Niton

For the chemical element formerly known as Niton, see Radon. For the single by Eric Prydz, see Niton (The Reason).

Niton
The White Lion, the village's pub.
Population	1,142 (2001 census)
OS grid reference	SZ507765
Civil parish	Niton and Whitwell
Unitary authority	Isle of Wight
Ceremonial county	Isle of Wight
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	VENTNOR
Postcode district	PO38
Dialling code	01983
Police	Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Fire	Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Ambulance	Isle of Wight
UK Parliament	Isle of Wight

Niton is a village on the Isle of Wight, near Ventnor with a thriving population of 1142, supporting two pubs, several churches, a pottery workshop/shop, a pharmacy and 3 local shops including a post office. The post office houses a cafe which serves as a local meeting place.

Geography

Panorama over Niton.

Niton village is split into two halves by a break in the inner cliff large enough to house the main road through Niton. Upper Niton lies in a hollow and is set around a crossroads. The lower part of the village, below the inner cliff is often known as Niton Undercliff, and was a small fishing hamlet until the 19th Century. This part of Niton flourished in Victorian times due to the popularity of Ventnor as a health resort, and many mansions and holiday cottages were built here. The road on the Undercliff continues east from Niton towards Ventnor. The Undercliff at Niton includes the most southerly point of the Isle of Wight, St. Catherine's Point and St. Catherine's Lighthouse. That is also where the Navtex transmitting station is located.

The source of the Eastern Yar is in the parish, a little to the north of the village.

Together with Whitwell, Niton composes a civil parish.

Niton lighthouse

St Catherine's Lighthouse

St Catherine's Lighthouse was bombed in World War II, receiving a direct hit on the boiler house that killed three lighthouse keepers. The lighthouse itself was only slightly damaged, its lens only being chipped; the same lens is still used today.

Niton Church

Main article: Church of St. John the Baptist, Niton

Radio

Marconi used Knowles Farm in Niton as a location for radio experiments when he was living on the Isle of Wight in the late 1890s and early 1900s. In January 1901, he transmitted radio signals a record 186 miles from his transmitter station at Knowles Farm at the southern tip of the Isle of Wight to his Lizard Radio Telegraph Station at the southern tip of Cornwall. There is a stone at Knowles Farm into which is cut the inscription, "This is to commemorate that Marconi set up a wireless experimental station here in A.D. 1900". While in Niton, Marconi stayed at the Royal Sandrock Hotel in Undercliff.

A ship-to-shore radio station was established in 1900 and Niton Radio (callsign GNI) was maintained as a coastal radio station well known to yacht masters—including being featured in a British Telecom International information film—until it finally closed, along with the rest of the coastal radio network, in 1997. The Navtex transmitter at St. Catherine's Lighthouse is still in operation as of 2013 (Navtex is a shore-to-ship service).

Surfing

Niton has a reputation as a notoriously dangerous spot for Surfboarding a powerful rip current and a rocky landing await the surfer who attempts to tame Niton's powerful shore break.

Governance

Niton lies within the parliamentary constituency of the Isle of Wight with the seat held by Conservative member Andrew Turner, and within the same area of the Isle of Wight Council. Together with Whitwell, the village forms a civil parish, chaired by Councillor John Andrew Stotesbury. The Parish Council has ten members, six for the Niton ward and four for the Whitwell ward. The Council meets ten times a year alternating the venue between the two villages.

Transport

Southern Vectis bus route 6 serves the village on its way between Newport and Ventnor, including intermediate villages. During the summer, the Island Coaster also runs through the village.