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Before the biosphere: the Island’s
Before the biosphere:
The Island’s Victorian naturalists
By James Rayner
The 19th century was a time when the Isle of Wight was famous for its myrtles, when Charles Darwin began The Origin of Species during his stay at Sandown, and the Irish author and philanthropist Charlotte O’Brien came to study the wild flowers of the Undercliff. The Island’s impressive scenery attracted and inspired all kinds of visitors, including the Empress of Austria who stayed at Steephill Castle in 1874 and declared: “... as to the Isle of Wight, it is a little paradise on earth. Why, dear me, I saw fuschias and heliotropes there as big as trees... the pomegranates and oleanders, would make one believe that one was in Greece, while those great green, velvety lawns that sweep right down to the sea could be found nowhere but in English territory." Just like today, it was a time of great interest in the environment, but it was also a time of change: locals were noticing bee orchids disappearing from the cliff path at Ventnor and watercress no longer growing by the stream in Church Street. During this period of environmental awakening and appreciation, two Isle of Wight men grew to become wellknown botanists, making remarkable contributions to the understanding of natural history. The first was William Arnold Bromfield, a native of the New Forest, who settled in Ryde in 1836. For the next 14 years he would explore every corner of the Island in search of its wild plants, amassing a huge collection of dried specimens and recording everything he discovered in incredibly precise detail. Living in Dover Street, he had one of the richest parts of the Island’s natural life right at the bottom of his road.
This undulating, grassy area covered with streams and coastal sand dunes was known locally as the dover - the same dialect word that gave St Helens Duver its name. Home to feverfew, wild celery, bull rushes and hare’s foot trefoil, it made an important habitat for local wildlife. However, this unique ecosystem was under threat and Bromfield watched as species like sea holly and cotton thistle disappeared under the new houses that would eventually engulf the dover completely. His studies weren’t only confined to the Island and he made frequent trips abroad, including America and the Caribbean, but his journey of 1850 would prove to be his last. He died from a fever at Damascus in Syria, concerned for the fate of his unpublished research. However, following his death, two botanist friends ensured Flora Vectensis came out in print - the most accurate and in-depth account of the Isle of Wight’s plant life ever made, recording many species before they disappeared completely. Kew Gardens would receive Bromfield’s 600-book library and collection of dried European plants, whilst his collection of local specimens would eventually pass to Hampshire Council. Another notable naturalist, Antwerp Edgar Pratt, was born at Ryde just a year after Dr. Bromfield’s death. His early career is hard to trace but by the 1890s he was employed by wealthy zoologists, such as the banker
Walter Rothschild, to explore uncharted territories and collect rare and exotic plants and insects. His first big expedition was to China, following the Yangtze River towards Tibet - the experience leading to his first book, at least part of which he wrote at Winton Street in Ryde. Later travels took him to the Amazon, Colombia, Peru and Japan but the unexplored mountains, jungles and islands of New
Guinea would become his favoured location. Pratt discovered a number of new species during his adventures, many of which are named after him, including Pratt’s Rocket Frog from Colombia, as well as a Chinese crab apple, Indonesian butterfly and lizard from Papua New Guinea. He brought back vast collections of insects for study, many of which are now in the Natural History Museum and his work no doubt helped progress 19th century understanding of the natural world. Today, with its designation as a UNESCO biosphere, the Island strives for a more sustainable future, where its natural beauty and wildlife can be protected and continue to inspire great naturalists of the future, just like it did for Dr. Bromfield and Antwerp Edgar Pratt.
