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| Swinburne
the poet, was probably the village's most famous resident. He lived
at East Dene which belonged to his Sea-lord father. His body now lies
in the graveyard of the 'new' church.
Dickens wrote part of "David Copperfield" whilst staying at the now Winterbourne Hotel. He liked to climb St. Boniface down once a day. H.de Vere Stacpoole who wrote "Blue Lagoon" lived here and donated the pond to the village. Thackeray used to come here for Holidays. Macaulay used to stay at Madeira Hall.
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Although
Bonchurch is joined to Ventnor it is totally different in character.
It was originally a fishing and quarrying hamlet till the Victorians
built their expensive villas here. Although the quarries are no longer
in use and overgrown, they help give the village a unique rugged look.
The village is on three levels: Upper Bonchurch, the main village, and the Seafront. Upper Bonchurch consists mainly of houses, but includes an excellent unspoilt pub called the 'The Bonchurch Inn'. The main village has a couple of small stores and a cafeŽ which overlook Bonchurch's most recognisable feature, its pond - which is home to varied bird life. The Seafront is made up of a few exposed houses sheltering behind a seawall, where there is a very good pottery, and a cafeŽ(which now may be permanently closed). Bonchurch boasts two churches, one which was built in 1070 (St. Boniface), and the other in the last century. Saint Boniface is very small and pretty if somewhat austere inside. It is alleged that a monk in AD700, named Boniface established the church. Bonchurch can be driven through in three minutes, or easily bypassed altogether, but it is worth the stop just to visit its churches and seafront, or just admire it's prettiness - something which had not gone unnoticed by artists and writers in the past. By using this site you accept these terms Contact: Webmaster Web design: Laurence Baker
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