Visitor guide to
Brighstone Isle Of Wight
Another of the villages along the ‘Back of the
Wight’, Brighstone and its near neighbour, Brook, lie on the sunny
side of the chalk downs that march east-west across the centre of
the Island. Brighstone has an interesting church, a good pub and a
very pleasant tea garden.
The outstanding building in the village is, of course, the Church
which dates back to 1190. The village is extremely proud that no
less than three of its former Rectors were consecrated bishops, and
there is a pub in the village aptly named "The Three Bishops".
Smuggling was one of the main "occupations" of the past, mainly
brandy, which was brought across the Channel from the Cherbourg
Peninsula in great secrecy, and smuggled ashore in sealed tubs and
hidden under cottage floors and in hay ricks to avoid discovery by
the Revenue men.
