205th ANNIVERSARY OF VERNON
COTTAGE (1817- 2022)
& ITS BEAUTIFUL FEMALE GHOST 'FRANCES'
& ITS BEAUTIFUL FEMALE GHOST 'FRANCES'
ENCHANTING
Vernon Cottage – Tearoom, Tavern, Restaurant, Gift Shop & Tourist Information - in the beautiful thatched village of Old Shanklin, is the finest ‘Cottage Orne’ style
building on the Isle of Wight and is celebrating its 205th Anniversary this year (1817 - 2022).
It was built in 1817 by Edward Vernon
Utterson, an English lawyer, Collector of Books, Editor and talented artist
whose works remain in the British Museum to this day. With a long smuggling
tunnel which runs all the way from beneath the cottage to the bottom of the
magnificent Shanklin Chine, Vernon Cottage was at the very heart of the
Island’s huge smuggling empire in the early 19th Century with far reaching views from every room.
The cottage also has a large ‘secret’ room underneath the present day upstairs lounge which was used to hide huge amounts of contraband. The lounge was originally the bedroom of the Mistress of the house with a secret trap door underneath her bed. When the Customs and Excise men called she would take to her bed with the vapours and they weren’t allowed to enter!
The cottage also has a large ‘secret’ room underneath the present day upstairs lounge which was used to hide huge amounts of contraband. The lounge was originally the bedroom of the Mistress of the house with a secret trap door underneath her bed. When the Customs and Excise men called she would take to her bed with the vapours and they weren’t allowed to enter!
Vernon Cottage is home to a beautiful enchanting female ghost called Frances, the housekeeper who fell in-love with the original
Master of the house and lived here for 30 years until she tragically fell down
the stairs and died. Frances, who appears as her stunning younger self loves
Vernon Cottage and leaves 5 pence pieces for the owners - and visitors - when
she approves of their behaviour!
Susan and Paul de Vere came across
Vernon Cottage by chance 13 years ago when they were sitting in the adjacent
Old Village car park and someone said it might be for sale. When they were
shown in, Susan says they felt ‘physically pulled into the building and
practically propelled down the corridor!’ A Medium later told them Frances
wanted them to stay and Susan had lived there before in a previous life!
Since arriving, Susan and Paul have
transformed Vernon Cottage, uncovered and restored all its stunning original features
including two exquisite fireplaces in the tearooms. Inside the secret upstairs room, Susan found lots of old pictures and photographs, most likely left by a
previous owner, including a framed picture of the house circa 1831 – 14 years
after the original house was built – and standing by the front door is a lady
dressed in pink. Amazingly, pink has always been Susan’s favourite colour and
rarely has a day passed in 30 years when Susan hasn’t worn something pink, be
it a dress, scarf or shoes. So maybe there’s some truth in the Medium’s belief
that she has ‘been here before’. Susan keeps an open mind but says: "I often experience moments of ‘deja vu’, though I think Frances secretly knew we would lovingly repair, re-wire, re-plumb, re-thatch, re-decorate and lavish thousands of hours of dedication on the now restored and beautiful Tea and Beer gardens - which won the 'Wight In Bloom Best Commercial Gardens on the IOW, presented by Alan Titchmarsh. I think Frances was delighted - and so was I".
Today, Vernon Cottage is one of the
loveliest family-friendly fresh-food destinations on the Island, renowned for
its ‘Fabulous Homemade Food’, including its signature 'Old Shanklin Pie' and unique homemade 'Isle of Wight Shaped-Scones'.
Susan and Paul still can’t quite believe they’ve made the transition from launching Glossy Magazines to running Vernon Cottage – but maybe they were meant to be here all along?
Susan says: “You never know where life is going to take you. Twelve years ago I’d never have believed I’d be living here. I still write for magazines and TV scripts, but this is a completely different way of life. My heart now lies in home-made scones and the delightful quintessentially English village of Old Shanklin – and, of course, beautiful Vernon Cottage.”
Susan and Paul still can’t quite believe they’ve made the transition from launching Glossy Magazines to running Vernon Cottage – but maybe they were meant to be here all along?
Susan says: “You never know where life is going to take you. Twelve years ago I’d never have believed I’d be living here. I still write for magazines and TV scripts, but this is a completely different way of life. My heart now lies in home-made scones and the delightful quintessentially English village of Old Shanklin – and, of course, beautiful Vernon Cottage.”
