The Isle of Wight is an island, English county and unitary authority 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. The island is designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. With a land area of 380 km2 (150 sq mi), it is about half the size of Singapore.
Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, an island county off the south coast of England. The town is slightly north of the centre of the island, located in the civil parish of Newport and Carisbrooke. It has a quay at the head of the navigable section of the River Medina, which flows northwards to Cowes and the Solent. The 2021 census recorded a population of 25,407.
The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purposes of lieutenancy; the 84 metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties for local government; and the 39 historic counties which were used for administration until 1974.
South Glamorgan is a preserved county of Wales.
The Borough of Fareham is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Fareham. Other places within the borough include Portchester, Hill Head, Sarisbury, Stubbington, Titchfield and Warsash. The borough covers much of the semi-urban area between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation. The neighbouring districts are Eastleigh, Winchester, Portsmouth and Gosport. The district's southern boundary is the coast of the Solent.
South Wight was a non-metropolitan district with the status of a borough on the Isle of Wight in England from 1974 to 1995.
The Local Government Act 1972 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Government of 1970–74.
Isle of Wight Council, known between 1890 and 1995 as Isle of Wight County Council, is the local authority for the Isle of Wight in England. Since 1995 it has been a unitary authority, being a county council which also performs the functions of a district council. It is based at County Hall in Newport. The council has been under no overall control since 2021, being led by a coalition of independent, Green, and Our Island councillors called the Alliance Group.
The Isle of Wight is rich in historical and archaeological sites, from prehistoric fossil beds with dinosaur remains, to dwellings and artefacts dating back to the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Roman periods.
As a geographical entity distinct from the mainland, the Isle of Wight has always fought to have this identity recognised. The Isle of Wight is currently a ceremonial and Non-metropolitan county and local government is controlled by unitary authority. Prior to the 2024 United Kingdom General election, the island was the highest populated Westminster constituency in the country.
Isle of Wight was a constituency that was last represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2017 until 2024 by Bob Seely, a Conservative.
Newport was a parliamentary borough located in Newport, which was abolished in for the 1885 general election. It was occasionally referred to by the alternative name of Medina.
The Borough of Boothferry was, from 1 April 1974 to 1 April 1996, a local government district with borough status within the non-metropolitan county of Humberside. The district is now split between the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.
The A3054 is an A-Class Road on the Isle of Wight in Southern England. It forms the Northern half of the circular around-the-Island A-class loop, the southern half being the A3055. It connects Newport and Ryde, the two largest towns on the Island, as well as continuing to West Wight.
Nettlestone and Seaview is a civil parish and electoral ward on the Isle of Wight. It contains the villages of Nettlestone and Seaview.
Shide railway station was at Shide, on the southern fringes of Newport, Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. It was an intermediate station on the line from Newport to Sandown, which was initially operated by the Isle of Wight Railway.
Medina was a non-metropolitan district in Isle of Wight, England. It was abolished on 1 April 1995 and replaced by Isle of Wight Council.
Newport Guildhall is a municipal structure in the High Street in Newport, Isle of Wight, England. The guildhall, which was the headquarters of Newport Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
Newport and Carisbrooke, formerly just Newport, is a civil parish on the Isle of Wight, in the county of the Isle of Wight, England. The parish includes the settlements of Newport, Carisbrooke, Apesdown, Barton, Bowcombe, Clatterford, Cross Lane, Fairlee, Forest Side, Gunville, Hunny Hill, Pan, Parkhurst, Rowridge, Shide and Staplers. In 2011 the parish had a population of 25,496. The parish touches Arreton, Brighstone, Calbourne, Newtown and Porchfield, Chillerton and Gatcombe, Havenstreet and Ashey, Northwood, Shorwell, Whippingham and Wootton Bridge. There are 338 listed buildings in Newport and Carisbrooke. The community council is based in The Granary in Newport.
