Exploring the Isle of Wight with Alfred Lord Tennyson

By Ann-Maureen Owens
The western tip of England’s Isle of Wight was a setting beloved of the Victorian poet laureate, Alfred Lord Tennyson, for the last half of his life. Still beautiful, less populated than the rest of the island and soothingly calm, it is easy to understand his attachment. The poet’s presence lingers at ivy-clad Farringford House, his home near Freshwater Bay for over 40 years, where he entertained artists, intellectuals and royalty. It was operating as a hotel, in a faded grandeur sort of way, when I stumbled upon it a few years ago, a charming place where one is happy just...