Photographer John Cole shared a wide range of old hotel pictures and brochures in the We Grew Up on the Isle of Wight Facebook group last autumn — and they stirred up a lot of interest.

John used to take pictures of many Isle of Wight hotels and guest-houses as part of his work as a commercial photographer.

Scroll through the gallery of pictures above to see more shots from John...

Here we look at four iconic places to stay, starting with The Ocean Hotel, Sandown, which opened in 1899.

The brainchild of West End theatrical impresario Henry Lowenfeld, the Ocean built on to and swallowed up the town's previous hotel of choice, the King's Head.

It welcomed guests including Charles Darwin and Lewis Carroll during its days as the King’s Head.

For the new hotel's inauguration, a large number of dignitaries were invited from London, arriving in Sandown from Portsmouth by special boat.

Guests had the chance to explore Sandown in coaches and carriages, and the hotel servants were all dressed in uniforms 'like admirals and post-captains'.

The hotel sadly fell into disrepair in recent years and was damaged by fire recently.

READ AGAIN: Holiday heyday to derelict eyesore...then a fire - Sandown Ocean Hotel timeline

Isle of Wight County Press:

The Ocean Hotel in better days. 

The Grand Hotel, a stunning art deco hotel on Sandown Esplanade, opened next door to Browns in April 1938.

The Grand Hotel closed in 2012 after its owners found many rooms did not meet fire regulations and its future remains unclear.

Sandown used to have many smaller hotels, such as Corner House Hotel on the corner of Fitzroy Street, which is currently on the market.

Isle of Wight County Press:

The Grantham Hotel in the 1980s, when there was an arcade in front of it to the seaward side.

Finally, The Grantham Hotel in Queen's Road, Cowes, was demolished in 1990. There are luxury apartments there today.

It was built on the site of Grantham House, a 19th century mansion built for Lord Grantham.

It was bought in 1861 by George Robert Stephenson, nephew of George Stephenson – inventor of the Rocket.

For many years after the Second World War, The Grantham was a hotel and was an extremely popular place to have wedding receptions and other functions, prior to its demise.

Have you got lovely memories of life on the Isle of Wight? If so, why not  click here to visit the We Grew Up on the Isle of Wight Facebook group?

Do you like reading about life on the Isle of Wight in bygone days? If so, click here to visit our Looking Back section.