Abandoned Isle of Wight: Dereliction in Sandown

The Isle of Wight has long been a staycation destination for UK visitors, providing a cheap escape from mainland life. Even Queen Victoria spent her summers there, holidaying at Osborne House.

With cheaper package holidays and flights to sunnier spots available for less than the ferry crossing, tourist numbers have been on the decrease, which has impacted some areas of the island more than others.

A world away from the cobbled streets of yacht-haven Cowes, Sandown seems to have taken the brunt of this lack of tourists, thus money and investment.

Alongside the large abandoned waterfront hotel (which you can read about here), abandoned buildings are everywhere you look when walking the streets of Sandown. These include shops, houses and hotels.

The dereliction hasn’t gone unnoticed with Yahoo News reporting “A GOVERNMENT task force has said there is a lack of strong vision preventing the transformation of Sandown High Street.

It has also slammed the Isle of Wight Council’s policy for dealing with dilapidated heritage buildings in the town and said a more ‘radical’ plan was needed to address the problem.”

Nothing seems to be changing quickly, but for now Sandown attracts a different kind of tourist.