The Tunnel
Our regular Tunnel Tours are currently postponed. Please email foh@botanic.co.uk if you'd like to enquire about a private tour.
Ventnor Botanic Garden has many secrets, some dating back to the days of the Royal National Hospital that formerly stood on the site. Underground caverns, secret passageways and a tunnel through the cliff can be found by the visitors to the Garden.
A proposal to dig a tunnel from the gardens down to the shore was mooted in the late 1800s. The Royal National Hospital annual report for 1875 states that “There can be no doubt that if the patients were able to obtain free access to the shore it would be very conducive alike to their recovery and their enjoyment.” Money for the tunnel at that time was not forthcoming and although it was built later, its function was by no means the rather romantic conception that has given rise to a good deal of speculation and comment; it was in fact used as a conduit for rubbish that was propelled through it and dumped into the sea. Steel tramlines are still visible on the floor. Exactly when the tunnel was built is unknown; possibly it was in relation to a new system of drainage and sewage disposal that was completed sometime in the 1880s. The tunnel was closed at both ends in 1940.
The 350 foot long vaulted roofed tunnel exits through the cliff midway down and is inaccessible. DO NOT attempt to locate the exit, or try to enter unless with one of our guides, as the cliff is extremely dangerous. Bolted gates are also in place for safety.
Extraordinary weather continues
Weather Update Throuighout the land we've seen examples of extraordinary weather affecting the UK. We seeAs of 9th January 2016 we've not had a frost for nearly three years, the last recorded on 18th January 2013. A look at the remarkable weather for December 2015...
Weather Blog
A look at the remarkable weather for December 2015 from Chris Watts, VBG's weather recorder Here is a quick assessment of the extraordinary weather we experienced in December. The mean temperature,11.9C, was up by 5.4C over the 1921-50 average for the Hospital. Since...
Mirror Orchid flowers at VBG
Mirror Orchid Ophrys speculum flowers The unbelievably mild weather has brought forward many spring flowering plants at the Garden, but perhaps nothing more exquisite than the Mirror Orchid, Ophrys speculum. These are native to the Mediterranean where they love to...
New Years Day Flower Count
287 different plants in bloom on New Years Day! On New Year's Day we counted how many plants are in bloom at VBG and came to a record number of 287! This is a duty we carry out on an annual basis for fun, though recently we have seen trends linked to climate change....
2016 Annual Membership Passes
Visit more, save more and support the Garden Here at VBG we encourage our visitors to come back again and again throughout the year. Whatever the season and whatever the weather, there is always something special to see at Britain’s hottest Garden where the...
First record of alien millipede at VBG
First scientific record for continental millipede at VBG. A visiting scientist, Tony Barber from the British Myriapod & Isopod Group, has discovered a millipede at Ventnor Botanic Garden, usually only found in Italy. This is the first definitive record from the...
Garden Blog
Having the Insula exhibition at VBG by Perdita Sinclair led to thoughts about seed dispersal by sea. Of all the strategies evolved by flowering plants to disperse their seed, the method with potential to spread furthest yet most treacherously, must be by sea. The...
Dicksonia Tree Fern Regeneration
New young Dicksonia naturalise in Australian Section August 11th Dicksonia antarctica Tree Fern Regeneration Since we planted our Dicksonia antarctica in 2005 we've been keeping an eye open to see of we have any natural regeneration. We had assessed the viability of...
Rare Bordered Straw Moth at VBG
Unusual summer visitor to garden August 3rd Rare moth caterpillars discovered amongst the olives Caterpillars of a rare UK migrant moth have been discovered amongst the olive trees at Ventnor Botanic Garden. The Bordered Straw Moth caterpillars were found in the...
Special Night Visits to the Giant Waterlily
See the enigmatic night flowering lily of legend This week for the flowers of the Giant Waterlily have opened. This year we are offering special opportunities to visit at night to see the amazing nightflowering lily. After midnight the lily opens its flower,...
Chris’ Blog
Plant Profile Echium pininana When composing Blogs on plants at VBG it’s often easy to overlook the obvious through familiarity. Perhaps a plant for which this botanic garden is rightly famed is one that we don’t tend, plant, propagate or molly coddle. It has grown,...
Echium begin to open
Iconic flower parade begins The "great opening" of the 2015 Echium pininana parade has begun. The picture above shows the very first dozen or so individual flowers opening on a single spike in our Mediterranean Garden. Each flower spike of these iconic plants,...
Stunning IOW Video from Liz Earle
VBG Partners Liz Earle video January 28th Click on the image above. You will be redirected to the Liz Earle Youtube site.
Garden Blog
A Garden in the Houses of Parliament In the August Blog I wrote about an award winning garden we put up at Gardener’s World Live at the Birmingham NEC, in conjunction with Visit Isle of Wight Ltd, the destination management company who promote the island to the...
Meet Artist in Residence Judy Rodrigues
Ventnor Botanic Garden is pleased to announce the arrival of Judy Rodrigues as our artist in residence. ‘The Hill Hassall R&D Residency’ is supported by Arts Council England. Judy will be working in our new Studio area built within the front of our Tropical...
Tel: 01983 855397 | Ventnor Botanic Garden Community Company C.I.C | Company Number: 07976468 | Registered Address: Undercliff Drive, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, PO38 1UL