It is worth making a detour inland from Shanklin to Godshill (4mi/6.5km west). This small well-kept village has thatched stone houses, a Methodist chapel dating from 1838, a small natural history museum, and a toy museum. The medieval St Lawrence's Church (14th century) in Godshill has the tombs of members of the Worsley family, and a 15th/16th century fresco in the South Chapel. The painting "Daniel in the Lions' Den" is probably the work of Rubens or one of his pupils.
Three-storied Appuldurcombe House, built in 1701 for Sir Robert Worsley and partly renovated in 1770 by James Wyatt, is reached by continuing through Godshill Park and across Stenbury Down. The most impressive manor house on the island before its destruction in World War II, it has been undergoing extensive renovation since 1988.
Address: Appuldurcombe House, Appuldurcombe Road, Wroxall, Ventnor PO38 3EW, England
Hours:
March 16 to September 30: 10am-4pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26)
Tips: Last admission 1 hour before closing. Combined Ticket to House & Falconry Centre available.
The Natural History Centre in Godshill features a tropical aquarium, some 40,000 seashells and corals and a collection of minerals, precious and semi-precious stones. The collection is one of the largest of its kind in the south of England.
Address: Natural History Centre, High Street, Godshill PO38 3HZ, England
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