limited company , traded_as = , foundation = , founder = Henry VIII , location = London, England, UK , key_people = * Keith Williams ...

, who used the name "Wootton Bridge" to differentiate Wootton from the 19 other Woottons found across England. "Wootton Bridge" is described by some as the "modern name" for the area. However, "Wootton" remains firmly established on wayfinding signs and maps of the island, including those of

Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...

and remains the most popular name for the area.

Isle of Wight Festival 1969

The 1969 Isle of Wight Festival took place on 30 and 31 August at Woodside Bay in Wootton. The event was one of the largest music festivals to that date, and had an estimated audience of some 150,000. The line-up included

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, The Band,

The Nice The Nice were an English progressive rock band active in the late 1960s. They blended rock, jazz and classical music and were keyboardist Keith Emerson's first commercially successful band. The group was formed in 1967 by Emerson, Lee Jack ...

The Pretty Things ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, Marsha Hunt,

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

Third Ear Band Third Ear Band were a British musical group formed in London during the mid-1960s. Their line-up initially consisted of violin, cello, oboe and percussion. Most of their performances were instrumental and partly improvised. Their records for th ...

Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Band or The Bonzos) was created by a group of British art-school students in the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelia with surreal humour and avant-garde a ...

Fat Mattress Fat Mattress were an English folk rock band that formed in Folkestone in 1968. Founded by guitarist and vocalist Noel Redding, during his time as bassist for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and vocalist Neil Landon, the band was completed by multi- ...

and

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

Wootton Creek

There is a millpond on

Wootton Creek Wootton Creek is a tidal estuary that flows into the Solent on the north coast of the Isle of Wight. The estuary has also been known in the past as "Fishbourne Creek", "Wootton River" and "Wootton Haven". At the mouth of the estuary is the ...

formed by a sluice gate in Wootton Bridge. At one time there was a second sluice gate in the bridge that would use the tidal water from the millpond to power a mill grinding flour. The mill was demolished in 1962 and houses later built on the site. The pond is part of a

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

and is important for wildfowl and for bats. The heron has been adopted as the symbol of the village. Firestone Copse is a

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also resp ...

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

open to the public which is situated on the edge of the pond.

Notable features

St. Edmund's Church

St. Edmund's Parish Church dates from the 11th century. St. Mark's Church, Wootton is in the south end of the village.

The Sloop Inn

The Sloop is another prominent building in Wootton, with its prime position next to Wootton Bridge. The pub is about 150 years old, and is currently managed by Mitchells & Butlers as part of its Crown Carveries pub chain.

The Fernhill Ice House

In an area of woodland adjacent to agricultural land and public footpaths just outside the village of Wooton, an ice house can be found in excellent condition, having been maintained by the council since the 1980s. This structure is one of a few remnants of a grand estate called Fernhill, which was destroyed by fire in 1938.

Transport

Southern Vectis Southern Vectis is a bus operator on the Isle of Wight. The company was founded in 1921 as "Dodson and Campbell" and became the "Vectis Bus Company" in 1923. The company was purchased by the Southern Railway before being nationalised in 1969. ...

bus routes 4, 9 and 34 link Wootton with the towns of Newport,

and

East Cowes East Cowes is a town and civil parish in the north of the Isle of Wight, on the east bank of the River Medina, next to its west bank neighbour Cowes. The two towns are connected by the Cowes Floating Bridge, a chain ferry operated by the Isle ...

, including intermediate villages.

Wootton Station

Wootton Station is the western terminus of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. The current station, opened in 1987, is in a different location from the original which was closed in 1953. However the authentic station signage from the original is in place in the newer station.

Notable residents

Victorian admiral Sir John Baird died in Wootton in 1908, he is buried in the churchyard.

References

External links

Official history website for Wootton BridgeTourist Information, Hotels, Accommodation Guide for Wootton
{{authority control Villages on the Isle of Wight Civil parishes in the Isle of Wight