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Home / Type of trip / Attractions / Secret rocket testing site on the Isle of Wight

Secret rocket testing site on the Isle of Wight

November 8, 2013 by Gretta Schifano 16 Comments

Kennedy Space Center. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Kennedy Space Center. Copyright Gretta Schifano

The last thing I expect to find when we visit the Isle of Wight is a secret rocket testing site. I wasn’t even aware that Britain had ever launched a space rocket. But we come across an exhibition in Newport called Chasing Sputnik and learn that rockets were indeed tested on the island during the Cold War.

Kennedy Space Center

We saw a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral in the summer and enjoyed visiting the impressive Kennedy Space Center. It was thrilling to see the Atlantis space shuttle and interesting to hear astronauts talking about their experiences in space. This vast attraction is a major Florida tourist destination visited by millions each year. My husband and I decide that we have to see the British equivalent and so head to The Needles with the youngest the following day.

The Needles

The Needles rocks sit at the island’s western tip and are overlooked by a fort under the care of the National Trust after years of military control. After parking at The Needles Park (a tacky amusement park which we avoid) a beautiful twenty minute walk up the hill takes us to the Old Battery.

Old Battery

This Victorian fort perches above the Channel and was used during both World Wars. There’s a tunnel from the parade ground to a look-out post with great views of The Needles and some interesting exhibition rooms showing what life was like for soldiers living at the fort in Victorian times.

The Needles, the Isle of Wight. Copyright Gretta Schifano

The Needles, the Isle of Wight. Copyright Gretta Schifano

New Battery

From the Old Battery a few minutes’ walk takes us to the intriguing New Battery. This is where the secret rocket testing site was until the government of the day shut down the whole program, just after the first successful British satellite launch in 1971 from Australia.

The New Battery is fabulous, free to enter and as far removed from the Kennedy Space Centre as it’s possible to imagine. Reclaimed from abandoned, rubble-filled rooms by a group of volunteers keen to share its unique history, it reveals itself slowly. The three exhibition rooms sport peeling paint and buckets to catch the drips. The exhibits are quirky and random and include model rockets and some salvaged launch control equipment. There are some framed posters on the wall explaining that between 1965 and 1971 five Black Arrow rockets were built on the Isle of Wight and tested here, at The Needles. The fifth of these rockets was never launched and is now in the Space Gallery at London’s Science Museum. My favourite room contains a brilliant representation of the rocket launch control room by the artist Tom Hall. The contents of the room, including the clock and the broom, are made entirely of cardboard :

Outside, the actual rocket testing launch site sits in a naturally hidden bowl of land facing out to sea. It’s green, windswept and empty with just a few concrete base structures to mark it. The whole place is marvellous.

Cost

Entry is free to the The Needles New Battery. At the time of writing, entry to The Needles Old Battery is £4.80 for adults and £2.40 for children. Access to the properties is shut off if it’s too windy, so it’s best to check the National Trust website before visiting. Thank you to the National Trust for providing our tickets for the purposes of this post.

More on the Isle of Wight

You can read more about our trip in these posts:

Things to do in the Isle of Wight with kids

Fossil hunting in the Isle of Wight

A family friendly hotel in the Isle of Wight

Family car review – a Skoda Yeti on the Isle of Wight

Holiday snaps: Yaverland, Isle of Wight

Disclosure: We were guests of the National Trust for the purposes of this review

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Related

Categories: Attractions, Coast, Elsewhere
Tags: Isle of Wight, Kennedy Space Center, Rocket testing site, The Needles, The Needles New Battery, The Needles Old Battery

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Trish - Mum's Gone to says

    December 4, 2013 at 6:03 pm

    It’s great to find a surprising attraction when you’re on holiday. Finding the quirky and unusual can be a much more enjoyable experience than just visiting the well-known places.

    Love your new website – and it is a website now, not just a blog. Very professional, bright and easy to navigate.
    Trish – Mum’s Gone to recently posted…My Top Ten Sexiest Hotel RoomsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      December 4, 2013 at 9:39 pm

      Thanks Trish, I’m pleased you like it.

      Reply
  2. Molly says

    November 13, 2013 at 9:52 pm

    I know a 3 year old who would love it there! I’ve never been to the IoW but would love to go – this looks fabulous.
    Molly recently posted…Journeying off the sofaMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 13, 2013 at 9:54 pm

      It’s great, I’d definitely recommend it.

      Reply
  3. Sarah Ebner says

    November 10, 2013 at 3:13 pm

    This really does sound fantastic. Would love to visit both – but Isle of Wight more likely!

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 10, 2013 at 8:18 pm

      I’d like to go back to the Kennedy Space Center too – because there was a rocket launch when we went we couldn’t see everything there.

      Reply
  4. Aly says

    November 10, 2013 at 10:10 am

    I’ve always fancied going to the Isle of Wight.My ex boss has a cafe over there (I can’t remember it’s name).It must be fascinating to live somewhere where there has so much history.I’m over from Country Kids.
    Aly recently posted…A Country Kids Penny Hike And Storm JudeMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 10, 2013 at 8:19 pm

      It is a lovely place to visit. Thanks for coming over from Country Kids.

      Reply
  5. Sarah MumofThree World says

    November 9, 2013 at 7:32 pm

    Such an interesting story. Who knew there was something so intriguing on the humble Isle of Wight? It’s somewhere I would really like to take the kids, but we never get round to it!
    Sarah MumofThree World recently posted…What she wore – Next rabbit jumper dressMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 9, 2013 at 9:57 pm

      The whole island is great, there’s loads to do there.

      Reply
  6. Sara (@mumturnedmom) says

    November 9, 2013 at 7:21 pm

    Wow! How interesting – my boys would love that 🙂 Great day out. #CountryKids
    Sara (@mumturnedmom) recently posted…#CountryKids – an autumn walkMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 10, 2013 at 7:59 am

      It was really interesting and very unexpected – I think your boys would enjoy it there.

      Reply
  7. Kriss MacDonald says

    November 9, 2013 at 4:34 pm

    This is wonderful to know about. The needles and the Isle of Wight have a very, very special meaning to my family so this is perfect for me to know about when we visit the area with our children.
    Kriss MacDonald recently posted…What’s the difference between a pond and a lake? They asked.My Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 10, 2013 at 8:05 am

      I hope you enjoy it there, we just loved it.

      Reply
  8. Becky @ lakes single mum says

    November 9, 2013 at 9:57 am

    Ooh missed that on previous visits to the island, will add to the to do list next time we make it!
    Becky @ lakes single mum recently posted…#CountryKids Guinea PigsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 9, 2013 at 12:17 pm

      I’d definitely recommend it, it was such a surprising place.

      Reply

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  1. Things to do in the Isle of Wight with kids | Mums do travel says:
    November 11, 2013 at 5:59 pm

    […] ← Secret rocket testing site on the Isle of Wight […]

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