Come and celebrate the festive season at Spitfire House this winter. It’s an ideal home from home that is modern, chic and elegant and located just a short walk away from the town, Ventnor beach and the beautiful Steephill Cove. There’s a twinkly Christmas tree and exclusive festive hamper for our guests. With three bedrooms, a large open-plan lounge kitchen diner with sliding doors opening onto the balcony with sea views across the English Channel, this is the perfect place for a winter break.
The space
Spitfire House is set on the quiet road of Castle Close, a short walk away from the beautiful Ventnor Botanic Gardens and historic Steephill Cove. To the front, there is off-road parking for two cars, as well as space to park on the road if needed. On booking your trip to Spitfire House, we are able to offer a 15% discount on the Red Funnel- Southampton to East Cowes, crossing over The Solent, if requested.
The house offers a little bit of luxury with high ceilings throughout, solid oak floors and an oak staircase that leads you up to the large open-plan lounge kitchen diner with quiet ceiling fans and sliding doors that open onto the balcony, which offers beautiful sea views across the English Channel and the Ventnor coastline. There is a 55" wall-mounted smart TV and also a selection of board games for all the family to enjoy. Additionally, the kitchen is well equipped and the sizeable dining table seats six with ease. Upstairs, there is also a handy utility room with a convenient WC, washing machine and dishwasher, out of sight, to enable you to fully enjoy the living space without too many sound effects!
Intentionally designed to capitalise on the view, we decided to create an upside-down house. To the ground floor, there are three good-sized bedrooms and the living area on the first floor. Each bedroom features ample storage space for your belongings and anti-allergy bedding with Egyptian cotton linens. From the master bedroom, there is a secret en-suite shower room which we refer to as the Narnia room, inspired by C S Lewis's famous wardrobe. There is also a modern family bathroom.
As well as parking for two cars, other outside space includes the south-facing balcony with its coastal outlook and an enclosed Meditteranean style garden to the back with an Indian slate sandstone patio providing an outdoor dining space. The backdrop is one of green plants, including olive trees and date palms that thrive in Ventnor's sunny micro-climate. As an added bonus, we often have visits from the local red squirrels, which is always lovely to see. Behind that is private woodland that offers a real contrast to the blue seas at the front of the house.
Peppered throughout the house, you will find stylish and quirky Isle of Wight festival artwork, celebrating this exciting island event. Similarly, you will also find nods to the iconic spitfire that gave our home its name. During construction, we were treated to daily flyovers of a spitfire that soared over the property and delivered its spectacular aerobatics on a regular basis. You may be lucky to see this event during your stay if the plane is flying at that time.
We designed a house that we wanted to make into a home and hope that you enjoy it as much as we do.
Richard, Francesca, Athena and baby Beatrix
PS Something of interest for those who enjoy a spot of golfing or walking.
GOLFER'S DELIGHT
If you are a keen golfer- amateur through to pro, Spitfire House provides an excellent base for you to explore the eight super golf clubs on the island, all within 18 miles. There is also a bonus storage shed at the house, perfect for your clubs when they're not in use (please request the key if you would like to use the shed). There is:
Cowes Golf Club
Freshwater Bay Golf Club
Newport Golf Club
Osborne Golf Club (East Cowes)
Ryde Golf Club
Shanklin and Sandown Golf Club
Ventnor Golf Club
Westridge Golf Club (Ryde) *
*Westridge Golf Club also features a Driving Range.
For the amateurs who prefer something a bit more casual, there are several fun mini golf or crazy golf courses to enjoy! Our favourites are:
Pirates Cove and Jurrasic Bay Adventure Golf (Shanklin)
Sandham Crazy Golf (Sandown)
Ventnor Park Putting Green (Ventnor)
WALKER'S PARADISE
From Spitfire House, you can join the old railway line and head into historic woodland, towards the beach or onwards to the Undercliff. There is a lovely park nearby, as well as the town and regular buses departing from Ventnor town centre.
At Spitfire House, we have a current waterproof Ordnance Survey Map (OL29) 1:25,000 scale for guests to use. We also have two walking guides featuring a selection of walks on the island for all abilities. The storage shed can be used for walking gear if required (just request the key).
Guest access
The entire house and garden are exclusively yours to enjoy.
Other things to note
A LOCAL BIT OF HISTORY
Steephill Castle was built during the 1830's when Ventnor was becoming a popular resort with visiting tourists from the cities. Ventnor's popularity was cemented in the mid 1850's when Queen Victoria came to visit and stayed at The Royal Hotel- formerly known as The Ventnor Hotel, until it gained its royal patronage. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were regular visitors to Steephill Castle, as were King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. The picturesque terraced walks, seaside outlook and ambient temperatures were a magnet for the royal visitors.
As Ventnor grew in popularity, the railway network expanded to allow visitors to enjoy this wonderful gem on the Isle of Wight. Thanks to its microclimate, Ventnor's reputation grew as a place of healing and somewhere that provided health benefits, thanks to its coastal features.
Although the castle no longer stands, elements of its high walls can be seen when walking around this area. It occupied an expansive space and Spitfire House now sits in Castle Close, named after the historic Steephill Castle.
During the 1960's, Henry Beecham decided to consolidate Britain's railway network and sadly wielded the knife on the railway lines into Ventnor. However, Castle Close is built along the old railway line. Near to the road's opening there is the old station of Ventnor West, which is now a home. Further along, you will find Spitfire House and if you continued on foot, you will reach a secluded part of the railway line that you can walk along, leading you into woodland and St Lawrence.
Just around the corner from us at Spitfire House, you will find Ventnor Botanic Gardens. Prior to this incarnation, this was the site of The Royal National Hospital that specialised in treating patients with TB and other lung conditions. It opened in 1869 as the sea air was believed to be restorative to respiratory conditions. After it closed in 1964 it was demolished, but the gardens retained and opened to the public.
Ventnor has an abundance of history and folklore and we hope that this little snippet has inspired you to hop on a boat and pay us a visit!
