The Chine Lodge is Victorian and built on the site of one of the oldest houses in Shanklin. At one time it was a guest house, very popular with newlyweds and for many years was known as Honeymoon Cottage. For a while it served as the first school in Shanklin for the fishermen's children.
Now an elegant conservatory has extended the Lodge to form the Heritage Centre which complements the Tea Garden and Gift Shop.

This Centre illustrates the story of the formation of the Chine, the development of Shanklin as a seaside resort and the life and times of the inhabitants during Queen Victoria's reign. The local fishing industry, smuggling, the coming of the railway, the building of the pier and the development of Shanklin as a spa are all displayed in often unique archive material.

EXHIBITIONS AND DISPLAYS

The Heritage Centre has a reputation for mounting high-quality, picture-based displays. For example, 1994 The Isle of Wight D-Day Exhibition, 1995-1996 Victory ’45, 1997-1999 Poets and The Island, 2000-2002 Century of Solent Sea and Sail, 2003 – The Island – Then and Now. (Dinosaurs to Today). 2005 carried a special feature on Victory '45 – 60th Anniversary, together with a commemoration to Nelson and his Island links.

The exhibition introduced in 2003, "The Island - Then and Now" continues. This exhibition combines several topics featured in previous displays with many new story-board themes, and historical artefacts dealing with the many aspects of the Isle of Wight’s rich legacy. Included are 13 reproductions of unique pictures of Island life in the Georgian period by the artist, satirist and cartoonist, Thomas Rowlandson. In addition there will be a special feature on "Flora of the Island" (2008 - final year) - which will cover a selection of living plants - flowering and non-flowering - from the rich variety to be found on our island. Many rarities, some unique, found nowhere in the British Isles. Also 2008 will feature the Histree Trail Project, organised by the council, financed by a Lottery grant.

There is also an account of the use of the Chine as a training ground for 40 Royal Marine Commando. PLUTO (Pipe-Line Under The Ocean) ran through the Chine and there are still 65 yards of the pipe remaining. PLUTO, one of the great secret successes of the war, was the idea of Lord Mountbatten. During the Normandy invasion in 1944, forked pipelines from the Chine and Sandown carried petrol 65 miles under the Channel to Cherbourg. A cross-section of the actual pipe can be seen, together with a short film of the Story of PLUTO. (See Books)

CURRENT FEATURE CONTINUED 2008 - Final Year

Shanklin Chine's "Flora of the Island" was officially opened by Bill Shepard on Thursday, 18th May 2006.

Bill Shepard is one of the co-authors of "The Flora of the Isle of Wight" published in 1978. For many years he tried to teach the owner of the Chine, Anne Springman, the difference between male and female ferns but without success.

In his opening speech Bill made the following comments: "If you had asked half a century ago, how many species of flowering plants make up the vegetative covering of the Island, I would have replied approximately a thousand. Ask me that same question today and I would reply approximately1200. The reason for that dramatic increase is complex, but there are two irrefutable contributors: a warming climate and the importation of plants and seeds from all over the world. In that first category, that of a warming climate, many of these plants would not have survived.

In the second category, the import of plants from around the world with the inevitable dispersal of seed, the huge number of bird feeding tables stocked with imported seed and the changing crops grown by farmers, especially the planting of pheasant feed.

Finally, a word about Shanklin Chine. Of all the tourist attractions in the Island, this is the 'Jewel in the Crown'; the thinking man's venue, as close to a tropical rain forest as you get in Britain".

The Isle of Wight, a mere 147 square miles in area, is for its size remarkably rich in plants. The maritime location of the Island, off the south coast of Britain, ensures a climate without extremes. The Island's varied geology gives rise to a range of landscapes that is unique and it has been described as a microcosm of southern England. The Island is home to a surprising large number of nationally scarce plants, but it is the sheer variety of habitats in close proximity - woodland, saltmarsh, sand dune, shingle, cliffs, wetlands, heathlands and downland - that makes the Island flora so special.

See also "The Rare Plant Trail" from Wightlink @  www.wightlink.co.uk