In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Ryde like this:
Ryde, watering-place, mun. bor., and par., on NE. coast of Isle of Wight, 8½ miles NE. of Newport by rail, 4 miles from Southsea Pier (across the Solent), 20 from Southampton, and 79 from London - par. (formed from Newchurch par. in 1866), 3812 ac., pop. 12,817; bor. (extending into St Helens par.), 792 ac., pop. ...
11,461; P.O., T.O, 2 Banks, 3 newspapers. Ryde (in Norman times called La Rye, or Riche) rises in terraces from the sea, and presents a very striking appearance. Its advantages as a watering-place began to attract attention at the close of the 18th century, when it was a mere fishing village. It has fine sands, an esplanade nearly a mile long, a wooden pier 2250 ft. long which forms a delightful promenade, and public gardens with an ornamental sheet of water. At the E. end of the town is the Isle of Wight College, a public school, and westward of the pier is the club-house of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. The building yards are noted for their boats and yachts. Ryde was made a municipal borough in 1868.
Ryde through time
Ryde is now part of the Isle of Wight district. Click here for graphs and data of how the Isle of Wight has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Ryde itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Ryde, in The the Isle of Wight and Hampshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/432
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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