Rew Down is a 23.5-hectare biological
Site of Special Scientific Interest and
Local Nature Reserve located on the south-east edge of the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
in the hills to the west of
Ventnor
Ventnor () is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, from Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface Down, and built on steep slopes leading down to the sea. ...
.
The area is a chalk grassland sloping to the south and offering panoramic and far-reaching views of the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or (Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kan ...
. It has the
Stenbury Trail running along its western boundary and the
Ventnor golf club to the north.
It is managed by the Isle of Wight Council and is noted for its
Highland cattle, which have grazed the land since 2003.
The area contains the remains of the tower base of, Historic England Grade II listed, Royal Navy World War II direction finding (D/F) station (one of the'
Y-stations
The "Y" service was a network of British signals intelligence collection sites, the Y-stations. The service was established during the First World War and used again during the Second World War. The sites were operated by a range of agencies inc ...
'), Ventnor, which is believed to be the most complete of its type still extant.
References
External links
Isle of Wight Council entry
{{SSSIs IoW
Local Nature Reserves on the Isle of Wight
Hills of the Isle of Wight
Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the Isle of Wight
Locations in the history of espionage