Did you know that the United Kingdom’s first ever theme park was on the Isle of Wight? Did you also know that Queen Victoria visited its very first attraction? On 24th August 1853, Queen Victoria left her Isle of Wight home, Osborne House, and embarked on “another very pretty tour, round part of this dear lovely island” with her beloved husband, Prince Albert and members of her extended family.
In her journal, the Queen describes how “The day was fine, & the whole drive very enjoyable. We went inland, through such pretty valleys with very fine trees, till we got to Brook, a Manor House when the road wound along the coast, commanding a splendid view of Freshwater Bay on the one side, & the Undercliff, on the other. The little villages, with peculiarly picturesque little old Churches with squat square towers, some on eminences, & many old Manor Houses, in the style of Barton, would have made excellent subjects for sketches. Calbourne, Brighstone, Shorwell, Niton, are all very pretty villages, & there is so much variety.”
At about 4pm, the royal party arrived at Blackgang, where they dismounted their carriage and “walked down to the Chine (curious, but with little water in it) & the beach, which is very fine, — the sea magnificent & the sun shining so brightly on its calm surface. We amused ourselves picking up pebbles. From the top of the cliff down to the beach, it is 400 ft: & the descent was difficult, but the ascent up some rude steps cut here & there in the clay, was very laborious & step. It made me very hot”. Upon returning to the top, the party then entered the building which housed the famous Blackgang whale.
© Mary Evans Picture Library
The whale was first spotted swimming around the islands iconic needles attraction around February/March 1842. At the begging of April that same year it was seen once again, however, this time it was floating in the waters of Totland Bay and it was clear that the mammal was slowing passing away. When its carcass was finally brought ashore in Gurnard, crowds of Victorians began gathering to see the unusual beast. In fact, so many people gathered that the scene was described as being similar to that of a fair!
It was quickly decided that the whale should be sold at auction and it’s no surprise that entrepreneur, Alexander Dabell, was quick to purchase the curiosity!
Originally from Nottingham, Dabell had moved to the Isle of Wight in 1823 with his family, who set up a lace shop in the central town of Newport. As he grew older, Dabell himself became a successful businessman and owned two shops, one in Newport and the other in Shanklin. Recognising the increase in tourism due to the new railroads in the mainland, in 1842, Dabell joined forces with a man named Mr Jacobs (owner of Blackgang Hotel) and began leasing the land around the chine, which he developed into pleasure gardens. However, this wasn’t enough for Dabell, who wanted to turn his new land into a thriving attraction. So, when the opportunity arose to purchase a whole whale, the businessman was determined to take it.
Carisbrooke Castle Museum accession number: NETCC N.2001.213.
Measuring approximately 90ft in length and 11ft in diameter, the giant whale had it’s blubber sold and bones bleached, before its skeleton was placed on display inside its own specially built cottage; becoming the chines first official attraction and giving Blackgang Chine a new status as Britain’s first theme park. In her journal Queen Victoria described the iconic skeleton as “very curious”, an opinion that I’m sure many of its Victorian visitors shared as they purchased their souvenirs from below its rib cage.
Carisbrooke Castle Museum accession number: NETCC N.2001.118.
In 1920 the whale was at the centre of yet another royal visit, when Queen Mary – wife of King George V – lost her hat after bumping into a protruding part of the whale’s jawbone. It’s said that “within minutes, a man appeared and sawed off the offending piece of bone”. Fortunately, both the full skeleton and the removed piece of jawbone still exist and continue to amuse thousands of Blackgang’s visitors every year. Today, the whale is accompanied by several rides and a variety of themed areas and attractions, including: Cowboy Town, The Musical Pet Shop, Fairy Land, The Crooked House Underwater Kingdom, Restricted Area 5 (dinosaur themed) and Dodo Valley. You can find out more by visiting the Blackgang Chine website.
© Queen.Victoria.Roses 2025
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