Preserving, documenting and promoting the social history of Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

SPRING VISIT TO RYDE CEMETERY
On Tuesday March 20th a group of 75 children, armed with sketch books, descended on Ryde Cemetery

THE KING OF SPAIN'S VISIT TO IW GUN CLUB AT ASHEY IN 1910
This wonderful photograph is one of a number sent to us by Colin Caws in New Zealand.

VISIT TO OSBORNE HOUSE
On Sunday 27 November we had our Group winter outing to Osborne House.

AUTUMN
Despite the glorious early October weather the summer "What Summer?) is drawing to a close...

SIX SPOT BURNET MOTH
Six-Spot Burnet Moth Zygaena filipendulae

MEADOW FLOWERS IN THE OLD PARISH CEMETERY
In the summer time the Old Parish Cemetery, which is now a conservation area, is full of meadow flowers.

PRIMROSES RETURN
It seems to be a great year for primroses and as always there are carpets of them throughout Ryde Cemetery.

A MISTY MARCH MORNING
A misty morning does not signify a cloudy day.

FEBRUARY - WINTER'S END
After the harsh winter in February we often see the first signs that spring is on the way

THE STILLNESS OF WINTER
We had about six inches of snow in Ryde Cemetery on the night of 1st December.

CELEBRATE SUCCESS!
The IW Council has successfully completed a £450,000 Heritage Lottery funded project to restore Ryde Cemetery.

CELEBRATE SUCCESS!
The IW Council has successfully completed a £450,000 Heritage Lottery funded project to restore Ryde Cemetery.

Ox-eye daisy/Dog daisy
As is usual for this time of the year the meadow parts of the cemetery are a pretty sight with many tall grasses and wildflowers.

Daffy-Down-Dilly
Daffodils symbolise rebirth, new beginnings and friendship and are synonymous with spring.

Snowdrop (Galanthus) A flower for the New Year
In the Victorian ‘Language of Flowers’ the snowdrop is called the flower of hope

The Holly and the Ivy
The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown, Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.

Lest we forget
At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

St Boniface
The Southern of the Twin Chapels within Ryde Cemetery is home to the St. Boniface Mission.

Common Garden Spider
This is the time of year when spiders seem to be very noticeable

The Painted Lady (Vanessa Cardui)
The Painted Lady (Vanessa Cardui) arrives in the UK from Africa every year.

Honeysuckle in the Cemetery
Our own native honeysuckle is found throughout Ryde cemetery.

Ryde History Week
This is Alice who came along to Ryde History Week at St Thomas Heritage Centre in Ryde on Bank Holiday Monday and participated in Victorian Day.

The Crocus a sure sign of Spring
In February the crocuses began to appear in the Cemetery bringing welcome colour and a promise of Spring.

A Frosty December morning
After a very cold night the sun came up on Sunday 7 December. The cemetery looked very picturesque...

The Big Draw 18 & 19 October 2008
This fantastic artwork was drawn by a boy called Angus for our Big Draw event

Mystery Bird - Wheatear
Early evening on Saturday 20 September this bird settled on a headstone and let me take its photograph.

Wood Mouse
This little mouse has been coming to feed on the peanuts

William Herbert - A Common Frog
On 17 May while transcribing we met "William Herbert" a common frog who was guarding a grave.

Signs that Summer is on the way
At this time of year the cemetery comes alive with meadow flowers and in areas where the flowers are allowed to grow it becomes a feeding ground for flying insects.

April Snow
There was a heavy snow shower on the morning of Sunday 6th April 2008.

March 2008 - Primrose - Primula vulgaris
The Primrose (Primula vulgaris) is native to Britain and Europe.

February 2008 - Snowdrops
Snowdrops, or Galanthus, which means “milk flower”, to give them their correct name...

January 2008 - New Year's Day - A Walk in Ryde Cemetery
The new year brought rain but it was still a pleasant and peaceful walk in Ryde Cemetery this morning.

November 2007 - The Ice Cross
There was a heavy frost in the cemetery yesterday...

November 2007 - Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara) in Flower
It's November and the large, majestic Deodar Cedar tree in the Cemetery is in flower.

October 2007 - Sunlight on the chapel windows by Carol Strong
This photograph taken in July 2007 shows the fine detail of the brickwork around the chapel windows contrasted against the diffuse sunight.

September 2007 - Speckled Wood Butterfly - Pararge aegeria
Speckled wood butterflies have brown wings with creamy-yellow spots and a small dark eye spot near the tip of the upper wing. The lower wings have a row of dark brown eye spots.

August 2007 - Six-belted Clearwing Moth
Locally distributed in the southern half of Britain, this species inhabits chalky soils including downland, quarries and sea-cliffs.

July 2007 - Peacock Butterfly - Inachis io
The Peacock Butterfly gets its name from the similarity between the eye pattern on its wing and those on the Peacock’s tail feathers.

June 2007 - Ox-Eye Daisy
In early June parts of the cemetery are covered with this pretty white flower.

April 2007 - A Green Winged Orchid?
At last, the appearance of an orchid in the Cemetery

March 2007 - Spring has arrived in the Cemetery
Primroses grow in abundance in the Old Parish cemetery

December 2006 - Holly Berries
Holly is a traditional foliage associated with winter and the Christmas Season

November 2006 - Lest We Forget
- November is the time of year when we remember those who sacrificed their lives for us during wars.

September 2006 - Autumn in the cemetery
As the long hot summer turns into autumn the rose hips add a vibrant splash of colour in the cemetery

July 2007 - Evening Primrose in the Evening Light
This grave looks particularly pretty at this time of year with its low to the ground, yellow Evening Primrose flowers.

June 2006 - Woodbine (Wild Honeysuckle)
Lonicera periclymenum

April 2006 - Spring in Ryde Cemetery
Primroses and celandines herald Spring in Ryde Cemetery