The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern
English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire.
Popular from Victorian times as a holiday resort, the Isle of Wight is known for
its natural beauty and as home to the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes, a town that
hosts a world famous annual regatta.
Queen Victoria made Osborne House on the Isle of Wight her summer home for many
years and, as a result, it became a major holiday resort for members of European
royalty. During her reign, in 1897, the World's first radio station was
set up by Marconi, at the Needles battery, at the western tip of the Isle of
Wight.
The Isle of Wight Festival took place near Afton Down, West Wight in 1970 was
notable for being one of the last public performances by Jimi Hendrix.
