Schools

 

Shanklin Chine and the Heritage Centre form a splendid complex for school parties to visit. The Chine is a beautiful and natural geographic phenomena, with a swiftly flowing stream running through a sandstone gorge, tumbling over a series of waterfalls on its path to the sea. It is a haven for wild life and plants where children and students benefit greatly from an experience of applied natural history in these unique woodland and river surroundings.

 

TEACHING DEVELOPMENT FROM A VISIT TO SHANKLIN CHINE

GEOGRAPHY - The life of a river and its three stages. The formation of sandstone and the "sedimentary cycle"; different types of sandstone in other parts of the country; its use in the building industry.

HISTORY - Development of the tourist industry on the Isle of Wight, and spa resorts in particular. The history and development of Shanklin. The story of PLUTO and the use of Shanklin Chine to deliver petrol to the forces in Europe during the Second World War.

ART - Displays of specimens from trees, e.g. leaf prints, bark rubbings, pictures of twigs, flowers, fruits, catkins.

BIOLOGY - Plants and animals of woodland and river habitats, their dependence on each other - food chains. The evolution of plant life and how it gradually came to live away from water. Reproduction of non-flowering plants.

DRAMA - Enact stories of smuggling. Make up a play about a smuggler who is caught.

ENGLISH - Stories of smuggling at the Chine. Write about life in Shanklin before the coming of the railway. Imaginative stories of plants or animals of the Chine.

 

 

INFORMATION FOR YOUR VISIT

NEW FOR 2009 - THE CHILDRENS NATURE HIDE.

Situated next to the Aviary the Nature Hide is designed for children to find out more about Shanklin Chine, its natural history, Flora and Fauna and all the birds that visit. This Nature Hide is full of information boards and coulourfull photographic information posters with educational information that will capture the attention of all age groups.  Added to this a live camera on our very own Red Squirrel feeding station linked to a television in the hide for you to watch!

 

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE

GUIDE BOOK (aimed at adults) - a colourful account of the history and layout of the Chine - £1.00

NATURE TRAIL LEAFLET - An account of the flora and fauna in the Chine - distributed at 1 per child but additional copies - 20p

 

 

TEACHER'S AND CHILDREN'S BACKGROUND NOTES

The health giving qualities of the chalybeate spring at Shanklin were recognised by Dr Fraser, Physician to King Charles II in 1676. So Shanklin, as a resort and watering place, has been on the map for hundreds of years. Although changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution did not immediately affect the farming and fishing village as Shanklin then was, the tentacles of the railway system finally extended to the Island and a station was built in 1864. Expansion rapidly took place and Shanklin's reputation as a resort and a spa was established. Queen Victoria's love of the Island had already done much to attract British and European Society and Shanklin became a popular watering and visiting place for royalty.

The waters, containing mineral salts of iron oxide, were endowed with the most marvellous properties - a cure for all sorts of ills - indigestion, nervous exhaustion, rheumatism and eczema - or so it was claimed in the nineteenth century.

The Saxon name for Shanklin was "Scenc-hlinc", which means a "cup in the rising ground" The name "chine" is now used only in the Isle of Wight and Dorset. It describes a deep, narrow ravine cut by water. At the head of the Chine, the cliffs are close together and very steep. Further along the course of the stream, the slope of the ground is not so steep and the flow of the water slower. The cliffs are farther apart and the bottom of the valley begins to widen. All along the cliff face of the Chine there are cracks called "spring lines" where water continually trickles down to join the main stream, swelling the volume of water as the stream continues towards the sea. As the rate of flow lessens, the stream gradually deposits the mud and silt it has been carrying along. The dark red hue of the sandstone reveals the presence of iron ore.

 

 

 

The formation of the Chine has taken place over the last 10,000 years. The cliffs are formed of sandstone. Sandstone is a common, porous rock. It consists of grains of sand which have been hardened into a solid mass, over a very, very long time, by a natural cement. A mineral called iron oxide, which gives the sandstone its reddish colour, is present among the grains.

The steeper the slope over which a stream runs, the faster it will flow. A fast-moving stream carries stones and pebbles along with it which wear away the stream bed. This wearing away is called erosion. Where the ground falls away sharply, a waterfall is formed. If the water is falling over soft sandstone rock, the head of the waterfall is continually being eroded back. Towards the end of the 19th Century, stones were laid at the head of the Shanklin Chine waterfall to stop this happening.

The Heritage Centre combines several topics featured in previous displays with many new story-board themes and historical artefacts, dealing with widely-ranging subjects and includes 13 reproductions of some of the unique pictures of Island life in the Georgian period produced by the brilliant artist, satirist and cartoonist, Thomas Rowlandson. Displayed separately in the Chine's Tea Room, they depict in watercolour many of the scenes noted by Rowlandson (1756-1827) and his brother-in-law, Samuel Hewitt (1756-1822), during their visits to the Isle of Wight and on the journeys they made to and from the Island. Our new featured section "AVIATION AND THE ISLAND" tells the exciting story of the Islands long association with flying and aircraft construction. It recounts the development of the ISLANDER aeroplane, famous for its ruggedness, simplicity and its short take-off and landing ability. This classic workhorse plane is a lasting tribute to the memories of two brilliant designers, John Britten and Desmond Norman. Within the Heritage Centre is the PLUTO ROOM which contains fascinating old photographs and pictures, depicting Shanklin Chine's wartime use as a commando training area prior to the Dieppe Raid, together with the part played in the development and deployment of the most valuable petrol pipeline to Europe - PLUTO (Pipe Line Under The Ocean).

THE TEA ROOM AND GARDEN offers refreshments and the GIFT SHOP is stocked with a wide range of excellent gifts and souvenirs - many of them priced within the limits of children's purses.

We ask that children are accompanied by adults in a ratio of about 1:10, that they keep to the paths and help to preserve the tranquillity of our lovely

 

HOW DO SPRINGS OF WATER START?

If rain falls onto hard rock and it cannot soak into the ground, it runs off immediately and collects in tiny streams which flow downhill and join up with other little streams. These streams may then combine and become rivers before flowing into the sea. But a great deal of rainwater sinks into the ground. Some soils or rocks are porous, which means that they contain tiny pores, or holes, which soak up water just like a bath sponge. Layers of porous rock often rest on top of impervious rocks. These do not allow the water to soak through and so they block the downward movement of water. After heavy rain. the level of water in the porous rock rises. As water sinks in at the top, the weight of the water held in the rock squeezes it out further down the slope. This is called a spring.

The ground can act like a great storage tank, gradually draining a little water at a time. This is why springs and streams will still keep flowing weeks and months after the last fall of rain. The Shanklin Chine stream starts from a spring in Greatwood Copse, Cowlease. It is at first a tiny brook and enters the head of the chine in Shanklin Old Village, tumbling over a rocky ledge.
 

FACILITIES AVAILABLE

The Gift Shop and Heritage Centre include toilets adjacent to the Tea Garden. Parties can buy drinks and light refreshments in the Tea Garden. In fine weather it is very pleasant to eat picnic lunches on the beach, at the foot of the Chine. Drinks are available. Parking - Coach park in centre of Old Village (Chine Avenue) behind the Memorial.

RECOMMENDED GROUP AGE - 9 years upwards

POSSIBLE LENGTH OF VISIT - 1 hour

ADVANCED BOOKING - Not necessary, but advisable.