Mountfield Caravan Park

A Memory of Norton.

My great uncle Frank and his wife Fan Sampson and their partner Chip Wright owned this park then. My grandfather Bert Sampson helped out there too. We used to come for family holidays from our home in London. I loved it. The Island was magical. I never wanted to go home. We visited all our family and had great holidays. There was a big house there where the family lived. I think it is still there. There was a little shop full of groceries and holiday must-haves. My first place to go. There was a playground and a sandpit too. I never understood why I loved the Island so much, then I traced my family tree in later years and found we came from there, mystery solved.


Added 18 April 2008

#221366

Comments & Feedback

Spent many a happy holiday here, in fact we visited 11 years on the trot. We started off in the caravans and after a few holidays my parents hired a small wooden chalets. My parents had became friends of the owners over the years and we had a last few holidays staying in the main house. I used call the owner Sam which seems to be the surname shortened but at a young age you do not go into these things. We did not have a car so it was a coach from Maidenhead then the ferry to Ryde, a bus ride across the island where I think we changed at Newport then on to Norton Green. It did become easier when dad got a car but that was a few years in. We walked to the beach at Totland bay rain or shine and I can remember myself and brothers exploring the beach by the fort which had signs saying no entry but that did not stop us. Sam used to take my brothers fishing off what I think was a private landing stage, my brother Colin who was the eldest fished of the pier at Yarmouth and caught a Bass which broke the pier record, we have a photo somewhere of him standing outside the house at Mountfield and a newspaper clipping. I can remember that after Sam died and his wife retired (sorry cannot remember her name) our holidays stopped but I do know that my mum Amy stayed in contact by letter for a very long time afrterwards. Great holidays and fond memories of Mountfield and the Isle of Wight.
Oh wow thank you so much for your memory. I remember that we stayed in a chalet once. It was an amazing holiday every time we stayed. I went flounder fishing in a little boat in the river Yar with Uncle Frank. My father Bill used to go fishing off Yarmouth pier. Your brother did well catching a Bass. Fan and Frank carried on after Chip died but when Frank died, Fan sold up and she and Grandad shared a house in Newport in later years. As you say very fond childhood memories.

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