Our Community

The community we serve is on the eastern end of the Isle of Wight just to the south east of Ryde which is the nearest major town. The church itself is in the village of Seaview, and also serves the surrounding villages including St Helens and Nettlestone. As a church family, we are a small and friendly bunch of mainly local people, united in our desire to reach the communities of the East Wight with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Seaview
The village of Seaview started its life back in Edwardian times (circa 1800) as a collection of cottages built to house local workers in the fishing and shipping industries and also those working the salt pans in the local marshes. It didn’t change significantly until Victorian times when it grew to accommodate the new fashion for the seaside holiday. The Victorians considered it an exclusive resort and even built a pier so that steam ships from the mainland could dock there. Many large house were built at this time to serve as holiday retreats as well as the sea wall which stretches all the way to Ryde.
Seaview still has many holiday homes making it quieter during the winter,  but becoming a bustling seaside resort during the holiday season. Those who live here all year round are largely retired people who appreciate the peace and quiet and relaxed pace of life that it offers. Sailing is a popular local pastime with the Sea View Yacht Club playing a significant role in the local sailing community.

Nettlestone
Nettlestone is a small village that sits between Seaview and St Helens. Its housing is largely more recent than either of its two neighbours including some fairly new development although there has been a settlement here since the time of the doomsday book. The oldest house still surviving is Nettlestone Manor, built around 1580 and believed to be the oldest brick building on the Isle of Wight.
Nettlestone has an all year round community made up of a mixture of retired people and younger working families. Employment in the immediate area is mostly tourism related with most working people commuting to nearby Ryde or to other Island towns. Nettlestone also has its own primary school which was built in 1905 and has over 130 pupils from the local area. Two pubs serve the village along with a post office and general store.

St Helens
The village of St Helens has a history that dates back at least to the Saxon period when Christianity first arrived in the shape of a priest sent by Bishop Wilfred. A church and a priory were built here in Norman times and there are buildings dating from various periods of history spread around the village.
The village is centred around a huge village green which covers nine acres of ground and has a children’s playground, a cricket pitch and a football pitch within it. A varied assortment of houses is arranged around the edge of the green spanning many different periods of history. Like Seaview, St Helens was developed by the Victorians to provide seaside retreats and many of these great houses can be seen as you get to the coastal end of the village.
The village community is a mixture of retired people, younger families and holiday home owners. There is a local primary school with sixty plus pupils and a lots of community based activities, especially in the summer months. St Helens forms the northern border of Bembridge harbour and is a popular base for sailing activities. A local website offers useful information for the communities of Bembridge and St Helens and can be found here.