Standing on the River Yar,
Freshwater’s sandy beaches have made it one of the
Isle of Wight’s most popular destinations for
seaside-seekers. Nearby is Tennyson Down where the
poet Tennyson sat for hours each day gazing out to
sea for inspiration. A stone cross in his memory
stands at the summit.
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The Causeway, Freshwater - Photo: Isle of
Wight Tourism |
Freshwater Bay - Photo: Isle of Wight Tourism |
Tennyson lived at Farringford
House from 1853 to 1869 and was given the title
Baron Tennyson of Aldworth and Freshwater. The
highly-regarded photographer Julia Margaret
Cameron also settled here in 1860, making a studio
in a chicken coop and a darkroom in her coal bin.
She did not take up her ‘hobby’ until she was
given a camera at the age of 48 but still went on
to achieve fame with portraits of celebrities such
as Tennyson and Darwin. Her home, Dimbola Lodge,
is run by a trust and preserves much of her work.
