 Dimbola Lodge | |
  Location within Isle of Wight | |
| Location | Freshwater, Isle of Wight |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°40′32″N1°30′55″W / 50.675556°N 1.515278°W |
| Chairperson | Brian Hinton |
| Website | Official website |
The Dimbola Museum and Galleries are located in Dimbola, that was the Isle of Wight home of the Victorian pioneer photographer Julia Margaret Cameron from 1860 to 1875. [1] They are owned and run by the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust, a registered charity. [2] [1]
In 1860, Julia Margaret Cameron bought two adjacent cottages in Freshwater Bay from a local fisherman named Jacob Long. In order to make the house look more beautiful to her friends returning from the beach, they were linked by a central tower in the Gothic style current at the time. The structure dominates the skyline from Freshwater Bay and gives a focus to the surrounding area. [3]
Dimbola took its name from the family's coffee (later tea) plantation in Dimbula, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Dimbola served as both her home and her studio. It was here that the greatest of Cameron's photographs were made.
After the Camerons returned to Ceylon the property was again divided into two parts. These were later named Dimbola, which became a private residence and holiday flats. In 1991, a property company bought and obtained permission to demolish what was then called 'Cameron House'. The Julia Margaret Cameron Trust was formed, with the immediate and urgent aim of saving the house which was achieved three years later.
Dimbola is now a museum and galleries dedicated to Cameron's life and work. It is also home to a permanent exhibition about the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 held at nearby Afton Down. As well as showing contemporary exhibitions of photographers. Exhibitors have included Annie Leibovitz, Chris Packham and Terry O'Neill.
In 2006, a sculptural tribute to Jimi Hendrix was erected here, looking out towards Afton Down where the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was held. [3] [4]
The Isle of Wight is an island in the English Channel, 2 to 5 miles off the coast of Hampshire, across the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island in England. Referred to as "The Island" by residents, the Isle of Wight has resorts that have been popular holiday destinations since Victorian times. It is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and verdant landscape of fields, downland, and chines. The island is historically part of Hampshire and is designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Kathleen Norris Stark, better known as Koo Stark, is an American photographer and actress, known for her relationship with Prince Andrew. She is a patron of the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust, which runs the museum of the Victorian pioneer photographer.
Julia Margaret Cameron was a British photographer who is considered one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. She is known for her soft-focus close-ups of famous Victorian men and women, for illustrative images depicting characters from mythology, Christianity, and literature, and for sensitive portraits of men, women and children.
Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake in between. Together with Shanklin, Sandown forms a built-up area of 21,374 inhabitants.
The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 was a music festival held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at Afton Down, an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight in England. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and often acknowledged as the largest musical event of its time, with a larger attendance than Woodstock. Although estimates vary, Guinness World Records estimated 600,000 to 700,000 people attended. It was organised and promoted by local brothers, Ron and Ray Foulk through their company Fiery Creations Ltd and their brother Bill Foulk. Ron Smith was site manager and Rikki Farr acted as compere.
Freshwater is a large village and civil parish at the western end of the Isle of Wight, England. The southern, coastal part of the village is Freshwater Bay, named for the adjacent small cove. Freshwater sits at the western end of the region known as the Back of the Wight or the West Wight, a popular tourist area.
As an island, the Isle of Wight maintains a culture close to, but distinct from, that of the south of England. A high proportion of the population are now 'overners' rather than locally born, and so with a few notable exceptions it has more often formed the backdrop for cultural events of wider rather than island-specific significance.
Marie Stillman was a British member of the second generation of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Of the Pre-Raphaelites, she had one of the longest-running careers, spanning sixty years and producing over one hundred and fifty works. Though her work with the Brotherhood began as a favorite model, she soon trained and became a respected painter, earning praise from Dante Gabriel Rossetti and others.
George Edward Lodge FZS, was a British illustrator of birds and an authority on falconry.
Afton Down is a chalk down near the village of Freshwater on the Isle of Wight. Afton Down faces Compton Bay directly to the west, while Freshwater is approximately one mile north.
The Archaeology Discover Centre was a museum located in Fort Victoria on the Isle of Wight, England.
The Isle of Wight Festival 2006 was the fifth revived Isle of Wight Festival on the Seaclose Park site in Newport on the Isle of Wight. It took place between 9 and 11 June 2006. The attendance was around 55,000 and the event was dubbed the biggest festival in England, because Glastonbury was on its break year. It was the last of three consecutive years of Nokia sponsorship, which saw the likes of The Who, David Bowie and R.E.M. grace the Island stage.
Afton is a hamlet just outside Freshwater on the west side of the Isle of Wight. It features a local hill known as Afton Down which was the site of the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, one of the largest rock concerts to be held in the UK. Freshwater Bay Golf Course is located on Afton Down. Afton lends its name to a number of local properties, including Afton Lodge, Afton Manor and Afton Thatch, the latter two dating from the 17th Century.
The Tennyson Trail is a 14-mile walk from Carisbrooke to The Needles on the Isle of Wight. The route goes through Bowcombe Down, Brighstone Forest, Mottistone Down, Brook Down, Afton Down, Freshwater Bay, Tennyson Down, and West High Down to Alum Bay. The name of the trail comes from poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, a former resident of the Isle of Wight.
Brian Hinton, MBE is an English poet and musicologist. In June 2006 he was honoured in H. M. the Queen's Birthday Honours List with an MBE for services to the Arts.
Charles Hay Cameron was a British jurist. He was married to the photographer Julia Margaret Cameron.
Mrs. Cameron's Photographs from the Life, commonly known as The Norman Album, is a photograph album of portraits compiled between 1864 and 1869 by British photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. Comprising 74 albumen prints it was presented as a gift to her daughter Julia Hay Norman, and son-in-law Charles Norman in gratitude at their having introduced her to photography by giving her her first camera. The dedication reads:
To the givers of my camera I dedicate /give these works of this camera, with all gratitude for the inexhaustible pleasure to me, & to hundreds, which has resulted from the gift.
Freshwater: A comedy is a play written and produced by Virginia Woolf in 1935, and the only play she wrote. Although only performed once in her lifetime, it has been translated into many languages and produced in many countries since. Alfred Lord Tennyson appears as a character in this play.