| The village of Niton with
its sloping streets is in the centre of the best down scenery on the
Island and sheltered by St Catherine's Hill, it is split into two halves
by a break in the inner cliff large enough to house the main road
through the village. Upper Niton is in a hollow by a crossroads and here
is the church a shop and the pub, it still retains a lot of its village
charm due to the fact that not much development has gone on here over
the years. The church built by
William FitzOsborn was given to an abbey in Normandy until Victorian
times when it was restore and rebuilt and Manor Farm is adjoining the
churchyard with its lovely stone farmhouse.
Lower Niton was a small fishing hamlet
until the 19th century and it flourished mainly because of the health
resort of Ventnor and a lot of mansions and holiday cottages were
erected here. At the Undercliff is the island most favourite pub, the
Buddle Inn which has a stream running through its grounds and a lovely
view out to sea and opposite are some steps that lead down to Castle
Cove and it stories of smuggling and haunting. You can walk down to St
Catherines point and the lighthouse via a lane a bit further along to
the west.
On the wall of the Norman church is a
portrait by Flaxman which depicts a strange scene, it is a woman holding
pelicans i her hand, the mother bird is shown feeding its young. If you
look up to the downs the mediaeval lighthouse can be seen.
St Catherine's is the most southerly
point on the Island so the village of Niton albeit small has a lot to
offer including the occasional thatched cottage and its many lovely
walks through some stunning scenery
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Robert William Thomas FORSTER & Alice Mary CREETH m5arried
at Niton church, Isle-of-Wight 10th Oct 1910.
Alice Creeth was a teacher at Niton School, until her
marriage, and lived in the lovely Thatched roof cottage, opposite the church gate. Robert lived at Puckasterr-
Farm, Ventnor~
Incidentally, the cottage above is
the Creeth Cottage, where Alice grew up |
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George William Creeth, c.1915 (aged abt
63) in uniform of Home
Guard (Believed to be World War 1) on steps of Creeth's Cottage.
On the back is written "Greetings to all from Dad. Thought
you
would be glad to see me. This is the best way I can do my little
bit
Will came home on Friday for his Draft leave and went again
yesterday. I will let you know where he is as soon as we hear.
Kit
and Ken came on Tuesday in time to see him but Frank will
not
see him now. Ma is pretty well but might be better. The hot
weather
tries her and other things as well. Ken is grown such a big boy
and
is up to all sorts of mischief. Love to ll. Mother will write
next week.
Dad" |
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Photos and text courtesy of their granddaughter Heather
Forster-Old, NZ |
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Photos courtesy of Heather
Forster-Old, NZ |
| Life in Niton
at the beginning of the 20th century |
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The marriage of Alice
Mary Creeth to Robert William Thomas Forster on 10
October 1910 in Niton IOW. Group photo taken in the garden of
the Creeth
home in Church Road with the brick workshop to the left. |
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Mary Forster and “boys”
at Puckaster Cottage, Niton, Isle of Wight
L to R: George Thompson (son-in-law), Mary and her sons, Martin
Lee (Frank) and Robson
Cameron (Robbie/Bop) c. 1910 |
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Gardeners at Puckaster
House ( “the big house”) c. 1908: (left) Robson
Forster, (centre) Bob Forster, (right) Frank Forster |
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Puckaster Cottage
1930. The woman in the doorway is believed to be Mary
Forster, posing during a
visit to her old home, as she did not live there at that
time.Note on the back of photo reads: “Wishing you
all a very happy Xmas and the very best for 1931. Tot” (Tot
was a daughter of Mary Forster and
sent the photo to her brother Bob in New Zealand). |
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At Puckaster c. 1910 Mary Forster
(extreme right) with family members:
(standing) L-R: Martin Lee (Frank), Mame and Robson
Seated: (Centre) Nan, and (L) Barbara Thompson (nee Forster)
with her
four daughters Marjorie, Dora, Ella and Phyllis |
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Niton School , Isle of
White c. 1918 where Alice Mary Creeth was a teacher before her
marriage to
Robert William Thomas Forster in October 1910.
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Photos and text courtesy of their granddaughter Heather
Forster-Old, NZ |

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