At the foot of Brading Hill the
road divides itself into two branches. The one to the right leads
direct to Shanklin, over Morton Common: the other to the left lies
through Yarbridge to Yaverland and Sandown. We recommend the latter,
as the farm-house and church at Yaverland are worthy of notice. The
former is a fine capacious stone building, of the time of James I.,
containing some well executed specimens of carved oak. The church is
annexed to the house, and has a curious semicircular doorway. Culver
Cliffs, about a mile and a half from Yaverland, may be approached by a
footpath across the fields, which will also lead to Hermit's Hole, a
cavern of great depth in the side of the cliff. These cliffs were much
celebrated for a choice breed of falcons, which were esteemed so
highly by Queen Elizabeth, that she procured the birds regularly from
the Culver Cliffs, and they were trained with much care for her
majesty's own use. On the shore beneath, but more towards Sandown,
near what is called the Red Cliff, (from the colour of the soil,) many
fossil remains have been lately discovered; some of animals of a
gigantic size.
Sandown Fort is the next object in the road to Shanklin. "It commands
the bay from which it derives its name, and is a low, square building
flanked by four bastions, and encompassed by a ditch.
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