Bembridge Down
Encyclopedia
Bembridge Down is a 56.3 hectare Site of special scientific interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

 which is north-east of Sandown
Sandown
Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, neighbouring the town of Shanklin to the south. Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible...

. The site was notified in 1951 for both its biological and geological features.

Yarborough Monument

The Yarborough Monument is a 75 feet (22.9 m) obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...

 built on top of Bembridge Down in 1849. It was erected in memory of Lord Yarborough, a naval man who was very prominent around the area and regularly made trips to the island staying in Appuldurcombe House. When he died, the Royal Yacht Squadron
Royal Yacht Squadron
The Royal Yacht Squadron is the most prestigious yacht club in the United Kingdom and arguably the world. Its clubhouse is located in Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom...

Committee put up £200 towards the cost of erecting a nautical monument to his memory somewhere appropriate on the island. Two sides of the monument feature inscriptions. In 1867, Lord Palmerston, during the time of fortifying the island against the threat of French invasion moved the monument a few hundred yards further east to its current location on Culver Down (close to where the Culver Haven Inn now is) so that he could build Bembridge Fort.
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