Oakfield is a suburb of the town of

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

, England. Historically part of the St Helens parish, it was absorbed into Ryde Borough in 1933 and in turn into Medina Borough in 1974. Oakfield largely consists of light industrial units and various developments of social housing. The area bounded by High Street, School Street and Reed Street was re-developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with Victorian stone-built cottages demolished to make way for local authority flats and houses. Also demolished was the Oakfield Junior School, in High Park Square, built to a design by Thomas Hellyer. Earlier local authority housing (pre and post war) exists in Harding Road, and later council-built properties can be found in Slade Road. The most recent development is OakVale, whose metal-clad walls dominate views from many other parts of Ryde. Victorian properties remain in parts of High Street, St John's Hill, Wood Street and Meaders Road as well as in Upper and Lower Highland Roads. In the 1960s Oakfield had its own butcher, a barbers shop, several pubs and the well-patronised Renown Fish Bar. June's greengrocer shop on the corner of Meaders Road and St Johns Hill was used as a location in the 1973 film ''

That'll be the Day "That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison. It was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes in 1956 and was re-recorded in 1957 by Holly and his new band, the Crickets. The 1957 recording achieved widesprea ...

'', featuring

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

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Rosemary Leach Rosemary Anne Leach (18 December 1935 – 21 October 2017) was a British stage, television and film actress. She won the 1982 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a New Play for ''84, Charing Cross Road'' and was nominated for the BAFTA Award fo ...

. Few of these businesses remain, although the chip shop survives under a different name. The church of St John, also designed by Hellyer, whilst described as being in Oakfield, would generally be considered to be outside the area, understood as being bounded by Alexandra Road to the east, St Johns Hill to the north, the Ryde to Shanklin Railway to the west, and open countryside to the south.

See also