On the eastern side of Ventnor, is a pretty village with a splendid pond that was donated to the village by the author de Vere Stacpoole. Among the most notable visitors to Bonchurch were, Tennyson, Karl Marx, Charles Dickens, Thackeray, John Keats Lord Macauley Longfellow and the list goes on.

BONCHURCH INN
The Shute 
01983 852611
www.bonchurch-inn.co.uk
Bus Route 31A, 7B (top of road)
Bonchurch Shute, just off main Ventnor-Shanklin road
Weekdays 11 – 3, 6.30 - 11 Sat 11 – 3, 6.30 - 11 Sun 12 – 3, 7 - 10.30
Courage Best
Courage Directors
Absolute gem! Superbly preserved stone built pub, tucked away in a Dickension courtyard and, formerly, the stables of the adjacent Manor House. Little changed since the pub gained its license, makes this one of the most unspoilt pubs on the Island (a 1930s photo shows the only change to be an increase in drainage pipes!). The floors are from a ships deck and chairs from a liner. Rings and billiards are played, yet, curiously, the landlord of this very English pub is an Italian! Featuring as the 'Bird in Hand' in an episode of the TV series 'The Detectives’, is commemorated on one side of the inn sign. There is also an authentic separate Italian restaurant.