h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Undercliff, Isle of Wight, UK - A87851569
Author: Bluebottle - U43530

Despite common sense, some people live in the strangest of places. For example in Japan, which has earthquakes. Or Kansas, where there are twister tornadoes. Or close to live volcanoes. Or in Northern Ireland, which always was on the news for its terrorist atrocities, or even on the Mainland, where they have parking meters, motorways, road rage and crime.

It is, of course, far more sensible to live somewhere like the Undercliff. There, basking in the beautifully tranquil, relaxed atmosphere of Britain's best microclimate, you won't have a care in the world. (Except for the outrageous prices charged by home insurance companies and, in some cases, the reluctance shared by all insurances companies to touch your property with a ten-foot barge pole – oh and the real possibility that one day your house may slightly fall off into the sea).

This was inspired by this month's Create theme.

<BB<

I love it. We're getting a real long-view look at some of these places. And this is lively and interesting and made me laugh.

One suggestion:

>>By the 1840s a realisation that the unchecked building of vast numbers of villas with rather poor foundations and especially no real drainage on top of extremely unstable, slippery clay soil probably was not the best idea was beginning to sink in.<<

I suggest:

'By the 1820s a realisation had begun to sink in that...'

It will leave the reader less breathless.

BB, have you ever considered becoming bilingual in German? You write like an educated German, you know, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine could probably use more authors with a firm grasp of the extended-adjective modifier...

Thanks for reading - that tweak changed.

I can't say I've ever considered writing in German – it might be a little late for me to start learning a new language. Hmmm...

<BB<

You're never too old, remember that.

An interesting Entry, I am always impressed by the many things your Island has to share

Forgive me for not commenting sooner.

One little thing I would like to see added is a year to your opening block-quote. With the number of decades you are sharing with us I would like to place this in historical prospective.

Well Done

F S

Thanks for dropping by and reading, I'm glad you enjoyed this.

You raised a good question, too, which was easy enough to answer; 1952. I've added it to the entry.

<BB<

Great Entry! An excellent mixture of subjects, from geology to poetry

I'm struggling with this:

"The Undercliff is the isolated, narrow southernmost seven-mile stretch of the Isle of Wight, from the Landslip and Luccombe in the east to Blackgang in the west, where it meets the Back of the Wight. It is a narrow mile-and-a-half wide band of land above the lower cliff to the seashore, which is between 20-100 feet in height, and the steep inner cliff, which is up to another 300 feet."

Perhaps bring the location together, then the size of it, and then say more about the relationship between the lowercliff, the undercliff and the innercliff...

"the aquatic persuasion" - fantastic phrase!

"explosion in farms " - perhaps "proliferation" would be better?

I've read up to the Development section

Okay then, opening paragraph tweaked.

<BB<

Thanks <BB< - I can visualise it now.

Did the Twinings family live in Old Park or Spindlerfield?

What's a bathing machine?

There's a bit of repetition in relation to St Boniface in Bonchurch and the Well sections.

"which means it is used far more by seaweed than yachts" - fantastic phrase!

Pier pressure indeed - can you reword a bit rather than using "the pier" so many times in the last couple of paragraphs?

Bathing machines:

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsc.08022/


There's a 'not for review' entry on h2g2 that would have made a good guide entry on bathing machines...

A footnote on bathing machines has been added. Does that mean you don't have any in the Wirral?

The Twinings family lived in Woolverton House – and Sam and his wife Anne Twining are still there: http://www.visitilife.com/time-to-take-tea-with-the-twinings

I've consolidated the St Boniface bits into one lump section and have conceded to pier review's opinion to reduce the piers too – so hopefully this is better now.

<BB<

I'm afraid that you're not a Snark, Sasha. In Lewis Caroll's poem 'The Hunting of the Snark' (believed to have been written in my home town of Sandown), there are five characteristics that unmistakably identify a genuine Snark.

'The fourth is its fondness for bathing-machines,
Which it constantly carries about,
And believes that they add to the beauty of scenes—
A sentiment open to doubt.'

<BB<

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

I don't know whether there are any Bathing Machines up here, but if I had seen one before I would be a Snark Candidate - superb things!

I'd go swimming more if I had one of those - the last time I went swimming was years ago, and I got stared at rather a lot so it put me off a bit, but if I had had a bathing machine I wouldn't have needed to worry about it!

There are still a number around on the Island, only they've not got their wheels any more and are used as beach huts.

I've been distracted by the old photos of the Undercliff they have on the LOC website:
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsc.09009/

Bonchurch
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsc.08971/
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsc.08970/

Ventnor
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsc.09006/
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsc.09008/

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And remember to tell FWR about the bathing machines...