In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Bonchurch like this:
BONCHURCH, a village and a parish in the SE of the Isle of Wight. The village stands on the coast, at the eastern part of the Undercliff, 1 mile E of Ventnor; and has a post office under Ventnor, and an excellent hotel. It is charmingly situated, among picturesque scenery; and includes a number of fine, scattered, private residences. ...
The parish contains part of Nettlecombe tything. Acres, 618; of which 70 are water. Real property, £3,452. Pop., 564. Houses, 80. The property is much subdivided. The name Bonchurch is a corruption of Boniface-Church; and arose from a legend respecting St. Boniface, the apostle of Central Germany. St. Boniface Down rises behind the village to an altitude of 783 feet above the level of the sea; and commands a grand prospect. Parts of the acclivities and of the coast are highly romantic. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Winchester. Value, £140.* Patron, H. B. Leeson, Esq., M. D. The church was built in 1848; and is a plain edifice in the Norman style. The previous church, now disused, still stands. The Rev. William Adams, author of the "Shadow of the Cross," and John Sterling, whose life was written by Hare and Carlyle, lie interred in the churchyard; Miss Elizabeth Sewell, Author of "Amy Herbert," the Rev. James White, author of the "Eighteen Christian centuries," and Edmund Peel, author of the "Fair Island," are residents in the parish; and Admiral Hobson was a native.
Bonchurch through time
Bonchurch is now part of the Isle of Wight district. Click here for graphs and data of how the Isle of Wight has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Bonchurch itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Bonchurch, in The the Isle of Wight and Hampshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/1676
Date accessed: 10th May 2024
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