Rural Life display at the Museum of Island History

Historic photographs and images of rural Isle of Wight life will go on display at the Museum of Island History in Newport in June.

To celebrate the new display the museum will open free of charge between Tuesday 6 June and 10 Saturday June (10am – 1pm). There will be special activities for families at the museum on Saturday 10 June (10am – 1pm), with a photo trail and mystery objects to identify.

The exhibition has been created by the Isle of Wight Council’s Heritage Service with assistance from young volunteers.

Included within the display will be newly discovered photographs from the Sandown photographer James Dore (1854 – 1925). These were donated in 2021 and include some new scenes that the Heritage Service would like help identifying.

James Dore was born in Sandown in 1854. He was a watchmaker and a jeweller and had a shop at 27 High Street, Sandown, where he added a photographic studio and workshops.

James won a medal for his magic lantern slides at the 1893 ‘World’s Fair Chicago’ and was active in public life on the Isle of Wight.

He was founder member of Sandown Fire Brigade established in 1879 and was chief officer until 1916. He represented Sandown on the county council for 28 years and was chairman of the committee that managed the hospital at Whitecroft for 21 years.

James had a genuine interest in the comfort and wellbeing of patients and the welfare of the staff. He organised regular fetes at Whitecroft with programmes of entertainment which included brass bands, theatres and Maypole dancing. In 1925 he secured funding to set up a cinema at the hospital.

The display is in the front of house of the museum so is available to view free of charge on Tuesdays and Thursdays (10am – 1pm) until September. It will include more than 40 images from the James Dore collection, focussing on rural life on the Isle of Wight.

Isle of Wight Council’s Museum of Island History is located in the Guildhall, High Street, Newport.